Doing restoration of any wood product means that the working surfaces must be extremely clean to enable a final product worthy of the time and cost of the restoration. Natural wood has an inner beauty and lustre that is extremely difficult to match with any man made product and letting nature destroy this is something we all want to avoid. With years of neglect this is sadly what will eventually happen.
Using high quality Deck Cleaner is vitally important to remove the accumulate treatments and dirty of years since the last professional cleaning was done on the structure. In neglected timber the surface will normally appear as being grey in colour and this must be completely sanded down to expose the grain of the timber. The intensity of this sanding process will be influenced the surface condition and how bad the condition really is.
Most professional restorers will sand down until they find the exposed area clear of damage and rot. Timber without this bad condition can be washed using high pressure before deck cleaner is added to the sprayer making the cleaning more effective. Using a deck cleaner and industrial scrubber is the best way to get spectacular restoring results from the neglected wood. Removal of all debris and dust is extremely important to retain a smooth working surface.
After cleaning using the deck cleaner and drying the first application of a product to restore the natural beauty of the wood is applied. This is to bring out the lustre and natural wood appeal that the deck owner wanted when installing the deck area. The product delivers great results if left for a short period on the wood surface enabling it to penetrate and dissolve some of the previous treatments and dirt.
That being done and the effects from the deck cleaner made the timber ready for the next step in the process. This is the application of the protective coating to the timber surface. The best quality products are water based and must be applied to the timber while still wet from the cleaning process. This allows better reaction with the wood fibres.
Leaving the timber to dry for around 3 hours before applying the second and final coat is highly advised to obtain superior results from the timber restoration process. In cases where the budget allow a fourth coat should be applied to give better lasting protection. Having completed the deck cleaner operation and application of the sealer coats, the client is well advised to join a maintenance program to ensure that this is never again required.
The maintenance program is designed to care and protect the timber from further damage and keep the area looking like new and as close to its original beauty as before the damage.
