The definitive deck care guide

Decks are a practical way to enjoy your outside space, perfect for relaxing evenings, hosting friends and family, and al fresco dining. But, just like anything exposed to the elements, they can be susceptible to damage and weathering; it’s important to know what goes into decking protection and maintenance.

In this article, we’ve outlined how to maintain a deck and prevent damage, the steps involved in cleaning your deck, and how to protect a deck from fire pit damage or scorching.

To ensure the best deck protection, discover how to check for weathering, rotting, and discolouring, as well as the ways you can prevent damage.

One of the simplest ways to look after your deck is to regularly check for damage, such as weathering, discolouring, cracking, warping, and loosening. Your decking beams will likely show the most obvious signs of wear-and-tear, but also consider:

Being able to spot the signs of damage is one thing, but knowing how to protect your deck from the weather, strain, and moisture means you won’t have to attend to constant fixes. Simple steps to follow include:

1. Sealing

Sealing your deck means coating it with dedicated oil, stain, or paint. Decking oil is the most effective, as it penetrates the surface of your wood and protects against moisture from within. Meanwhile, deck protection paint, and stain, will behave like a varnish and offer a protective layer against the weather. You should aim to reseal every 2-3 years.

2. Ensuring ventilation

A ventilated deck helps to protect deck joists from retaining excess moisture and keeps your beams from rotting.

3. Limiting heavy furniture

Having too much heavy furniture, especially in one area, can cause your deck beams to start bowing under pressure and become misshapen.

4. Rearranging furniture

Discolouring is easily avoided by rearranging your furniture from time to time. This ensures certain areas aren’t constantly exposed to sunlight while other sections are shaded.

5. Keeping on top of greenery

Where possible, aim to keep your garden plants, bushes, and trees trimmed back and away from your decking to reduce the chances of moss or moisture build-up. When it comes to planters and pots, regularly check for standing water that might cause staining or mould growth.

Where possible, aim to keep your garden plants, bushes, and trees trimmed back and away from your decking to reduce the chances of moss or moisture build-up. When it comes to planters and pots, regularly check for standing water that might cause staining or mould growth.

To help you maintain the best protection for wood deck beams and joists, we’ve outlined our top tips and explained how frequently you should attend to your decking.

Just like your house, your outside living space requires maintenance and cleaning. And this includes deck care. We’ve outlined the three crucial steps involved in cleaning your deck:

1. Sweep

Clear the area entirely, including garden furniture, your outside dining space, structures, and potted plants, and give your deck a strong sweep, making sure to get between all the grooves (this removes any loose dust and debris!).

2. Power hose

It can be helpful to use a pressure washer to get rid of any persistent dirt between your beams and the grooves. Just be careful not to use it on too high a setting, or you risk damaging your wood!

      3. Wash

Sweeping and power washing will eliminate dirt and untidiness, but for the best decking care, you should also give it a thorough wash. This involves splashing soapy water over your deck and scrubbing with a stiff brush. You can even include a disinfectant to remove any remaining algae.

It would help if you applied basic decking care throughout the year. Ultimately, it’ll come naturally as you spend more time outdoors during the spring and summer.

Your deck doesn’t require thorough cleaning like garden furniture, but a yearly deep clean will keep it in pristine condition all year round.

Annual deck care will also reduce the risk of problems mounting up, which can cost you in the long run.

Designed to combat chilly late evenings, fire pits are ideal for outdoor leisure time spent with friends and family. But, it’s important to take the necessary deck care measures to protect against permanent heat damage and burning.

Before lighting your fire, put a protective surface between your hot pit and wooden deck to protect against heat damage. This could be anything from a designated heat-proof mat to everyday paving slabs or bricks. Failure to do so could lead to blackened scorch marks!

Sitting around the fire pit can be a great way to unwind on an evening or enjoy the wintry outdoors without worrying about the inevitable chill. But, open flames can become an unavoidable danger; aside from potentially falling victim to licking flames yourself, your deck can suffer significant damage.

This could result in difficult-to-clean ashy remains finding their way between the grooves in your wooden decking to black scorch marks where sparks have fallen. Get around this by installing a protective grill or spark screen.

As a final precaution, keep all your plants and garden furniture at least ten feet away from fire pit flames. This ensures that nothing unintentionally catches alight, leading to more severe damage if the flames find their way to your dry, wooden decking. At best, expect ash and light scorching; at worst, your decking panels could need replacing!

Now you’ve got to grips with the basics of decking protection and maintenance, explore our complete collection of garden accessories to discover more ways you can improve your outside space. Or, for even more inspiration, check out the latest from us on our blog.