As seen in The Signal - July 14,
2007...
CHECK THAT DECK
By Jim Walker
SIGNAL STAFF WRITER
Your wooden deck or patio cover may need a
little TLC. A primer on the finer points of deck care and
maintenance.
When you think of wooden decks and deck
maintenance, you probably visualize an expansive redwood deck
raised just above the ground, stained, and then coated with some
waterproofing liquid, as you see on television. However, this
type of deck is not all that common in the Santa Clarita Valley.
That’s because, at ground level, there really isn’t much need to
build a deck where you already have concrete. “We’re big on
concrete out here,” said Scott Donelson.
Donelson is the owner of Scott
Construction, and he has been in the patio and deck construction
business here for 22 years. He explained that, in the SCV,
second story balcony decks are much more common than hillside
decks or patio decks.
“Redwood decks are just hardly done here
at all. You can’t do much with them,” he said. Correspondingly,
Donelson noted that, on decks and patio covers alike, the most
common finish used in the SCV is paint, rather than stain.
“Paint can make something look like
finished furniture. Stain never will. It will still look like an
outdoor piece of wood. Stain protects from the elements. That’s
really all it does,” he said.
With these points in mind, Donelson
offered his tips on maintaining your wooden patio covers and
decks.
Structural Check
Donelson’s first step in any deck
maintenance procedure is to check the structure itself, looking
for dry rot, termites, loose nails, etc. He said these problems
are especially common with stainedwood decks because of the gaps
present between the floorboards. “The gaps allow water and dirt
to get between the boards. The dirt holds the moisture,” he
said.
The moisture gets into the wood and can
lead to weathering, rot, termites and other problems. “When I’m
building them I always do a solid or Trex floor,” Donelson said.
Trex is a brand of composite material made
from reclaimed wood and plastic. It stands up to moisture and
won’t rot. Donelson recommends using Trex floorboards on
hillside decks. Because these boards still have gaps between
them, water won’t run off the deck in concentration and erode
the hillside.
Donelson’s method for solid floors is to
use 2-by-6 inch floorboards, fitted together tongueand-groove,
then a layer of plywood over them, followed by an epoxy coating
that makes the surface completely waterproof and has a non-skid
surface. “That’s the way we do all our balconies, all our
decks,” he said.
When checking the structure of your deck
or patio cover, Donelson said to look for “sawdust,” which
indicates the presence of termites. Dry rot can be detected in a
different manner. “With dry rot, if you poke it (the wood), it
will dent,” he said. Left untreated, a section of dry rot will
spread.
“A lot of people have this in their eves,”
he said. Donelson offered one last point on the structural
check. “If you’re going through (your deck) to maintain it,
replace nails with screws,” he said. Screws hold a deck together
better than nails, that tend to loosen over time.
Check the Finish
Donelson’s second step is to check the
finish on the wood. However, he doesn’t subscribe to any
designated number of years before repainting.
“There is no such thing as every so-many
years. It’s as needed. If it’s needed, it’s needed. If not,
not,” he said. Donelson said that, if your paint is peeling, you
waited too long. “Paint won’t stick to weathered wood,” he said.
You need to sand down through the paint and weathered wood to
reach good wood. But this is just a light sanding. Since wood
turns gray when weathered, you’ll know when the weathered wood
has been removed.
Clean the deck with a broom and water
before sanding, using a mild detergent — if you have to.
But be sure the wood is completely dried
out before painting.
Donelson recommends using a hand sander, a
vibrating sander or an orbital sander. “If you take 2-by-2s and
use a belt sander, you won’t have 2-by-2s for long,” he said.
The grit of the sandpaper should be fairly course “to get the
job done and move on.” After the wood has been sanded, you apply
primer and then repaint.
“The purpose of the primer is for the
paint to stick,” Donelson said. Donelson always recommends using
water-base paint. “If it is painted with an oilbased paint it
will need to be sanded, re-primed and painted
with a water-base paint,” he said. He
explained that oil-based paint is a “mistake” outside.
“It turns yellow, splits — it has no
elasticity. You need a paint that will hold to it better,” he
said. He also recommends using semi-gloss paint, not flat paint.
“Flat paint absorbs water, semigloss doesn’t. That’s why
kitchens and bathrooms are painted in semi-gloss,” he said.
Semi-gloss also retains its elasticity better.
Other Maintenance
“The more you stay on top of (deck)
maintenance, the less maintenance you will have to do,” Donelson
said. For example, if you see a separation between wood joints,
touch it up right away and it will be fine.
But if you wait, it will peel and you’ll
have to re-do the whole thing. Separations at joints occur
naturally. Donelson said that, after a patio is built, the wood
will dry out and move. That’s why he recommends repainting a new
patio cover or deck within six to nine months. At this point the
old paint will still be good and the preparation should only
require a good cleaning before the new paint goes on.
If your deck is a balcony type, Donelson
said to check for leaks where water runs off it. This can be
critical where the anchor bolts attach to the house. He said
that, by code, your balcony posts are an inch off the ground, so
as not to soak up water. But, if they are placed near the edge
of a slab, where sprinklers hit them regularly, the wooden
collars around the post bases may need to be replaced. These
collars are put in place to take on the wear and tear that would
otherwise happen to the post, itself.
Cleaning your deck or balcony is mostly
for aesthetics. Donelson said that cleaning doesn’t make a lot
of difference to the wear and tear. “Water and the sun are what
does the most damage, and the paint protects,” he said.
He noted that for raised decks, the top
surface takes more of this sun and water damage than the bottom.
But you have to do your part.
“If it’s a hillside deck it would be
important to keep vegetation off it. Plants hold moisture and
the moisture will cause dry rot,” he said. He added that vines
are a “horrible idea.” “They just wipe out the wood,” he said.
- Jim Wlaker
