At Crowe Sawmills, we provide an extensive range of decking products from deck boards to hand rail systems. Our spindles come decorative or eased edge and the deck posts are square or newel. When you invest in decking, you need to remember that is exactly what you are doing. Investing in decking. Meaning that after you purchase it and have it installed, you need to maintain it. Here we show you how to repair and maintain your timber decking. These tips can be used to maintain and repair many Irish timber products.
Power washing
One of the most simple and successful ways to clean or remove daily grime, mildew build-up, stains and general dirt that builds up over winter weather, is to simply power wash the deck. If you don’t have a power washer, rent or borrow one in a hire shop.
When power washing, point the nozzle of the hose close to the deck timber. Just be careful not to tear the timber decking. Keep the nozzle about 6”inches approximately from the timber and this will remove the dirt from the deck. Remove all pots and planters from the deck and sweep heavy dirt off first.
In my experience, this is the most successful way to clean a deck, it is the power and force of the water that cleans the dirt off. There is no need to spend money on detergents or other expensive cleaning products.
Apply Good Quality Deck Oil
When you have your deck power washed, wait until the deck is properly dry and apply a good quality deck oil ie. Sadolin Deck Oil or Ronseal Deck Oil. Good quality deck oils can be got in good hardware outlets. This is a good time to oil your deck when it is clean and no pots or planters are on it. We would suggest you give it two coats.
Make sure you use oil based products, because oil based products will repel the water. Handrails and spindles should be treated and washed. “It may seem a big job but it will be well worth the effort because your deck will be fresh, clean and like new when you have done these two simple steps ie. power wash and oil.”
Maintaining Timber Fencing and Gates
This is very simple, buy a good quality timber preservative and apply once a year. This will help to achieve the maximum length out of your fence. We sell and recommend the old fashioned creosote, we stock this at Crowe’s Sawmills.
Make sure you give the bottoms of the posts at ground level a good treating as this is where the post will fail eventually. Insects attack the posts at ground level. Again, it is very important to do this once a year. Only use creosote on a dull dry day, not on a hot sunny day and use proper protective clothing including gloves and face protection. Apply with a brush.
