Deck Cleaning in Kalamazoo and Portage, MI

Why Choose Suds for Deck Cleaning?

Suds has over 30 years of experience in providing high quality deck cleaning and house washing in Portage, Kalamazoo and surrounding communities.  We pride ourselves in paying attention to detail.  In addition, we strive for superior washing.  Whether we are dealing with a pressure treated pine or an exotic hardwood deck, we have the knowledge to complete the deck cleaning.

Outdoor decks are the perfect place to hold family gatherings, special events or to just relax and enjoy a cold beverage.  For this reason, we provide exceptional deck cleaning services to meet the needs of your desired results.

Reasons for Deck Staining

Wooden decks require regular maintenance to assist protect its color, grain, and durability. During the year, your deck is subjected to rain, snow, sleet, ice, and also sunny days. It’s important to stain your deck to help protect against the impact that these components might have on the timber. However, as with staining or painting any surface area, it is necessary to take the required preparation and application procedures.  Thereby ensuring you get the protection as well as the look that you prefer. Below are the top reasons to stain your deck, and some practical tips for prepping:

• Prevent Sun Damage

Untreated and/or unsealed timber takes a great deal of damage from the sun. In turn, this causes the shade of the wood to change, it’s shape warps, and also it dries out a lot faster than it would normally.  This drying process makes it much more prone to cracks.  Therefore, putting a top notch stain on your deck prevents the sunlight’s rays from penetrating the wood entirely and also ensures the deck’s durability.

• Moisture Repellant

Much like the outside paint of your home, deck staining can prevent moisture from saturating right into the timber. Although stain doesn’t cover the wood in the same way that paint does, deck stain acts as a barrier between moisture and the timber. Water-soaked timber can begin expanding.  Furthermore, it can mold and mildew.  In addition, it may broaden and expand, causing you to need to replace timbers and also fix the deck.

• Cracking Prevention

Many individuals come down with the false concept that sealing a deck with deck sealant will fix all possible wood problems. However, cracking is something that sealants alone will not help or stop. In between the sunlight and also the natural drying out procedure, your exterior wood can easily end up being split. Making use of an oil-based tarnish will help maintain required dampness in the timber while keeping excess water out, protecting against both fracturing and also moisture build-up or warping.

Tips for Deck Staining Preparation

Prep work is crucial to the final results of deck staining. All wood requires to be cleaned up well prior to staining.  Whether it’s a new deck, or an older deck that’s been out in the weather. New lumber needs to be cleaned up to get rid of “mill scale”– a crushing of the grain that occurs throughout the milling process. If it’s left uncleaned, it can prevent wood stains from properly passing through right into the wood surface.

On an older deck, dust, graying from the sun, mold and old stains all are required to be removed prior to staining. You need to use a deck scrub for the cleaning process. It uses an acidic solvent to kill mold as well as it assists to get rid of any dirt or gunk that has accumulated.

Last but not least, if there are little areas of discoloring that will not come off throughout the cleansing process, they should sand off conveniently. Always sand decks by hand careful not apply too much pressure as well as damage the wood. If places of stain are left on the deck, they will reveal via the brand-new finish and also interfere with the deck’s final appearance. Enable the deck to completely dry for one week after cleaning up before applying the stain.