How to Maintain Your Decking

How to maintain your decking? Maintaining your decking annual is important to not only keep it looking appealing, but to also help to increase its lifespan. Ever since we had the decking installed five years ago at the end of our garden, it has become one of my annual summer projects!

I like to take care of the decking to make it useable for the children and most importantly, a place for our family and friends to relax there while having our dinner al fresco or while barbecuing together. This year, our decking has been extra busy as I have built a pallet climbing frame and a pallet playhouse for my children. With these two large pieces of furniture to place on the decking, it is even more important for me to make sure I maintain it correctly and improve the look of the outdoor space.

You might think that maintain decking is a chore, in fact, using the right tools with Wickes products, it is not only easy to do but also makes a big difference to the overall appearance of the garden.  To start this project, I popped into our local Wickes store with this shopping list: Cuprinol anti-slip deck/stain, deck decking stain applicator pad, Wickes Patio and Decking cleaner, Wickes heavy duty knee pads and Wickes vinyl gloves.

To keep the same shade as my decking, I decided to buy Cuprinol anti-slip deck/stain cedar fall as it is the closest to my previous colour. To cover the whole decking, I had to buy four tins. Yes, four tins of 2.5L.  Even though each tin said that it will cover 20m² with 2 coats, I found I needed more than that. I also think it’s better to buy than less to avoid having to go back to get more if you run out or even worse is if the shop is sold out. I am pleased to know that Wickes offer six months to return any unused products. This definitely gives me more time to do my projects.

I also bought the deck decking stain applicator pad which is faster than a brush application and the bristles can get right into the grooves. This applicator pad is easy to assemble and use.  I poured the anti-slip deck/stain into a big rectangle plastic tray to use with this applicator pad.

I did this project over a three day period, so to maintain your decking:

• Choose the right weather to do it! You won’t want to do it when it rains!  It is best to choose a week where it is going to be sunny.
• Remove everything from the decking such as furniture and plants. Then sweep all the leaves or plants away.
  
• If your previous decking shade is darker than the current shade, you will probably need to get decking stripper to strip off all the old paint. Luckily, we went with a slightly darker shade so didn’t need to do this step.
• I then scrub the decking with Wickes Patio and Decking cleaner to removes moss, algae and dirt. Simply rub the cleaner onto the decking and use the hard brush to brush off the dirt.  Then I washed off with a hosepipe. Allow the deck to dry for at least 48 hours before applying a treatment or adjust according to the weather.
  
• Now get your gear ready before you start to paint! With this easy applicator pad, it took me two hours to paint all the decking!
  
• Once it is dry, preferably allowing for the recommended 24 hours, place all the furniture back. If you would like to learn more information about maintaining your decking, help and advice please visit: wickes.co.uk

Viola! Can you see the difference? I love the amazing colour of my decking. It has gone from old and tired to more welcoming and appealing! This project costs me around £120 to get it all done.  I think it is a reasonable price especially as the stain is on discount (2 tins for £40)! Also using the right tools helped me to achieve a great result too. Now we can all enjoy using it through the rest of the summer!

Wickes has a great range of products available online and in store for maintaining decking, including Cuprinol anti-slip deck/stain, available in seven colours. They have more than 235 stores nationwide including 14 Kitchen and Bathroom standalones. They cater for everyone from first time DIYers to skilled tradesmen, Wickes is dedicated to bringing better value by providing quality materials and equipment for DIY or trade use.

Wickes’ one hour Click & Collect service allows people to order a comprehensive selection of products online and then collect from their local store in just one hour. They offers a choice of more than 13,000 inspirational home improvement products including stunning kitchen and bathroom ranges, as well as lighting, wallpaper, tiles, flooring and power tools and more than 150 stunning colours of paint to produce a flawless finish on walls, wood and masonry.

Disclosure: I am a member of the Mumsnet Bloggers Panel, a group of parent bloggers who have volunteered to review products, services, events and brands for Mumsnet. I have not paid for the product or to attend an event. I have editorial control and retain full editorial integrity.