Deck Maintenance

Annual Maintenance on Ipe Deck

Deck Maintenance is a service which maintains a previous deck restoration or treatment. Consumer Reports, wood manufacturers, stain manufacturers and deck service companies all recommend annual deck maintenance to preserve the appearance and the longevity of a previously applied preservative.

Why maintain your deck?

Especially in the mid-Atlantic we have extremes of all climates, cold, snowy, icy winters, wet springs and blazing hot summers. Your deck experiences a lot! If your deck is on the shaded side of the house, if there are trees surrounding it, or if it is less than 3 feet from the ground, it will not dry quickly after it is wet and mildew and algae will feast upon the stain and eventually the wood.

If your deck is exposed to the sun all day, with a stain it can easily get 25 degrees warmer than the air temperature and can cause deck stains to prematurely crack.

What’s included in annual deck maintenance?

1. Inspection– Do you see any fading, warping, excess cracking, chewing from pets or squirrels,
   

   One Year after Deck Staining

   scratching, can you see bare wood, is the paint peeling? If your existing stain is oil based you can test it with a glass of water. throw the glass of water on deck, if it beads then you are safe other wise your deck requires another treatment. Water based stains or solid stains will not bead, if you see bare wood your deck is vulnerable. If you call Wash My Deck, we will do this for FREE. If you are a previous customer we will inspect at the time of the deck wash.

2. Deck Cleaning– This is recommended annually, no matter the outcome of the inspection. First apply a deck brightener which will loosen all mold and algae (the green and black stuff) so high pressure is not needed. After the brightener is applied and allowed to set up, a low pressure washing is recommended on all vertical and horizontal surfaces.

3. Protection– If all that was applied last year was a seal, you should seal it again. A seal will only last 1 year. If there is cracking or pealing or board replacements performed then spot sanding and restaining is recommended to maintain protection. The great thing about water based stains is they hold the color so touch up is less burdensome.

36 month everything guarantee- (No contracts to sign or gimmicks here.) Wash My Deck is known for our service after the sale. That’s why we are proud of our customer retention rate of 84% (some customers move). We make it convenient and simple to maintain your favorite outdoor living space, your deck.

• Previous Customers receive 10% discounts on all deck maintenance
•  A flat fee charge of $199 for any stain touchups of your deck up to 18 months after service. (This includes the cost of paint)
• 66% discount on staining up to two years
• 33% discount on stain services up to 3 years from original stain application.