Tips to Ensure You Have the Best Wooden Deck for a Long Time to Come

A wooden deck makes a beautiful addition to your outdoor space, providing a surface for various outdoor activities. However, being constantly stepped upon and exposed to the elements, it takes a lot of abuse. This means that proper precautions must be taken both during construction and maintenance in order to prevent deterioration/damage. Read on for three important aspects related to this.

Material selection

You must ensure that you've selected durable timber to maintain structural integrity throughout the deck's lifetime. Common choices include cedar and redwood, which are naturally decay- and insect-resistant. They should be pre-treated for rot, especially if you're using the sapwood (lighter-coloured top layer, usually cheaper) rather than the heartwood. Hardwoods like Ironbark, Kapur, Blackbutt, River Red, Merbou and Spotted Gum are good options. If you can't afford these, you can use pesticide- and pressure-treated softwoods such as pine.

It's worth mentioning that some hardwoods like Merbau have high tannin content. On exposure to moisture, they will leech and stain your furniture or whatever support structures stand beneath. If this will be problematic for you, you can clean off the tannin with oxalic acid-containing cleaning agents before constructing the deck, or else ask for low-tannin options. In bushfire-prone areas, hardwoods like Blackbutt work better since they are more fire resistant.

Deck finishing

Part of proper deck maintenance includes periodic cleaning, after which sealing should be done. Timber decks should be professionally cleaned and sealed every 2-3 years, or annually if you're doing it yourself. Professional cleaning can also help to catch mildew spores. You should also invest in UV blockers which prevent graying caused by prolonged exposure to sunlight, unless you don't mind the graying.

Test the deck's seal using a few drops of water — the drop should bead up instead of being absorbed in the wood if your seal is intact. Your choice of lumber will dictate the best sealant, so be sure to consult with an expert when doing it yourself. Sealing should also be done on pressure-treated wood, as pressure treatment offers no weather protection.

You can use opaque, clear or translucent stains or paint, depending on your preference. Sealants should have paraffin or oil to create a barrier against moisture. Opaque stains and paints are more likely to peel, however, and will require more frequent maintenance. The best sealants should soak into — and not just coat — the wooden surface.

Deck maintenance

Apart from sealing and cleaning, some easy timber decking maintenance tasks can keep your deck looking spick and span. If you have plants on the deck, ensure they have plates and sit on cement blocks to prevent entrapment of moisture and dirt which can promote rotting. Place grease catchers under grills, as grease stains are difficult to get rid of.