How To Repair Splintered Wood Deck

Splintering decks are usually the outcome of one thing: homeowner neglect. Splintering decks don't happen unless a long menstruation of time has passed during which the deck has not been treated with a water sealer and stain. The lack of protection allows water to soak into the boards, eventually causing them to splinter and crack. Fortunately, all is not lost. It might be hard to become that brand new look back completely, just yous can repair decking that has been neglected by following a few simple steps.

Bleaching Splintering Decks

Your first order of business is the easiest. Mix upward a solution of half bleach, half h2o, and spray down your entire decking. If you lot see areas of deck mold (not unlikely if information technology'due south been a while since your deck's been treated), hit those especially hard and work at them with a scrub brush until the mold has been removed. Finally, look for the deck to dry before moving on to the side by side step.

The bleach does two things: it kills deck mold and mildew, and it bleaches the wood to a uniform color, preparing it for taking the deck treatment. If y'all treat a deck that'south at the point of splintering without applying bleach, you lot'll end up with night, unattractive decking, instead of bringing out the natural woods look you lot're trying to recover.

Sand It Down

Once the bleach solution has stale off the deck (it's a good idea to requite information technology most 24 hours, just to be sure), yous can move on to sanding. Since splintering decks mean lots of painful slivers for bare anxiety, it's important that you sand down your deck so that y'all're once again working with a smooth surface. Renting a large flooring sander will certainly speed upwards the job, though the railings, banisters, and steps will probably need to be washed with a paw sander or with sandpaper in hard to reach places. Finally, rent a power washer and make clean off the deck. It's going to be covered in a fine layer of dust from the sanding, and yous'll need to get rid of that if yous desire your sealer to take properly.

Treat the Deck

Once the deck has dried out a second time, you're ready to care for the deck. Using a power sprayer drastically reduces the fourth dimension it takes to treat a deck, though information technology can be done with pigment rollers and brushes if you've got the patience. Just exist certain to watch out for drips and runs, and to brush them upwardly quickly. Taking care of them immediately is pretty simple. Waiting until after the deck is dry to try to get rid of them is about impossible. Finally, retrieve to treat your deck on a regular basis (at least every few years). Information technology's the only certain-fire manner to prevent problems like splintering decks, cracking, rot, and deck mold.

Hiring Contractors to Set up Splintering Decks

While it is possible to repair decking yourself, it's a time consuming and laborious job, especially if yous don't take the tools. A decking contractor is experienced plenty to repair decking of all sorts, and has the supplies and know how to get it done right in a fraction of the fourth dimension. For many homeowners, hiring them is well worth the extra cost.

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Source: https://www.homeadvisor.com/r/fixing-splintering-decks/

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