One of the Contractors in this article is from Germantown, I just wondered if you new him? Its a small world. This came from HousingZone.com I get the news letter e-mailed to me, it has interesting articles.
August 22, 2004 Sunday ALL EDITION
ENTREE; Pg. 01N
983 words
Overhauling the DECKS;
A little cleaning, a little care will keep 'outdoor living room' looking smartDAVID LEWELLEN Special to the Journal Sentinel
As more people turn their decks into outdoor living rooms, complete with comfortable furniture, dining and grilling areas, there is an emphasis on keeping them looking their best.
Decks have become a staple of backyard life, but the ones made of wood, as most are, need regular maintenance to remain attractive and safe.
Homeowners can do the work themselves or turn to professionals to bring their decks back to life.
The deck behind the house in Cedarburg looked tired. It was faded, dull and gray, except for the green spots where mold or mildew had taken hold. It needed some serious attention. Jason Knapp, the crew chief for Pro Woodcare, sized up the deck; it probably had been many years since it had been cleaned.
New owners had bought the house six months earlier and had thought about cleaning the deck themselves, but didn't want to take the time.
The solution wasn't drastic.
Knapp's crew would coat every inch of wood -- railings, trellis, chairs, steps, flooring -- with a strong bleach solution, then pressure-wash it off, taking with it grime and the effects of sun fading.
"What we're going to do is restore the natural look of the wood," Knapp said.
As he and crew member Tony Rolston handled the long metal wands of the pressure washer, the difference was dramatic, like rubbing the fog off a window.
"It's totally different," crew member Isabel John said. "A lot of people are so amazed by it."
Once the bleach had been washed off, a chemical that brings out the natural color of the wood was applied.
After rinsing with a normal-pressure hose, the crew packed up.
They would return two days later, to sand the deck and apply a coat of sealant.
Area professionals say that a deck should get a thorough cleaning every two to three years, depending on a variety of factors, including exposure to the elements and quality of the wood.
Spring is a popular time to do it, but cleaning and sealing to protect the surface from winter weather damage makes sense, too.
The reason wood can't just take care of itself is the sun; the ultraviolet rays will bleach the color out of it and leave it gray. However, homeowners with shaded decks are not off the hook. Their structures too are subject to the yearly cycle of use and abuse.
George Viall, of Aqua Jet Pressure Cleaning in Milwaukee, said that homeowners will know it's time to clean and seal their deck by watching it in wet weather.
If the water is "soaking into the wood, there's not much protection on the surface," he said. "It should bead up."
Signs of neglect
Tim Cross, president of Pro Woodcare in Germantown, said about half the decks his company cleans have been neglected. But, he added, it's wise to have a deck treated and sealed immediately after it's built.
After the first time, "so long as people are diligent, it will never require the full treatment again," Cross said.
After the deck that Knapp's crew restored gets two or three more years of use, the company will send a dentist-style reminder postcard to the homeowner, suggesting another appointment, this time to re-apply the brightener and rinse it off.
The kind of oil-based, penetrating sealant they use, Cross said, "will not allow (the wood) to weather and will keep it looking like a pretty cedar deck."
Even if a deck has been painted or mistreated, Viall said, "it's not that complicated to get it back to a nice luster."
Because the difference in "before" and "after" is so obvious, it's important to clean every tiny crevice.
Hitting all the spots
Rails are time-consuming, lattices are "evil," Knapp joked. "You learn to be very anal about things. If you don't hit it, someone else is going to have to."
"We like the decks that don't have rails or spindles," Rolston said.
The Pro Woodcare crew doesn't see deck cleaning as a do-it-yourself job; they've had to come in and fix too many attempts that went wrong.
Still, a majority of deck owners do choose to save money and do their upkeep, said Jeff Kuenstler, manager of Cedarburg Lumber.
Kuenstler estimated that the cost of properly cleaning and sealing a wood deck might run about $100 a year. The best method, he said, is to work the cleaner into the wood with a stiff brush, let it sit 15 to 20 minutes, and hose it off. That takes off the dingy gray and restores the fresh wood coloring, much like the pros' technique, only with elbow grease replacing the force of the power washer.
"With a power washer, if you don't know what you're doing, you can rip up the grain of the wood," he said. "It will cut a board in half if you turn it up too high."
Then a new coat of sealant should be applied when the forecast predicts dry weather for three days. Any water- or oil-based product would work, Kuenstler said. The disadvantage of a wax-based sealant is that nothing but wax base can ever be used on the deck again.
If you've neglected your deck for years longer than you should have, it might be time to rent the power washer, and read the instructions thoroughly. Kuenstler also suggested mixing the cleaning solution stronger than the label suggests.
But, Viall said, professional crews "use variable pressure and hot water. Those are two very important points. There is technique involved."
Many home handymen who have had wood decks are tired of the maintenance, though. "They'll make time to build them," Kuenstler said, "but they want to build it and sit on it and that's it." That's why decks made of relatively new composite materials, with their very low maintenance, are growing in popularity.
Some of the new styles in deck design also contribute to that end.
Aaron Schlines a landscape architect with David Frank Landscape in Germantown, said that more homeowners are choosing metal railings to go with wood flooring. It's a different look, and metal doesn't need the care that wood does.
