The best deck maintenance for Minnesota's extreme weather.

Deck Maintenance

Spring & Fall are ideal times.
Use a deck cleaner to remove mildew, dirt, and pollen.
A pressure washer can help, but use it carefully (low pressure) to avoid gouging the wood.
We offer lost cost washing service for Spring and Fall
Cleaners we use: Behr & Ecolab

Check for cracks, splinters, soft spots, loose nails, or popped screws.
Look especially closely after winter — freeze/thaw cycles can wreak havoc.
Tighten loose fasteners and replace damaged boards promptly.
I would suggest looking at the nails and screws holding down the deck boards, they tend to pop-up. Nail/screw them back in, do not counter sink the screws.
Once you notice wood cracks on the surface, it is important to get the deck sealed with either oil or solid stain, depending on the condition. This seals the boards and cracks and prevents the water to further damage the boards.

Depending on the condition of your deck, you can apply oil stains or solid stains.
It is important to have the right prep work before sealing. This step is crucial.
Use a high-quality stain. Depending on if your deck has had solid stain before, you might want to keep staining with solid. If the deck had oil based stain that faded off previously it can be washed off and another coat of oil can be applied.
Our transparent and semi-transparent products we use are oil based, one coat application with thin viscosity. This allows the oil to deeply penetrate the wood. See our Blog post about solid stains> click here
Make sure the deck is dry after washing, allow 24-48+ hours depending on weather. We use moisture meter that tells us how much water is in the boards to be safe prior staining.

If you're building or replacing boards:

Use pressure-treated wood, cedar, redwood, or composite decking.
Composite decking handles Minnesota winters well and requires less upkeep, though it may cost more up front.
Read about composite decking > click here

Clear off snow with a plastic shovel — avoid metal ones to prevent scratching.
Don’t let snow or ice pile up. Ice melt is okay, but avoid ones with harsh chemicals or rock salt, which can damage wood and metal fasteners.
Consider covering furniture and planters or move them indoors.

If you would like us to maintain your deck give us a shout.

We offer maintenance services such as wash and clean in Spring and Fall. We will inspect the boards and provide best course of action.