When Should You Refinish Your Deck?

For most homeowners, a well-maintained deck is a valuable feature, and in the San Diego area, it’s especially valuable. The mild weather makes a deck a pleasure to use, but only if it’s properly maintained.

Which raises an important question: When should you do a San Diego deck restoration? It’s a simple question to answer, but you have to know what the important factors are and how to recognize them.

Start with the advice of the professionals. Most deck pros say you should refinish a deck every 2-3 years by applying a horizontal surface, which should keep it looking new and maintain the functionality of your deck.

It’s also important to do it right. You need to clean the deck surface thoroughly before doing the refinishing, and the surface must be allowed to dry completely as well. If you don’t the presence of mold and contaminants can ruin even the best refinishing job, and this can even lead to the need to replace the deck completely.

The need to refinish also varies greatly according to the wood or lumber. If your deck is made of pressure-treated wood, the finish should be allowed to dry for at least six months before applying a stain or treatment. The water test is applicable here—if you pour water on the deck and the water forms beads, the deck needs to dry more. If the water disappears quickly and soaks in easily, it’s ready to be stained.

Kiln-dried lumber doesn’t take quite as long. This kind of wood only needs a month or two before refinishing, so you can get the job done faster.

Green lumber is probably the most difficult surface to evaluate for refinishing. The yardstick for this kind of wood is one year of drying for each inch of thickness in the deck, and you should consider pressure washing and using a wood cleaner to remove any gray coloring.

For older decks, you need to look for signs of mold or mildew, especially if there’s some level of buildup. If the color of the stain is wearing off or the water no longer beads up, it’s time to consider a refinishing job.

One of the most important issues in refinishing is the need to consult a professional. Many DIY types think they can handle it on their own, only to discover that it’s more complicated than they expected. That’s just one of many reasons to get a pro if you’re considering a San Diego deck. restoration.