One of the Contractors in this article is from Germantown, I just wondered if you new him? Its a small world. This came from HousingZone.com I get the news letter e-mailed to me, it has interesting articles.
August 22, 2004 Sunday ALL EDITION
ENTREE; Pg. 01N
983 words
Overhauling the DECKS;
A little cleaning, a little care will keep 'outdoor living room' looking smartDAVID LEWELLEN Special to the Journal Sentinel
As more people turn their decks into outdoor living rooms, complete with comfortable furniture, dining and grilling areas, there is an emphasis on keeping them looking their best.
Decks have become a staple of backyard life, but the ones made of wood, as most are, need regular maintenance to remain attractive and safe.
Homeowners can do the work themselves or turn to professionals to bring their decks back to life.
The deck behind the house in Cedarburg looked tired. It was faded, dull and gray, except for the green spots where mold or mildew had taken hold. It needed some serious attention. Jason Knapp, the crew chief for Pro Woodcare, sized up the deck; it probably had been many years since it had been cleaned.
New owners had bought the house six months earlier and had thought about cleaning the deck themselves, but didn't want to take the time.
The solution wasn't drastic.
Knapp's crew would coat every inch of wood -- railings, trellis, chairs, steps, flooring -- with a strong bleach solution, then pressure-wash it off, taking with it grime and the effects of sun fading.
"What we're going to do is restore the natural look of the wood," Knapp said.
As he and crew member Tony Rolston handled the long metal wands of the pressure washer, the difference was dramatic, like rubbing the fog off a window.
"It's totally different," crew member Isabel John said. "A lot of people are so amazed by it."
Once the bleach had been washed off, a chemical that brings out the natural color of the wood was applied.
After rinsing with a normal-pressure hose, the crew packed up.
They would return two days later, to sand the deck and apply a coat of sealant.
Area professionals say that a deck should get a thorough cleaning every two to three years, depending on a variety of factors, including exposure to the elements and quality of the wood.
Spring is a popular time to do it, but cleaning and sealing to protect the surface from winter weather damage makes sense, too.
The reason wood can't just take care of itself is the sun; the ultraviolet rays will bleach the color out of it and leave it gray. However, homeowners with shaded decks are not off the hook. Their structures too are subject to the yearly cycle of use and abuse.
George Viall, of Aqua Jet Pressure Cleaning in Milwaukee, said that homeowners will know it's time to clean and seal their deck by watching it in wet weather.
If the water is "soaking into the wood, there's not much protection on the surface," he said. "It should bead up."
Signs of neglect
Tim Cross, president of Pro Woodcare in Germantown, said about half the decks his company cleans have been neglected. But, he added, it's wise to have a deck treated and sealed immediately after it's built.
After the first time, "so long as people are diligent, it will never require the full treatment again," Cross said.
After the deck that Knapp's crew restored gets two or three more years of use, the company will send a dentist-style reminder postcard to the homeowner, suggesting another appointment, this time to re-apply the brightener and rinse it off.
The kind of oil-based, penetrating sealant they use, Cross said, "will not allow (the wood) to weather and will keep it looking like a pretty cedar deck."
Even if a deck has been painted or mistreated, Viall said, "it's not that complicated to get it back to a nice luster."
Because the difference in "before" and "after" is so obvious, it's important to clean every tiny crevice.
Hitting all the spots
Rails are time-consuming, lattices are "evil," Knapp joked. "You learn to be very anal about things. If you don't hit it, someone else is going to have to."
"We like the decks that don't have rails or spindles," Rolston said.
The Pro Woodcare crew doesn't see deck cleaning as a do-it-yourself job; they've had to come in and fix too many attempts that went wrong.
Still, a majority of deck owners do choose to save money and do their upkeep, said Jeff Kuenstler, manager of Cedarburg Lumber.
Kuenstler estimated that the cost of properly cleaning and sealing a wood deck might run about $100 a year. The best method, he said, is to work the cleaner into the wood with a stiff brush, let it sit 15 to 20 minutes, and hose it off. That takes off the dingy gray and restores the fresh wood coloring, much like the pros' technique, only with elbow grease replacing the force of the power washer.
"With a power washer, if you don't know what you're doing, you can rip up the grain of the wood," he said. "It will cut a board in half if you turn it up too high."
Then a new coat of sealant should be applied when the forecast predicts dry weather for three days. Any water- or oil-based product would work, Kuenstler said. The disadvantage of a wax-based sealant is that nothing but wax base can ever be used on the deck again.
If you've neglected your deck for years longer than you should have, it might be time to rent the power washer, and read the instructions thoroughly. Kuenstler also suggested mixing the cleaning solution stronger than the label suggests.
But, Viall said, professional crews "use variable pressure and hot water. Those are two very important points. There is technique involved."
Many home handymen who have had wood decks are tired of the maintenance, though. "They'll make time to build them," Kuenstler said, "but they want to build it and sit on it and that's it." That's why decks made of relatively new composite materials, with their very low maintenance, are growing in popularity.
Some of the new styles in deck design also contribute to that end.
Aaron Schlines a landscape architect with David Frank Landscape in Germantown, said that more homeowners are choosing metal railings to go with wood flooring. It's a different look, and metal doesn't need the care that wood does.
August 22, 2004
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