How To Clean And Restore A Composite Deck

You may need to wait a few days for the deck to completely dry depending on weather conditions. Cover plants, grass, concrete, trim, and any other areas you don’t want stained.

This one might throw you a little, but it’s important. If you apply too much sealer to the wood , wipe off the excess. We don’t think twice about wiping off excess stain when we stain interior wood, do the same if you over-apply sealer on exterior composite lumber.

Can You Stain Or Paint A Composite Deck?

This can happen in many ways but the most common is just the daily use of the deck. After a while, foot traffic on the deck wears off some of the plastic coating that surrounds and protects the wood particles in the composite material, exposing them to the environment. This is the cause of "white-spotting" as the sun fades the particles. It also gives mold and mildew an opening to root in the deck. How mold and mildew get a foothold is well understood. The plastic in the composite mix is compromised, and water gets past the protective plastic and into the wood flour. This means that special processes must be used in manufacturing and installing composite decks to account for this un-wood-like expansion and contraction.

This versatile product will help you remove any paint drip or splatter without damaging the surface. Holly, your best bet overall is to clean the deck with DEFY Wood Cleaner and a pressure washer, and then stain it with DEFY Solid Color Wood Stain. That will hide any imperfections and give you a little more life out of your deck.

The Disadvantages Of Composite Decking

Woodrich Cleaner & Brightener For Wood Decks

For snow removal, choose a plastic shovel instead of metal. As you can see, there are various things that you’ll have to do in order to properly and efficiently clean and restore the composite deck on your property. However, by doing so, you’ll have a deck that looks amazing, and more importantly, you could ensure that you don’t need to wash it often. How will this composite decking stand up to 10 inches of standing snow 6 months out of the year?

Whenever you spill on your deck, clean it up right away, as this will help prevent stains. However, if you spot grease or grime on the material, wash it using a mild detergent meant to cut through oil. When air circulates under your composite decking, the material will dry faster. For this reason, make sure your deck has at least 6 inches of unobstructed airflow beneath it.

• In order to best maintain the surface of your composite deck railing, avoid any products that have acetone and other kinds of solvents, as they will alter the color of the railing.
• The best way to get rid of mold, tree sap, and mildew stains is to stick to a soap detergent, water, and a soft bristle brush.
• All exterior building materials require cleaning and a Trex deck is no different.
• Most railing stains should come out this way; however if they are still there, try using a vinegar solution.
• To maintain the beauty of your Trex® deck, a little care and cleaning goes a long way.
• For early-generation composite products (Trex Accents®, Trex Origins®, Trex Contours®, Trex Profiles® or Trex Brasilia®), we recommend a semi-annual cleaning with a composite deck cleaner.

If it does, it will lighten the color of your Trex decking, so apply some on an inconspicuous area first to see if you like the look. Even small amounts of oxygen bleach can leave discolored spots on your composite deck; avoid using bleach products and try a different stain remover or make your own. It’s crucial to make sure that you rinse the deck thoroughly; if any dirty water is left on the surface it will dry and create a film on the composite deck boards. For our standard Mahogany decking, you can order "California Rustic" by the gallon which will give you a semi-transparent finish.

When you brush the sealer, the brush creates friction on the surface, breaks the surface tension of the wood, and works the sealer into the pores of the wood. The more sealer that you can get the wood to absorb, the longer your project will last. Check out this video that shows how to apply deck stains quickly using a car-wash style brush on a pole. This is my favorite method as it does an exceptional job and makes the job go fast.

But, if you stain your deck, you will have to periodically re-stain it to keep it new looking, just as you would a wood deck. So, you end up with a choice, a faded, old-looking but clean deck or the chore and expense of regular re-staining to keep it looking new. Uncapped composite decking is porous and can be stained. Plastic is not porous and will not accept stain. Once capstock decking has faded, that is the color you must live with.

How To Clean Rust Off Composite Decking

Generally these deposits can be cleaned with white vinegar on decking surfaces or use of Magic Eraser® on railing surfaces. Rinsing is required so care should be taken to not use hard water for this purpose, and if it must be used, dry with a cloth or use a blower to dry surfaces. Use either the Defy Wood Cleaner or the Restore-A-Deck products. Both contain sodium percarbonate and additional surfactants that aid the process of cleaning exterior wood and decking. Clean the deck with Messmer’s Composite Deck Cleaner, or another high quality wood cleaner of your choice, then rinse thoroughly with clean water. Make sure the deck surface is clean, dry and in good condition.

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While composite decking does not need much work in the way of maintenance, you should still care for your deck. Doing so will help the material keep its like-new look longer.