P. Mito
Decks are beautiful, especially the composite ones. They’re durable, reliable, long-lasting, they come in various vibrant colours and textures and much more. However, like everything else on this planet – they do decay over time. Luckily for us, they don’t lose structural integrity – that would be really bad. Instead, they lose colour. Fading is one of the main problems decks face over time.
To be fair, composite decking does not lose its colour so easy. Compared to the wooden boards, composite ones are virtually timeless. However, they’re not indestructible.
Luckily, that’s not a point of no return. There are ways to get the colour and the shine back and we’ll talk about them. However, first, we have to talk about why the fading occurs in the first place.
First of all, the main reason boards lose their colour and shine is because of the weather. The deck is constantly exposed to all kinds of different environmental conditions. Aside from snow and rain, the patio will have to take the constant exposure to the sun and extreme temperatures, both low and high. The sun is the greatest enemy to the looks of your patio. Constant exposure to the sun will eventually make the material fade. Luckily for you, the composite decking will only turn a lighter shade, unlike the wooden boards which will eventually turn completely grey.
Another thing that can affect the look of the deck is the quality of the material itself. In general, the lower quality composite will fade faster. So, if you want to postpone fading as much as possible, don’t skimp out in the beginning.
Maintenance, or lack thereof, is another thing that can affect the state your patio is in. if you disregard regular maintenance, which is minimal if you have a composite deck, you’ll risk not only fading but additional problems like rot or mould. So, do the bare minimum that’s required and you’ll see the results or more precisely you won’t see the consequences. For quite some time at least.
Finally, we’ve come to arguably the most common reason as to why the patios fade and that is abrasive materials. This one circle back to the maintenance part of the issue. If you happen to use harsh cleaning agents or substances, you risk damaging the outer layer of the boards and with that, you speed up the fading process. Not only that, you could completely destroy the coating which would ultimately affect more than just the look of your deck.
Now we’ve come to the fun part. How to turn things back to the way they used to be. To be honest, there aren’t a lot of different ways to do so, as you’ll soon see. One thing to remember though is, according to thecompositedecking.co.uk, with proper maintenance you can postpone or even prevent fading from happening for quite some time, so keep that in mind.
But, if things have already gone south, here’s what you do.
Ask For A Professional Help
We know this sounds like a piece of really general advice, but hear us out. Before you do anything to your patio, think about this – who can help me solve this problem? Well, if there’s anyone that knows what you can do it’s the guys who have built it for you. if you’ve done it yourself, well, then you can move on the next tip. For the rest of us, the plan is this. Call up the company that has made the deck and ask for advice. They can point you in the right direction based on the specific material you used and they could offer some great advice and instructions as well. On top of all that, most companies offer some kind of warranty and maybe if you’re lucky, you could end up with a brand new patio – you never know.
Clean Your Deck
Believe it or not, sometimes all you need to do to get the shine and vibrant colour back is to thoroughly wash the deck. Honestly, sometimes that’s all it takes. Grab a power washer or some non-abrasive and non-destructive cleaner and get to work. You’ll be amazed at how much of difference a proper wash makes. Maybe the only thing that was affecting the look of your amazing patio was the dirt that has built up. you’ll never know unless you clean it properly.
Stain It
Now we’re getting to the real restoration part. Depending on the material you’ve used to build the whole thing – you may be able to stain it.
You’ll start the whole thing with proper cleaning. Use a broom to clean off the first layer of dirt, follow it up with a pressure cleaner and for the grand finale, use water, baking soda and vinegar to remove all excess dirt, stains or mildew. Once you’ve done that, get your stain, grab a brush or a roller and start painting. You can even use a sprayer if you have one. Ideally, you’ll want to find a UV resistant stain with zinc particles and mildewcides – as that is the most resistant stain out there. Just make sure you stain the whole thing evenly and thoroughly. Once you’re done, the whole thing should look good as new.
Paint It
Finally, the best restoration method out there – painting. If you’re looking for more than just regaining the original colour, but are looking for an overall makeover, you should consider painting. It’s a step by step process, a fairly long one, but the end results should be great.
Of course, you’ll start by washing the patio. Approach it in the same way which we previously explained – broom, power washer and water, ACV and baking soda combo for stubborn stains. After you’ve done, you’ll have to sand the deck. Sanding will make sure the outer, protective coat is removed so you can apply the new one. after you’ve done that, apply the acrylic latex primer, nice and evenly, leave it out to dry and then paint the deck however you want.
As you can see, there aren’t a lot of different ways to deal with faded decking. However, the ones that are there are very effective and you can be sure you’ll be satisfied with the end result. Your deck will be rejuvenated and good as new.