Decking Season is here!

The weather is starting to warm up and it’s that time of the year again when we start living and entertaining more outdoors. And one of the most simple ways of defining or creating an outdoor entertaining area is with a deck.

Timber can add warmth to any space and so too can a deck. When you are thinking about which timber or timber colour you would like, have a look around to see what is going to be next to the deck. If you have a lot of greys and cooler tones already, then you don’t want to choose a timber or stain with too much yellow or orange as otherwise the yellow and orange in the deck will be more enhanced against the coolness of a grey.  It would be better opting for a brown, red or grey type of stain/timber to work back with greys and cooler colours.

If you are unsure if you want a clear on your decking or a coating with a bit of colour, bear in mind that any clear won’t last as long as a product that has some pigment in it as it’s harder for the UV rays to break down the coating when it has pigment in it. And if you are unsure what your timber may look like with a clear, add some water to your timber as when your timber is wet it gives you an idea of how the natural colours will be enhanced and darkened with a clear.

Tip: Once you have put all your hard work into building your own deck, or getting one built for you, it’s always best to protect your timbers against weather. It’s important for your timber to weather first and grey off before coating your deck otherwise your coating may not stick and or penetrate if you are using a penetrative coating. And if you have new timber or a timber naturally high in tannins and oils, it’s best using a cleaner designed for new timber such as Cabots New Timber Prep to help remove some of the tannins and timber oils before coating as well as helping to speed up the weathering process. If you have an existing Timber Deck and wanting to recoat, Intergrain Ultraprep Timber Cleaner or Cabots Deck Clean is the product we suggest to help with your prep before recoating just to give your timber that real good deep clean that water can’t do.