Portland’s Deck Refinishing Season is Just Around the Corner
After a long, wet, blustery fall and winter, you deck can look less than pristine. The previous summer’s UV rays slowly disappated some of the color pigment in the stain. Then the constant wetness made the wood swell, even further limiting it’s ability to dry out. Slippery mildew or fungus may have started to grow, especially if it spend extended periods of time covered with leaves or needles.
Then, the sun breaks through one day in March and you have the thought of sitting out on the deck for a while or maybe even bar-b-queing. That is when you notice it. Your deck isn’t the same one you remembered from last Labor Day!
This is the time of year that All Surface starts our deck refinishing season.
Decks are too wonderful of a space to go unused or be neglected. Once the weather starts to turn, they are a wonderful way to increase the livable footage of any dwelling.
We find decks needing a wide array of services. Some simply need what we call an “off season” washing. This is simply a gentle wash with mild detergent for decks that have an ample amount of stain or seal remaining. As odd as it may sound, you can “over stain” a deck. While thinking you are taking good care of it by re-staining or re-sealing yearly, you may actually be reducing the period of time that the finish will be functional before needing a major overhaul. An off season washing just gets off the dirt and pollutants accumulated over the winter and actually help the stain last longer.
Other decks might require a deeper washing followed by an application of a similar stain. This is the most common process. It is appropriate when the deck doesn’t require a full service stripping yet but the previous coats of stain or seal are getting quite “tired” and have very little protection left in them.
Finally, for whenever a deck has so much old stain on it that a new coat would not be accepted or you absolutely can not stand the current color, a full service stripping is required. This involves removing 99% of the old stain and virtually starting from scratch, as if the deck was new and unfinished. This option provides you with more color options as you are not trying to chose a similar color to your previous stain.
Whichever method is appropriate, you deck will quickly become the center of your outdoor living. Our estimators are skilled at helping you decide just what your deck needs. Additionally, All Surface offers another great way for you to maximize your outdoor time in our Portland climate – we sell and install beautiful and affordable retractable awnings – www.pdxawnings.com.
We are here to help you enjoy your outdoor living – please give us a call.
Tags: awning, deck, deck cleaning, deck maintenance, Deck Refinishing, deck sealing, deck staining, patio, portland oregon, retractable awning