Deck maintenance is always a good question in Alaska. Often our decks have snow on them for 8 months of the year. In the summer we get 20 hours of daylight. So it's a pretty harsh environment. So we came up with some recommendations for maintaining decks.

1. Before building a deck, lay a ground cloth in the area the deck will be. Ground cloth will slow down the weeds from coming up between the boards. For types of ground clothes visit Anchorage Sand and Gravel for information on ground clothes.

2. After building your deck, you'll need to sand your deck before staining. We use 6" orbital sanders over the entire deck and sides. It takes 2 people half a day to a day to sand one time. This will open up the wood fibers for absorption of the stain. If it rains after sanding but before you stain, you may need to re-sand.

3. Now you need to pick a stain product. We use Cabot's Cabot's has an excellent web site with a list of frequently asked questions and an 800 number for questions about removing old stain and applying new stain. Cabot's has been rated the highest by Consumer Reports magazine. Plus we like their colors. Their are two types of colors, opaque or transparent. The opaque looks more like a paint. The transparent lets you see the wood grain through the stain. Cabot's can be purchased at Curtis & Campbell off of C Street. One thing to remember, cheaper is not better. With stain and paint, you usually get what you pay for.

4. After you're picked your product and type, read and re-read everything on the product that you can. Taking stain off a deck is a huge pain in the neck, so do it right the first time. Buy an extra can of stain. Ask for sample size cans and test some on a separate board from your deck.

5. Now you are ready to apply your stain. If the stain company suggests using a sprayer to apply the stain, we use a metal garden weed control spray rig. you can purchase them at most home supply centers. You can spray in sections then back roll with a 3/4" nap roller on an extension pole. You should only apply one coat of stain and don't apply too thickly or you'll have problems with the stain adhering to the wood. Again refer to the manufacturers literature. Curtis & Campbell employees are also well versed on how to apply stain.

6.  Now say you've made a mistake and the color or your stain looks horrible. Or the 10 year old deck you have now needs to have stain re-applied. Visit Bio-Wash or Cabot's to look at products that remove stain and prep the wood for new stain. Please remember that manufacturers will say that removing stain is easy to do just using their products. We agree that they help, but you will still probably need to sand the deck by hand with a 5" orbital sander to completely remove the stain and prep the surface. 

Day-to-day maintenance of decks is pretty simple. Keep the deck stained. Unstained cedar will bleach out in as little as one year. If you get snow on your deck, please keep it shoveled off as much as possible. In the summer sweep the leaves and debris off so nothing rots underneath. 

So have fun with your deck and check the web sites above for information.