Oil the terrace in autumn – this is how you can easily maintain your wooden terrace
Sun, wind, and humidity are weather conditions that can damage wooden floorboards, but you can prevent this by oiling your patio. By maintaining your patio wood, you can enjoy a perfect outdoor wooden balcony floor or walkway for a long time to come. Otherwise, exposure can cause ugly cracks, washout, mold growth, or discoloration of the expensive wood. For this reason, all wooden terraces, including exotic types of wood such as Bangkirai or Massaranduba, should be regularly preserved with special floor oil. Just read on to learn more about it and add shine to your outdoor patio.
Oil the terrace and get a shiny appearance
Decking can look amazing in your yard and is the perfect place for you and your family to eat, relax and play. There are a number of ways to ensure that your surface remains in perfect condition. You may also have invested in a range of wooden outdoor furniture. So you want to make sure that these will last for several years. You know how to clean your outside cushions, but how do you best protect the wood from the elements? With wooden terraces and hardwood there is a combination of protection, cleaning and conditioning so that the material remains in perfect condition and retains its beautiful look. So here are some tips if you want to oil and care for your patio over the years to keep the strength and natural beauty of the flooring.
Before you start, it is important to assess the condition of your pavement. If your covering has been newly laid, you can naturally make it weatherproof for about six months. This will help ensure that any existing treatment is eroded. This allows the new paint to sink in properly and stick to the ground. If it’s untreated, older than six months, or previously stained or painted, you can follow the step-by-step instructions below through treatment. So maintaining a wooden deck isn’t as complicated as many assume. All that is required is that you get the job done from the beginning. In this way you increase the longevity of the wood significantly and no revisions are necessary. However, you should pay attention to long life and durability when choosing a wooden terrace. The most suitable types of wood for this are larch wood or the exotic types of wood mentioned above.
Before you maintain a wooden deck
If this is your first time oiling a patio, there are a few things you need to know before starting the process. The preparation for oiling the wood planks is different if your floor was newly installed or has been a part of your home for years. So here are some handy tips to get it right. When you’ve installed new flooring around your home, it can be tempting to immediately oil the wood to remove the dullness and give it a shine. However, before you start oiling your decking, check with your supplier as some woods need to be weather resistant 4 to 6 weeks before coating. Some may take up to two to three months. You should also familiarize yourself with the patio oil drying time beforehand.
The reason for weathering is that your hardwood floor is still full of tannins and oils and these are damaged by exposure to sunlight or rain. By oiling the patio, you can ensure that the wood surface is ready for the oil to penetrate and better adhesion of the treatments. On the other hand, if you apply the oil to the wood too early, you can ruin the coating. To aid in the leaching process, you can use a chemical solution or hose down your decking every few days. Many people often ask themselves the following questions: “How often do you have to oil the terrace? How much time does a wooden floor need to smell? How can the tannins and oils properly leach from the wood so you can apply the oil sooner? ”Oiling is a fairly simple process, but it can be time consuming. Cleaning is also important before you can oil your patio.
Clean and prepare terrace wood
Extend the lifespan of your wooden terrace with suitable wood treatment and care. The surface of wooden terraces is weathered over time. The surface turns gray and cracks, ultimately making it slippery and unprotected from dirt and green growth. Above all, it can store the moisture that would damage the wood in the long term, while increasing the risk of mold and rot. Hence, proper cleaning and maintenance is required to keep the wooden boards beautiful and durable. So when servicing a wooden deck, don’t just apply a little wood oil to the surface. That would be tantamount to building a house right on the lawn.
The key to a beautiful and lasting result is to thoroughly clean the wood before applying wood oil. If you do not clean the wood, the oil cannot penetrate deeply into the wood, but instead forms a new layer of oil on the dirt and the previously hardened oil. This will cause the newly applied soil oil to peel off, which is almost inevitable. In addition, in such cases, you will need to treat the soil surface again and oil the terrace. Never use pressure washers, chlorine or algae removers for the actual cleaning of the wooden floor. These methods can do more harm than good. Also remember that after cleaning, the wood must be completely dry before applying wood oil. A damp surface prevents the oil from penetrating the material.
When and how can you maintain a wooden terrace?
Get the most out of your hardwood floor by maintaining it twice a year. In spring prepare the wooden surface for the summer months, and in autumn protect it from the coming winter. Use the weather forecast as a guide when looking for the best time. Do not apply the product in damp conditions or when rain is likely. “Oiling the terrace – how long do the boards dry?” Can also be a difficult question to answer, depending on the weather conditions. For example, avoid treating the terrace wood in very hot weather. When oiling the terrace, the product can be exposed to sun and radiation and dry too quickly. Then it cannot be completely absorbed by the wood.
One of the quickest ways to freshen up your decking is to clean it up thoroughly. In this way you bring the wood back to its natural color and revive the appearance of the wood surface. This method also removes moss, mold, and algae, and makes it easier to apply top coat and oil. Use a stiff broom to give your patio a good swing. This also removes dirt or loose pieces of wood and general residue from the flooring. Check the surface of the floor for loose boards or raised screws and secure them with a cordless screwdriver.
Oil the cleaned and well-tended terrace
Once you’ve cleaned the wooden boards and prepared them for oiling, it’s time to apply the oil. Before applying, stir the product thoroughly and read the instructions on the jar. This gives you an indication of the drying time and the waiting time between uses. This is an important first step because the terrace always sticks after oiling if the wood has not dried properly. To apply the oil, run a paint roller or paintbrush along a single plank as far as possible without touching any of the other boards. Do one row at a time and once one row is complete, move across the rest of the wooden floor. For an even application, you should not accelerate the application. Apply long, continuous strokes to ensure that each wooden batten is evenly coated.
After applying the first layer, according to the instructions, wait to see when the next layer can be applied. The second time you usually have to add less oil as the wood can no longer absorb as much. Too much of it can also make the surface sticky. Have a rag and turpentine oil ready to clean up any spilled material. Turpentine will help dilute the oil. Let your wooden deck dry after the second coat. Depending on the weather, it may take a day or two before you can place your furniture back on the floor. In addition, you must consider the temperature and outside air when oiling the terrace. Once you’ve oiled the wood, you should oil and seal the patio regularly every six to twelve months to ensure longevity and keep everything looking its best all year round.
Oil the old terrace or renovate it professionally
If you have had a wooden terrace made of bankirai, larch, oak, Douglas fir or any other exotic material for a long time, it can be badly weathered. The mainly homogeneous Bangkirai is yellowish brown (often olive brown) and has a high density. However, it is heavy and has correspondingly high strength values. Bangkirai is used not only for exterior structures, but also for floors, sidewalks and work surfaces that are exposed to high loads. Massaranduba wood is increasingly being used instead of Bangkirai. This is one of the hardest types of wood and can be used in particular as Massaranduba decking for outdoor construction or as wooden furniture for the garden. However, reasonable maintenance can bring it back to its original shine. If your wooden terrace is already gray in certain places, an initial treatment with wood degreaser makes sense. To do this, pour water over the entire surface to reduce absorption.
You can consider a professional service to restore the wood to how it looked when it was first installed. This can even be made into a new, characterful, beautiful version of the terrace. Pulling up your old wooden deck may also be tempting, but an expert can professionally create a repair or restoration plan. If you have patio wood that you want to bring back to life, a professional team can save you a lot of hassle. His experience and expertise offer you a cost-effective solution.
If this is your first time oiling a patio, or if you’re short on time and need someone to oil your patio, this would be the right choice. Otherwise, you can just follow the steps outlined above. For the renovation of weathered wooden terraces, a pretreatment with wood degreaser and two thin layers of floor oil is required.