Consider these two facts: 1. The average life span of wooden deck is 15 years. 2. The average price for a simple, pressure-treated wood deck (3 steps off the ground) is $9,075. Add size, stairs, and a few bells and whistles and the price can easily grow to $20,000. That's $600.00 to over $1,300.00 per year of service; pretty high rent for a spot to occasionally cook out. Can you do better? Yes. Experts tell us that pressure treated wood can last many decades with reasonable maintenance. Stretch your deck’s life to 30 years and you save $9,000 to $20,000 compared to your less attentive neighbors. Here’s how you do it.1. Do routine mechanical maintenance once a year. Hammer down nails that pop up (be gentle and don’t beat half-moons into the wood). Screw down stubborn spots where nails repeatedly work their way up. The big box stores sell deck-colored screws complete with a drill/driver bit to fit the head. The ones with the star-shaped slot drive in more easily than the traditional Phillips head style. Occasionally, a board may warp, cup or twist. Replace it. You can’t fight mother nature once she decides to twist a piece of wood. (Note: If you do items 2 and 3 below, your deck will need very little of this kind of maintenance).
2. Give the deck a good cleaning once or twice a year. How often depends on how much you use it, whether it’s in sun or shade and whether there is a lot of tree matter falling on it. Appearance is, of course, important but the functional reason for cleaning is micro-organisms. They open up spaces between the wood fibers for water to enter. The big box stores sell cleaners for the purpose. You can use inexpensive chemicals like bleach and tri sodium phosphate (TSP) but the commercial products are probably worth it because they reduce the risk of damaging plants, pets or yourself with unsafe concentrations and combinations. Follow the directions which typically involve hosing down the deck, applying the cleaner with a pump up sprayer, agitating with a brush or stiff broom and rinsing. It doesn’t take that long. We see decks that have been damaged by pressure washers all the time. We recommend you NOT use them.
3. Seal the deck against water. Water is the enemy. Make sure the product you choose is a sealer that keeps water from penetrating wood (in addition to any other properties it may have in terms of enhancing color, sheen etc). How often you need to re-coat depends on your deck’s location and the product you use. As a rule of thumb, if it’s easy to put on (i.e. pump up sprayer), then it’ll probably last a year or two. If it takes more effort (i.e. rollers, brushes and drop cloths), 3 to 5 years. The way to know for sure is by checking the deck from time to time by pouring a glass of water on it. If it absorbs the water (soaks it up and darkens), then you need to reapply the sealer. Usually, you won’t have to do the whole deck, just the horizontal surfaces. You’ll also be pleased to know that there's no performance benefit in sealing the underside of the boards.
Follow these simple steps and while your neighbors are having their deck rebuilt, you can avoid the noise by taking a vacation with the money you’ve saved.
