As seen in The Signal - August 6th,
2005...
The Care and Feeding of Your Band-new
Deck
By Stephen K. Peeples
SIGNAL STAFF WRITER
When he finishes building a new deck,
Scott Donelson, owner of Scott Construction in Santa Clarita,
gives his customers a crash course on its proper care and
feeding.
"I tell them to repaint it within six to
nine months or just before the rainy season," he said. “The
minute we leave, their wood starts drying out and expanding and
moving. It's gonna develop a few splits and cracks, which is
very normal. There's nothing wrong with the lumber. If they
paint when the splits and cracks are fresh, the paint will
stick. If they wait too long, after the splits and cracks are
weathered, the paint will peel."
“Painting is far superior to staining,”
Donelson said. "Stain is for people who don't really want to
maintain their deck. Again, the latex paint will move with the
wood. Stain just soaks into the wood and hardens, so it will
crack easily. Latex will give you a richer, more water-resistant
finish.
Some of the fresh wood may also ooze sap,
which can be a sticky mess but nothing to be alarmed about.
'That's just the wood drying out,” Donelson said. "If it is
sapping, let it continue until it dries out. Meanwhile, you can
wrap a rag around it or put something underneath it so the sap
stays off the patio floor. Then when the sap's dried, you can
just chip it off and touch it up with paint.”
Donelson doesn't believe the conventional
wisdom that you have to repaint every year. "Paint it only as
often as it needs it," he recommends.
Dry rot is not as much an issue as it used
to be, in part because local building codes have improved.
"Older decks in Valencia had their posts right on the ground, on
the concrete patio below," Donelson said. "That meant every time
people hosed off their patios the posts were sucking up all that
water, then drying out. Then they'd get wet again from the
sprinklers and dry out. So code now, calls for a 1-inch
standoff, which means the posts are an inch off the patio floor,
and don't suck up as much water."
Finally, Donelson installs a decorative
wooden collar around the base of the post. “This hides the bolts
that the post is connected with to the anchor in the cement and
takes the brunt of the abuse instead of the post itself. It's
much less expensive to just replace the collar from time to
time."
The top of the collar is beveled 45
degrees, creating a slope for the water to travel down and off
instead of collecting against the post. "Collars that are flat
on top are no good - they hold water against the posts and cause
the same problems you're trying to avoid."
More Post-installation Deck Maintenance
Tips
Ø
Apply slip-proof strips to any steps.
Ø
Inspect your deck at least annually. Check for
discoloration, popped-up nails and rotting boards and beams.
Ø
Check if timber needs resealing by pouring some
water on it. If the water beads, the deck's OK, but if it soaks
in, it's time to repaint or reseal. You shouldn't need to
repaint or reseal more than once a year.
Ø
Clean your deck with a scrub brush and a deck
cleaner diluted in water. If the deck is really dirty, consider
using a high-pressure hose or power wash.
-Stephen K. Peeples
