Decking is one of the best garden features because it breaks up the space and helps you to get more use out of it. It’s the perfect area for hosting friends or relaxing in the sun, and it can even add value to the home. However, timber decking requires a lot of care and it’s important that you don’t neglect it. If you leave your decking to its own devices, the wood will get soaked through with rain and start to rot and you will get weeds and moss growing all over it. Not only does it look terrible, but it’s also very dangerous because the soft wood can easily break when somebody walks on it. 

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If you want to make sure that your garden stays looking great and it’s safe for you and your family, it’s vital that you know how to take care of your timber decking. This step by step guide will help you to protect your decking and make sure that it lasts for years to come. 

Cleaning Your Decking 

Regular cleaning removes any dirt or wet leaves, which can cause water damage and erode the protective coating on your deck. This is especially important when caring for your garden in winter, but you still need to clean it during the summer as well. First, move any furniture you have on the decking and then use a stiff brush to wipe away any loose dirt and debris. If moss and mold are starting to grow on the deck, you need to use a good quality decking cleaner to remove it. 

The chemicals in decking cleaner can be harmful to plants, so before you apply it, make sure that you move or cover any plants in the surrounding area. All decking cleaners are different, so it’s important that you check the instructions before applying it, so you can make sure that you get it right and you don’t accidentally damage the wood. However, in most cases, you need to apply the cleaner and scrub the deck with a brush, then leave it for around 20 minutes. You can then wash it off with a hose or a pressure washer if you have one. 

In some cases, you don’t need to use a decking cleaner and you can just spray the deck with a pressure washer after sweeping away the debris. If the deck is relatively new and it’s in good condition, this should be fine but pressure washing won’t remove all of the mold. 

Treating The Wood 

The only way to make sure that your deck stays in good condition is to treat the wood on a regular basis. When treating the wood, you have two options; decking oil or decking stain. 

Decking oil is great because it not only protects the wood, but it also brings out the natural grain and makes it look good. The oil will soak deep into the wood and prevent issues like warping or cracking. It’s also very resistant to water and dirt, so it forms a good protective layer on the top of the deck and, as long as you top it up from time to time and keep the deck clean, it will maintain the wood very effectively. As long as you use good quality products like Rubio Monocoat wood oil, the protective layer will last for a long time and will not require a huge amount of maintenance. Oil also tends to give better coverage so it’s cheaper than using a stain. The only reason that people might opt for stain instead of oil is that you cannot paint over the top of the oil, which means that you can’t color it. If you like the look of the natural wood, oil is perfect, but if you want a different color, you should go for decking stain. 

Decking stain forms the same protective layer that oil does, but it doesn’t penetrate very far into the wood itself. Although decking stain is durable and can withstand a lot of footfall, it does become very slippery when wet, so if you use your deck all year around, oil may be safer. You have more options with color, but it does cover the natural grain of the wood, so you need to decide what kind of look you want to go for. 

Treating Your New Decking 

When you first install decking, it’s important that you check whether it’s treated or not. Most new decking will come pretreated, and you can tell whether it has been or not because the top layer will be slightly darker than the exposed edges. It’s important that you do not apply stain or oil right away because it will not take to the wood properly. Once the decking is installed, it needs to be left for around 6 months to weather. Once the pretreatment has eroded and the wood is no longer protected, then you need to apply your decking stain or oil to make sure that the deck doesn’t get damaged. 

You also need to protect the exposed ends of the decking because they are not usually treated. If you leave them as they are, moisture will seep in through the ends and damage the wood, and that damage is difficult to undo. However, you can easily avoid this if you apply an end grain protector as soon as you install the decking. 

Restoring Damaged Decking 

Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t follow the steps outlined above and their deck gets damaged. Over time, the rain will soak into the deck and cause the wood to split and warp, and mold will start to set in. If your deck is in bad condition, don’t worry because you may be able to bring it back to life again if the damage is not too bad. Rotten wood is difficult to restore and if the rot is particularly bad, you may need to replace certain parts of the deck or even replace the entire thing. However, if you catch it early, there are steps that you can take to repair it. 

First, you need to make repairs to the deck. Start by identifying any boards that are completely rotten or any that have come loose and replace them. Then look for any areas where there are rough patches or splinters that need to be sanded down. If there are small cracks, you can repair these with a good quality wood filler instead of replacing the entire board. 

If the damaged area is too large, you may have to replace it. The good news is that you only need to replace the damaged area, not the entire decking. Just cut out the part for replacement, then attach the new boards to the rest of the decking using screws. You can purchase pre-cut deck boards or cut the wood yourself with a high-quality track saw. Just make sure that your replacement board’s material matches the rest of the deck.

Once you have repaired the deck and looks to be in relatively good condition, you need to clean it. Just follow the same instructions outlined above to clean away any mold and moss. Once your decking is clean and fully dried, you can apply products to protect the deck. 

A clear decking restorer is a great option that will help to revive and protect the wood so it is ready for oil or stain. Apply a thick layer and scrub it into the wood, then leave it for around 15 minutes before washing it off with a hose. Once the wood has dried out again, it will be ready for your oil or decking stain.

It’s so important that you look after your decking properly or it will soon start to rot and the mold will set in. If you neglect it for too long, it will be much harder to bring it back to life again. However, if you keep on top of your maintenance routine, you can keep your deck in perfect condition.