Approximately 1/2 the homes in the United States have a wooden deck, siding, fencing, or roof. Without protection wood rapidly deteriorates from the following elements:

• Water. Water is absorbed into the wood and washes out the natural wood resins and color. Freezing/thaw cycles can splinter and crack the wood. Also water promotes algae, mold, and mildew growth and rotting.

• Sun Light. Ultraviolet (UV) rays bleaches the wood fibers and breaks down the cell structure.

• Mold, Mildew, Algae, and Fungus. Wood and moisture are a natural food source for mold, mildew, algae, and fungus. This generally causes a black, green or gray discoloration.

• Contamination. Contamination comes in the form of food, dirt, atmospheric pollution, etc. This is a good food source for Mold, Mildew, Algae, and Fungus.

• Watch for the following signs:

 
 

Wood in poor condition reduces the value of a home. Proper cared for wood adds to the value and appearance of a home. There is more than one way to clean and seal (or stain)a deck, often the deck will require sanding first. We will examine the most popular techniques and point out some of the advantages and disadvantages of each. You always have the option to choose the technique that you prefer.

Why do decks change color?

This is an actual photograph of wood, viewed through a microscope. It appears to be an irregular honeycomb. This is the reason that wood is called "cellular." Its substrate is made up of microscopically small cells.

No matter where a board is cut from the tree log, it's surface is made up of cut cells, exposed to the surface like little "catch basins."

Imagine a kitchen table covered with wooden bowls, randomly pushed together. Viewed from above, the overall color is that of the bowls, wood.

Now, imagine a box of Cheerios breakfast cereal opened and scattered over the table's bowls until they are 64% filled. Now, the entire surface appears to be the color of the Cheerios.

On an actual wooden deck, the cells are similar to the hypothetical cereal bowls. Even though the cells are treated with an ordinary deck stain or wood preservative, they are still empty and subject to accumulated air-borne dirt and debris, such as carbon dust from automotive traffic (brake-pads, tires, and exhaust emissions,) dust and ever-present tree and plant pollens.

Particles larger than the cells will be blown or washed away; smaller particles will fall into the cell just like the Cheerios and accumulate over time. As the cells fill, we no longer see the color of the wood, but only the color of the combined particles appearing to the viewer as an unattractive "grungy gray."

Since vertical surfaces fail to trap as much soil, less attention need be paid to maintaining the natural color of the wood. But on decks, the problem is much greater and even accentuated by the application of"semi-drying" petroleum-based products, such as those with high paraffin oil content.

Through the application of a penetrating finish of high solid content which changes from liquid to solid when exposed to warm air and ultra-violet light, there is little space remaining for the soil to lodge.

Preserving and restoring the natural color of the wood, then, is dependent on (a.) getting the surface clean, and (b.) saturating the wood with Preserva-Wood's high solid finish. Subsequent applications, over time, will continue to fill the cells toward the 100% mark. Over-application is to be avoided, as it will result is a "shiner" or semi-glossy appearance. When the cells are virtually filled, there remains little or no space for dirt to lodge, and the wood becomes relatively maintenance-free.

For decks, fences, and siding, etc., penetrating finishes are superior to coatings such as varnish or polyurethane, because they do not crack, peel, or become opaque. The application of Preserva-Wood actually strengthens the wood fibers, since the resin residual is stronger than the cellular structure of the wood to which it is applied. By controlling the ingress and egress of moisture (water repellency) dimensional stability is enhanced.