How to Treat, Care & Maintain Wood Decking with Osmo

With Wood Decking it is essential that you correctly treat, maintain and care for it to ensure a long life of your timber decking. Choosing the correct decking oil or decking stain is essential and this guide will help you with the best wood oil to choose, how to easily maintain and care for your decking and hints and tips to repair damage and remove stains on your wood.

What is the best Decking Oil?

 

 

Most wood decking is hard-wearing and easy to maintain if treated with the correct decking oil after it has been built and fitted. Osmo Decking Oil is one of the best timber decking oils on the market as it comes in many different decking stain options and the finish coat will help to repel dirt and protect the wood. It also allows the wood to breathe so helps to prevent warping and cracking. With this decking oil it is very easy to maintain and can be re-oiled without the need of sanding back to the bare wood. Spot repairs are also possible with this decking oil so it can be easily repaired.

 

How to treat your Wood Decking

Once you have installed your wood decking, sometimes it is best to allow a slight Weathering off period. Before application of your wood oil, the wood decking must be clean, dry and frost-free (moisture content max. 20%). If you are looking for additional protection against blue stain, rot and insects, it is recommended to apply a coat of Osmo WR Base Coat to softwoods. Apply to all sides of the wood. Cracking in wood decking can also be significantly reduced by sealing the end grains with Osmo End Grain Sealing Wax. 

With your timber decking, you need to decide whether the wood surface should develop a natural patina through weathering or if you want a tinted colour with a decking stain. If you are looking to keep the natural colour then only apply a clear finish (Osmo Decking 007 Clear Teak Oil is ideal). If you want to preserve your wood with a pigmented decking oil then Osmo also offers a wonderful selection of tinted colours here. 

If you are using one of the tinted shades then you should always allow the wood decking (especially with a high content of wood extractives) to weather off before the initial treatment. Before the natural greying process begins, two coats of decking oil should be applied in dry weather. Make sure that the decking oil is always applied thinly, evenly and along the wood grain. We do offer an Osmo Decking Brush Set that is ideal for application. 

If the weathered wood has started to grey, then you can use Osmo Wood Reviver Power Gel before the treatment to clean the wood. 

Remember, the finished wood surface is influenced by several factors, including the natural characteristics of wood. Therefore, a trial application is always required to ensure this is the most suitable colour or finish that you are looking for.

How to do regular maintenance of a wood decking. 

 

As wooden decking is exposed to all the outdoor elements from weather, Barbecues, mowed grass, sand and leaves, it can leave behind dirt and deposits on your decking. If not cleared away regularly this can cause damage, staining, wear and tear to your wood decking. You should remove all these deposits regularly with a stiff bristle brush. Dirt and tough stains can be removed with water and Osmo Decking Cleaner. Osmo Decking Cleaner is a concentrate and can be diluted in ratios from 1: 1 to 1:25 depending on the amount of dirt and stains. Use the mixture of Osmo Decking Cleaning with a hard bristle brush to clean the decking along the wood grain. Afterwards rinse with clear water. Any damage to the oiled wood surfaces (where the bare wood is visible) should be thoroughly cleaned and re-oiled with Osmo Decking Oil. This can be done easily with a spot repair with no sanding required.

 

Yearly Spring Cleaning and Treatment of your Wood Decking

 

 

After a long winter, your wood decking can start to look tired and worn due to natural weathering. It will need to be cleaned, refreshed and re-oiled before the greying process starts on your wood. This is a very easy process with Osmo oils as they are easy to maintain. Scrub the whole wood surface thoroughly with a Decking Cleaning Brush and a mixture of water and Osmo Decking Cleaner. If there is any green growth on your timber decking then this can be removed using Osmo Gard Clean. Once you have cleaned the wood, allow it to thoroughly dry before the next step. Re-apply one coat of the finish that was last used (either the clear Osmo Decking Oil or tinted shade that you originally used). This will further protect your decking for another year by adding a new layer of protection without sanding. 

How to renovate your Wood Decking

Removal of Greying in wood

If your wood decking is several years old and has not been regularly coated with decking oil or has never been coated, then it may need some renovation. Usually untreated wood decking will develop a natural grey patina due to weather, rain and UV radiation. Restoring the natural colour of your wood decking is fairly easy, especially using some Osmo products. Osmo Wood Reviver Power Gel is perfect for this as it will clean the wood ready for re-oiling. Simply dampen the whole wood decking with clear water. Then apply Osmo Wood Reviver Power Gel generously with an Osmo Decking Cleaning Brush. After around 20 minutes, scrub the decking with a hard brush and rinse the wood with a lot of water. Leave your wood decking to dry for at least 48 hours and you will see the rejuvenated wood. This will restore your wood back to the original colour tone. Now you are ready to apply a coat of decking oil to protect the wood for future use.

Removal of Green growth and algae

If your decking is surrounding grass, garden plants or has soaked up too much moisture due to lack of wood treatment, Wood decking can also develop a green layer of algae. This green growth is not only unsightly but can also increase the risk of slipping on your wood. Algae growth will damage and eventually destroy the wood decking, as the longer this is left on your timber the more it will aid in wood rotting. It is essential you remove it as soon as possible to prevent damage. This is very easy by using Osmo Gard Clean. You simply apply the Gard Clean evenly onto the affected area with a paint brush, scrub brush, watering can or pump sprayer onto the dry area. Depending on the amount of green growth, will determine if you need to apply this neat or diluted with a maximum of 10 parts water. Do not rinse this away with water once applied, just leave this to dry naturally. You will normally see the green growth algae disappear after around 24 hours. If there is still some algae and green growth present, then just repeat the process again. Once you are happy with the results and it has had the correct drying time, rinse with water and allow it to dry before reapplying  your Osmo Decking Oil.

How to clean Plastic Decking 

If you have Decking made of WPC, BPC, polymer composites, plastic decking then this will require very little maintenance but it still needs to be cleaned. Osmo offers a good product called Osmo Polymer Composite Cleaner, for cleaning this and it also helps to remove light water marks. It helps with discolourations, removal of marks and cleans the surface. Simply clean your plastic decking of all dirt and debris with a firm broom. Dilute the Osmo Polymer Composite Cleaner concentrate with water in a ratio of 1:10 up to 1:20, depending on the level of cleaning needed. Apply the Osmo Polymer Composite Cleaner with a Decking Cleaning Brush and allow it to react for 10 minutes. Then rinse off the solution thoroughly with clean water. With any kind of man made plastic decking material it is always essential you do a trial application to ensure compatibility.