7 Tips to Keep Your Deck Looking New

Is your deck starting to look a little… drab? Follow these tips to protect your deck and you’ll be able to keep it from deteriorating and help it to stay looking new for many years to come.

• Constantly remove debris. Make it a habit to sweep your deck off once or twice a week. This will prevent any dirt, leaves, or other debris from accumulating. Is this debris is allowed to sit for an extended period of time it can stain your deck.
• Keep planters off the deck. Planters will trap dirt and water on your deck if they are left directly on the deck. Either sit planters on a raised platform, or place then on a paver. This will keep the water and dirt which comes out the bottom of planter from resting on (and ruining) your deck.
• Maintain your garden. Proper airflow around and through your deck area is important to helping the deck dry off after a recent rainstorm. Make sure there is at least a foot between your deck and any bushes or trees to allow proper airflow and prevent mold, mildew, and moss.
• Reseal your deck on a proper schedule. Wooden decks need to be properly cleaned off and resealed regularly. We suggest sealing at least every other year here in Maryland to properly protect your wooden deck from the elements.
• Inspect and repair your deck. With wooden structures, any crack or split in the wood can get exponentially worse in no time flat. This means, if you see a split in a deck board, or maybe some of the decking hardware is starting to rust, have it repaired or replaced promptly.
• Use a grease catcher for your grill. Grease will easily stain deck boards; and it is one of the hardest stains to get out. So be sure to lay a simple grease catcher under your grill to prevent grease stains from forming.
• Watch for pests. Bugs will probably not be a huge issues for your deck as you probably had it built with a decking material resistant to bugs. That said, resistant does not mean immune. If you start to see insect damage; call a pest control company immediately to prevent further damage.

For more tips on deck maintenance, or if your deck is too far beyond repair and you’d like to have it replaced, get in touch with North American Deck & Patio. North American Deck & Patio is a leading Maryland deck building contractor with over 25 years of experience. For a free consultation on our service, give us a call at 866-535-1961 or fill out the form on our website, today!

“Jim at North American patio and deck's came up with the most ingenious way of utilizing our small very slanted very water drained environment and turned it into a virtual oasis. Making this deck the envy of all our ambitions and gem for the community.”

– C. Cross