May Home Improvement To Do: Clean and Refinish Your Wood Deck

If the winter has left your wood deck looking worn and shabby, this is a great time of year to spruce it up for summer outdoor entertaining.

To refinish a wood deck:

1. Spray down the deck with a commercial deck cleaner.
2. Use a pressure washer or scrub brush to remove mildew and dirt. Be careful not to hold the pressure washer nozzle too close to the wood, and keep it moving to keep from damaging the deck.
3. Replace any deteriorated boards, and reattach loose boards with nails or decking screws. Drive in any protruding nails.
4. Use a rotary or belt sander to smooth rough spots to prevent splinters.
5. Finish the deck with a solid or semitransparent stain, or a clear deck sealer. Apply the stain or sealer in a pump sprayer, saturating one area at a time.
6. While the finish is wet, use a paintbrush to back brush the stain or sealer into the grain of the wood to provide a smooth finish.

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