Spring Maintenance Tips for Your Outdoor Space
Getting your property ready for the springtime often involves a few hurdles, but it’s always a worthwhile investment of your time once the warmer months roll around. Tending to any gardens, grass, leaves, and trees might not be on your to-do list yet, but repairing and maintaining your deck and patio area should be a top priority. Letting this area degrade can cost you more than the cost of regular maintenance, so it is worth taking care of as soon as possible. You should also consider how enjoyable your outdoor space will become when it’s properly cleaned and maintained. It might just motivate you to spend a few more days basking in the sunlight!
Read up on the tips below if you’re interested in rejuvenating your deck and patio area:
Check Your Eavestrough
Maybe you have no interest in undergoing any roof repairs, but checking your eavestrough for leaks and clogs can be an easy task that prevents your patio or deck from being tarnished by dirty water and other things that might be collecting up there. Sometimes when you’re cleaning, you need to look up before you can look down!
Wash Your Deck/Patio
Begin by sweeping any leaves or other unwanted objects (within reason!) in the area. Removing dirt and loose wood particles is best done with a pressure washer. Ensure that you do not hold the pressure washer in one place for too long, or you may leave divots in the wood. If you are lacking a pressure washer, scrubbing the area down with a well-bristled broom and a wood-friendly cleaner can be a good alternative. Remember to hose your patio or deck down after using any cleaners.
Beware of Splinters and Loose Nails
Nails and splinters are two hazards that you don’t want to be caught off guard by when you’re trying to enjoy a lazy Sunday afternoon. Check for both and make sure they won’t be a problem. Overly bent or rusted nails may need to be replaced altogether. Splinters can be sanded away, but if the splinter is so large that removing it would badly damage a board, you will likely want to replace said board.
Replace Any Damaged Wood
Wood can become split, warped, heavily splintered, or degraded by moisture. Too much moisture without the proper sealant can cause decay and this can cause wood to easily break when stepped on. If you are experienced with power tools, you can easily cut yourself a replacement board and install it yourself. If you aren’t feeling handy or simply don’t have the time, call up a professional to look at your patio or deck. Note that replacement boards will be a different colour and sit higher. These differences should subside over time, but if the replacement isn’t level after a month, you will want to sand it down to size.
Stain and Seal
There are some who choose not to stain outdoor wood since the colour can fade over time; however, if you can keep up with maintaining it, there are many beautiful stain colours that can truly bring a deck or patio to life. There are even varieties of stain that are more resistant to mildew and fading! A transparent sealant, on the other hand, is mandatory if you want to protect your deck and patio from water damage and UV exposure. Sealants also help to give your outdoor area a shiny, new look. For the best results, sealants can be applied annually (though skipping a year shouldn’t prove too harmful for most decks).
