Wood Deck Cleaning and Sealing Follow

When to Do It: Need warm, dry weather. Temperatures need to be consistently above 40 degrees, and weather needs to be dry for up to 48 hours after completion of the staining (some products dry quickly, within a few hours, others dry more slowly).

IMPORTANT: Plan to do it at the beginning of the spring/summer, before owners move items out onto their decks and patios. Horizontal surfaces should be done 1x every 2 years, vertical surfaces should be done 1x every four years.

Planning

1. Give owners plenty of advance notice that they need to remove items from their decks during the project, and have a plan to address owners who do not comply with the request. If necessary, the project can be done in two phases, so that the non-active section of the deck can be used for storage, then all items moved to the finished section while the remaining section is completed.
2. Line up bids well in advance. Vendors get scheduled 1 - 3 months out, and that time frame extends as fall arrives. Set expectations among Board members that it can take 6-8 weeks to get on the vendor’s schedule AFTER a vendor is chosen.
3. Get Board involved in any decisions about color. Get explicit sign-off on a color.

Bidding

1. Items that should form part of the proposal:
   • Square footage of deck to be power-washed and sealed.
   • Number of Coats of Paint
   • Name and description of product to be used (including color).
     • Is it water-based or oil-based? Oil-based sealants penetrate the wood more deeply, but must be applied by hand (so are generally more expensive), and have longer drying times. Water-based sealants can be applied using a sprayer and have shorter dry times.
     • Is the product transparent, semi-transparent, or opaque? Semi-transparent allows the natural wood grain to show through, but will give the deck a finished appearance. The issue with transparent sealant is that the decks don’t look much better after you start. Most people do not choose opaque stains, as they look less “natural.” 
2. Ask about vendor experience with deck sealing projects. How many have they done? What products have they used before? Vendor should be able to educate you about the differences among products.
3. Ask about number of people who will be on the crew, and the proposed work schedule.