Placing a deck in the garden areas is a brilliant idea to extend your living spaces and increase the value of your property. Besides giving a fascinating look to your living area, they require regular maintenance. One should repair, clean, and varnish the deck once a year to make it look new. It also ensures that the deck remains protected and does not weaken swiftly.
Further, redoing a deck at an affordable price is possible, but the restoration process may take a few days to complete. A restored deck often looks high quality and gives a spectacular look. The five steps listed below can help you redo a deck for cheap.
1. Redo a Deck at a Low Cost: Follow these 5 Steps
Redoing a deck is essential to maintaining its pleasing appearance. However, if damaged or rotten joists are present in the deck, removing and replacing them with new ones is essential.
1.1. Repair Damage Decks and Loose Finishes
Beginning from the blank canvases, firstly, look for the waste materials such as plants or furniture pieces that might be stuck in the blank canvas of your deck. Secondly, go through all the joists to examine if some have splinters or are broken.
Repairing or replacing the damaged joists before moving on to the next step is crucial. A damaged or broken board can be taken out by losing screws with the help of a scraper or knife. As a next step, cut a new board according to the replacement size and fix it with screws on the vacant space.
Leaving a couple of inches of space on either side of the edges of the joists is necessary to give a transparent effect. Also, remove the old varnish from the deck surface, which a paint scraper can do. Start sanding by sandpapering the entire deck surface to keep it at the same level and discard any leftover things.
1.2. Scrub and Clean the Entire Deck Surface
Scrub the entire deck surface with a deck striper, which easily removes the old paint or varnish. A striper is used after sanding a deck. It prepares the deck for varnishing or painting again, like a new one.
Though dust and leftover material parts should be removed entirely while sanding, using a striper is a good idea to ensure this. As a next step, sweep all the dirt or dust from the entire surface and pressure wash the deck with a low setting.
Next, use a decking cleaner to remove the dirt. Let the deck boards soak in the cleaner for 5-10 minutes. Use a bristle brush to help the boards absorb the solution while paying attention to removing dirt and wooden grains.
Use a small brush to clean the edges or sides of the joists. Furthermore, oxalic acid, sodium hypochlorite, sodium hydroxide, and sodium percarbonate are popular cleanser options.
1.3. Pressure-Wash the Wooden Deck
Once you are done and confident that all the dirt and stains have been removed thoroughly, your deck is ready for a pressure wash or power wash. Power Washing ensures that no dirt or cleanser is left behind.
The deck must be pressure washed at medium-high level. To properly get rid of all the unnecessary leftovers, it is suggested to power wash one board at a time and do the same for all. After cleaning it, ensure that the entire deck surface is dried completely before proceeding to the next step.
1.4. Apply Deck Finish of Your Choice
A stain or a sealer can be applied as a finish on the deck. A sealer, which is transparent, allows the original surface and grains of the wood to show up, whereas a stain, which is available in dark colours and is semi-transparent, only allows the wood grains to show up rather than the entire wooden surface.
However, both are manufactured to protect the deck surface from harmful substances that can damage it. Before applying any finish of your choice, first examine whether the deck is ready to do so. Pour a little water on the deck surface; if it is absorbed within 10 seconds, the surface will be sealed.
After ensuring the deck is completely dry, the finish can be applied using a paint roller or paintbrush. Always follow the same direction as the wood grains of the deck while painting. Applying finishes gives the deck surface a new and aesthetic look. However, wait for the stain or sealant to dry before applying another coat.
1.5. Ensure Refinishing of the Deck
Now, it’s time to refinish the deck. In this step, you need to ensure that the finish is distributed evenly on the entire deck surface. Refinishing can also be known as back brushing, in which you can manually ensure that the finish is soaked in the deck or with the help of an air sprayer.
Always use a wide, high-quality brush, as a narrow brush can leave visible brush marks. Apply pressure with the brush and divide the finish equally into the deck. As a final step, ensure that the finish is applied and absorbed by all end gaps and wood grains. Further, to discard any drips, back brush the entire finish.
2. Conclusion
Old decks often look unattractive in gardens and may not be safe sometimes. It is not necessary to break them down and replace the entire set again. This can simply be done by redoing them with the help of several instructions. However, you do not need to replace them regularly if the deck is maintained properly through the years. Redoing a deck annually can help it look fresh without replacing it.
Last Updated on by Sathi