Wood patios are built to last. Made from hardwoods like cedar, redwood, and pressure treated pine. This means that even the most weathered patios are often able to be saved with a little elbow grease. Over time decks often get worn down with sacrifice damage and mildew. It is easy to restore these wooden patios and protect them from future damage.
Start by inspecting the wood of your patio. Any wood that is showing signs of rot beyond the surface should be replaced with the same type of wood to extend the life of your wooden deck or patio. While inconvenient, this is an important step to restoring your wood patio to its former glory. It won’t take long for the new wood to match the old so don’t worry too much about how the fresh wood looks.
A power washer is the easiest tool to help you clean your wood patio quickly. The pressure will help remove surface rot and mildew. This will clean your patio and remove stains leaving behind a clean fresh surface for you to work with. A quality deck cleaner that contains sodium percarbonate can help make this process even more effective and even remove the greying from your patio.
Take a stiff brush and scrub off any remaining mildew in grooves and crevices. A large stiff broom can be used to scrub the deck down before a second rinse to be sure any cleaning solution you use is fully removed. If your patio has a finish that is old and damaged, strip it with a finish stripping product.
Once you have cleaned away everything from your wood patio and replaced any damaged wood, you can then finish off your wood patio. A deck stain can help even out the color faster making it a great choice to stain your deck if you replaced some of the wood. Whether you stain or not, you will want to use an oil or wax based sealant designed to protect your patio from damage.
Give your deck a good cleaning and a fresh seal every one to 5 years, depending on the stain and finish you choose. Read the packaging and set yourself a reminder using Google Calendar to email you when it is time to redo this project!