April 12, 2016

How Often Should I Apply a Sealer on My Deck?

Here in the Bedford Hills area, moisture is considered the biggest enemy to wooden decks, so it is important to apply a good quality sealer. Stain or sealer will keep the wood deck in good condition through the changing seasons.

When Do You Need to Seal The Deck?

You can use a simple test to check if your deck is protected. To perform the test, you can splatter a few drops of water onto the surface of the deck and wait for the results. If you find that the water beads up and remains on the surface, your deck is still in fine condition. However, if the water soaks into the wood, it may be a good sign that you are in danger. This may also indicate that you are at risk of wood splitting, twisting, and rotting. You need to make sure that you perform the test in many different areas of your deck since each board is different. Nevertheless, if you have a new deck made from pressure-treated lumber, it is best to wait a minimum of 1 year before applying sealer on it. This actually allows the wood to finish drying and curing.

What Kind of Sealer Should You Apply on Your Deck?

If you have a deck made from exotic hardwood or cedar, you can consult an expert deck refinishing and painting contractor in Bedford Hills for information regarding your specific requirement. On the other hand, if your deck is made of typical pressure-treated pine wood, you usually have three options when it comes to choosing the sealer for a deck: clear sealer, tinted/semi-transparent sealer, or a solid sealer.

When Would you Use Clear Sealers?

Most homeowners use clear sealers since they have the ability to protect the wood against moisture without changing the deck’s natural wood tones and color. Clear sealers offer natural wood grain and color to show. However, clear sealers don’t have the ability to block UV rays; the wood will fade and turn gray.

Why Use Semi-transparent Stains?

Semi-transparent or lightly tinted sealers are actually equivalent. They basically provide the deck with a tinting color which highlights the grains and allows much to show through. Semi-transparent stains provide waterproofing and low UV protection to the wood.

How about Solid Stains?

Solid stains are basically a type of heavily pigmented stain which is formulated for outdoor woodwork. They are widely popular and it creates a protective barrier on the surface of the deck. Heavily pigmented stains or solid stains are available literally in any color and can entirely cover the natural grain patterns of the wood surface.

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Here are other related blogs.

Why Invest in your deck refinishing

How to Clean and refinish a wood Deck


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