Caring for your Exterpark outdoor decking
How to do maintenance for your Exterpark decking so that you can enjoy it for seasons long
The end of summer has arrived, and that means it is time to do the yearly maintenance of your outdoor deck to make sure it’s hydrated and ready to bear the winter. Whether it’s Exterpark Wood, Exterpark Bamboo or Exterpark WPC, your Exterpark outdoor decking is designed to control and accompany the materials in all its dimensional changes. With a proper installation and placement of the joists, your decking will last years long in normal conditions and with only very few basic maintenance.
Basic maintenance for Exterpark Hardwood decking
Once a year: applying oil to prevent color fading
As a result of direct sunlight, UV rays might create a slight colour fade on your wooden deck. This decoloration is very superficial and affects only the top layer of your wood, not affecting its structure or resistance. Light-tone woods will get a bit darker with time, and then turn grayish, and darker-tone wood will go grayish too. Even though the color fading only affects the appearance of your wood decking, you can easily avoid this by periodically applying a good oil for outdoor wooden decks.
How to apply oil to your wooden deck
Start by preparing the decking by cleaning the wooden surface thoroughly with a brush and a cleaner. For example, using the PALLMANN Turbo Scrubber in combination with PALLMANN Wood Refresher ensures a fast and easy cleaning.
Before you can start applying the oil, make sure that the decking is completely dry. Even if the surface of your decking looks dry, the inner layers can still be moist after cleaning or if it has rained on previous days. To ensure that all humidity has been properly evacuated, wait for two or three days of dry weather before applying the oil. If your decking is next to the pool or is close to an automatic watering system, make sure no water from these gets on the boards for at least two or three days before the maintenance begins.
Once clean and dry, the wood surface is ready to be oiled with PALLMANN OUTDOOR OIL (available in four different colors). To make the process easier, pour the PALLMANN OUTDOOR OIL into a tray. Dip a brush or a foam pad into the oil and apply it to your decking, going in the direction of the grain. You can do this quite freely, as the oil will be instantly absorbed by your decking. Once you’re done, give the oil between 5 and 10 minutes to penetrate the boards, and then remove any excess decking oil with a clean wipe cloth.
Basic maintenance for Exterpark Bamboo decking
Once a year: applying oil to prevent color fading
Exterpark Magnet Bamboo is made of 100% natural bamboo, so it’s appearance may vary in grains and colors. Over time and when exposed to sunlight, UV rays might make the color of your bamboo decking turn slightly lighter. Although this is only an aesthetic change, it’s easy to preserve the bamboo’s original colour using an exterior penetrating oil.
How to apply oil to your bamboo deck
Start by soaking your Exterpark bamboo decking, if possible using a high pressure water gun or a garden hose. Mix water and an exterior cleaner suitable for bamboo (for example, WOCA Outdoor) in a ratio of 1:2 and coat the decking. After that, scrub the soaked bamboo decking lengthwise, following the bamboo grain. Rinse with water and let it dry for at least 24 hours so that the boards are completely dry before the next step.
Once the decking is dry, you can start applying the oil with a brush or applicator, giving the decking a thin coat of oil. After a few minutes, your Exterpark Bamboo should appear oily as the water is evaporating. If there is any excess oil left, make sure to wipe it off with clean cotton clothes after no more than five minutes, taking particular care to remove excesses from joints and grooves. After 24-48 hours, the oil will have hardened and your bamboo decking will be ready to be used again.
Basic maintenance for Exterpark WPC decking
No maintenance needed!
Exterpark wpc decking does not need any special maintenance besides cleaning. For easy stains like wine, coffee or grease which are cleaned immediately, just the use of water will do. For persistent stains, mix water with a gentle detergent (like dishwasher soap), apply and rub with a plastic toothbrush in the direction of the grain and rinse out with pressured water after 10 or 15 minutes. If the stain remains, repeat the process again.
When cleaning Exterpark WPC decking, always clean in big areas to avoid visual stains (where part of the decking looks cleaner than the rest).
This very simple and straightforward maintenance of your Exterpark decking will allow you to enjoy your outdoor decking for years and keep it looking as good as the first day.
Contact us to start your Exterpark outdoor decking project.