Maintenance Tips
First 48 hours:
- Please keep in mind that the preservative (stain) that we applied can take a couple days to completely dry.
- Please be mindful of tracking any stain from your deck into your house or onto adjacent concrete, etc. Just remove your shoes before entering those areas.
- If you have furniture we suggest that you test it by wiping a paper towel across the wood to see if any residue comes off on the towel.
- If there is residue, give it some more time before putting cushions or sitting directly on the furniture.
Keep the deck and other wood clean, dry and uncovered:
- Use a broom or blower to keep dirt and debris from gathering or building up on the wood or more importantly from between the boards.
- Use a saw blade or thin tool to remove debris from between the boards to avoid trapping moisture.
- Remember trapped moisture might cause fungus to grow, so minimize using water on the wood.
- Redirect your sprinkler system so that the water doesn’t hit the wood.
- Avoid covering the wood such that the air flow is limited.
- Put any plants up on roller trays, reevaluate the drip system to avoid the water overflow and move the plants regularly.
If you have difficulty removing dirt or mud from the wood.
Try the steps below, but proceed with caution and stop once dirt comes off as it will accelerate the deterioration of the preservative (stain):
- Step 1. Cold water rinse with a standard hose nozzle.
- Step 2. Use a broom to scrub stubborn dirt.
- Step 3. Switch to warm water.
- Step 4. Add soap to the water.
- Step 5. Contact Cal Preserving.