Cedar decks have several functional and aesthetic benefits. Cedar is naturally resistant to rotting, insect infestation, splitting, and warping. As a bonus, its shrinkage ratio is lower than that of most other varieties of wood. However, regular deck care is essential to preserve the aesthetic appeal of your deck.
Cedar decks can last as long as 15 years if properly cared for and maintained. One could do worse than this!
Cedar Deck Maintenance Tips
You have a wide range of options for wood decks. Redwood, pressure-treated lumber or cedar are used to construct wood decks. For decades, cedar has been used to create decks because of its lovely colour, low cost, wide availability, softness, ability to bend without breaking, and inherent resistance to decay and insects. What more might you ask for in a deck? Homeowners might only ever choose this option if it were as low-maintenance as a composite deck.
We’ll advise on how to clean and care for your cedar deck in today’s blog.
Sweep your Cedar Deck regularly.
One of the effective ways to ensure you don’t have a big mess on your hands when the time comes that you have to clean your deck deep is to sweep once or twice a week. Sweeping out dirt and leaves can help ensure that there is no decaying organic matter on your deck and can stop the growth of slippery mildew.
Clean your Deck with Cedar-specific or any mild cleaner.
Whether or not to power wash your wood deck is still up for debate. A power wash can thoroughly clean a wood deck quickly and effectively, but it can also deteriorate and harm wood, particularly softwoods like cedar
Your deck should have a thorough cleaning once or twice a year. To properly clean your cedar deck, we advise using a cedar-specific cleaning solution and paying strict attention to the instructions.
Your deck can also be cleaned using a solution of dish soap and water. You should combine dish soap and water in a large bucket to create a thick, frothy mixture. Use a gentle scrub brush to push the solution into the wood of your deck after giving it a thorough garden hose pre-rinse. Be careful not to let the wood dry out during this process. Use your garden hose’s mister setting to keep the deck damp if it begins to dry. Use your hose to carefully rinse the deck after the soapy solution has had a chance to do its job for a few minutes. Make sure there is no soap residue left behind. Make sure to wash the deck railing as well.
Re-stain and Reseal your Cedar Deck.
For the most part, cedar is sealed. The wood is inherently water-resistant, and many think its hue, both when it’s new and old, is magnificent. If you do decide to seal or stain your cedar deck, you may want to do routine deck care to keep it looking new. If all you’re doing is staining every year, once a year is the best goal. It is advised to apply sealant, whether it is stain and stain-resistant or just sealant, at least once a year.
Hire a professional landscape company in Calgary to help maintain your Cedar Deck! Project Landscape will help prolong the span of your deck and maintain its quality.
