Maintaining Your Wooden Deck

Everyone is aware that regular cleaning should be part of any annual deck maintenance regimen, but more importantly, you should also routinely check your deck for more serious repairs that need to be made. Our lives are usually so busy that it’s possible to overlook the needs of our wooden decks. Some items that could require more serious repairs include:

• Discoloration - This can occur from something as simple as sun bleaching, but it can also occur if there is mildew living inside your deck. Give it a good scrub. It’s possible that discoloration can also be fixed by simply sanding and adding a fresh coat of paint or stain.
• Rotting - There are a few different reasons decks can rot; anything from excessive moisture to fungus and bacterial growth can cause rot. Rotted boards need to be replaced to prevent further damage.
• Broken or Damaged Boards - Take a good walk around your deck; taking care to look between boards and underneath the deck itself. Replace anything that looks worse for wear. 
• Termite Damage - Aside from actually seeing them, signs of termites include: termite waste that resembles a pile of sawdust, cracks in boards, crumbling wood, hollow-sounding wood, and maze-like patterns in your deck boards. If you suspect termites are to blame for the damage to your deck, we recommend quickly calling in a professional to access the damage and come up with a solution.
  

If all this wooden deck maintenance talk is making you see stars, one option to take into consideration is purchasing a composite deck. You can build a new composite deck or replace an existing deck with a composite decking material. You won’t have to worry about termites eating your deck and some composite decks come with a 25-year warranty!

Maintaining Your Attic and Roof

Your first thought may not be to hang out in your attic during the spring, especially if it doesn’t double as storage space. However, it’s important to evaluate the state of your attic on an annual basis; and spring is the perfect time to do this. In addition to checking and making sure there aren’t any weird smells coming from your attic, you’ll want to check for the following:

• Ventilation - Is your attic musty or does it smell like mildew? This could be a sign of poor ventilation. Take a good, long look at your insulation. Is it discolored? If so it may be time to replace it. Adequate insulation helps to maintain the integrity of your attic and roof. So it’s no surprise that it’s important to make sure it’s in good condition year after year.
• Leaks - You should routinely check for leaks in your attic. A leak in your attic could mean damages to your ceilings and walls if not taken care of quickly. One way to do this is by simply looking to see if you have wet insulation in your attic. Another is shining a flashlight against the underneath side of your roof; do this during the day and you’ll be able to spot any potential leaky areas.
• Rats & Mice - These rodents can wreak havoc on your home; peeing and pooping to no end until they are eliminated. If you see rodent droppings you’ll want to invest in some sort of traps. There are plenty of solutions on the market so it’s easy to find something that’s right for you. The most common sign of rats or mice are animal droppings, so keep a close watch on corners and tight spaces as these are common nesting places.
  

Maintaining Your Pool Deck

Not everyone has a pool, but for those of us that do—we know pool deck maintenance is serious business. While maintenance for your pool is a no-brainer, your pool’s deck should not go ignored. Your pool deck is constantly exposed to moisture and chemicals and maintenance is absolutely crucial to helping your deck look great. Looking over your pool deck and making any necessary repairs in the spring is a great way to ready your pool for summer fun. Some items to consider include:

• Cleaning - Regular cleaning is important to prevent mold or mildew from growing on the pool deck. A diluted solution of 1 part bleach to 10 parts water will do the trick, just make sure to thoroughly hose off the deck after cleaning.
• Sealing Cracks - Cracks are important to repair when they are small. Allowing small cracks to go unrepaired can cause unwanted moisture to seep into your concrete pool deck. Overtime, this could potentially compromise the structure of your pool as water causes the earth under your pool to shift. Smaller cracks don’t typically require resurfacing if they are caught earlier, so get cracking on those repairs!
• Surface-Sealing - Sealing the surface of your pool deck to prevent water absorption is a great way to prevent cracks from occurring in the first place. Another alternative is to purchase a durable, concrete coating; these coatings are made to protect your concrete and offer longevity and durability as they are flexible and UV-stable.
  

Maintaining Your Outdoor Furniture & Structures

Just like your wooden deck, other items that are exposed to the elements need love and care to look their best. A thorough cleaning is the first thing you’ll want to do before doing any refinishing. Afterward, you can move on things like sanding, painting or staining, if necessary. Some items that could use some elbow grease this spring season include:

• Pergola or gazebo
• Wooden dining furniture
• Pool furniture
• Wooden fences and gates
• Front door
• Home siding
• Garage doors
• Hot tub housing
• Awnings
• Gutters
• Weather stripping
• Screens
• Window caulking
  

Fun Home Projects to Keep You Busy This Spring

If you're all caught up on your home maintenance projects, why stop there? There are still plenty of fun projects to do around the house to keep you busy and focused.

Build a Greenhouse

If you have the space, building a greenhouse can be very rewarding and provide you with fresh, nutritious food year around. Measure your available space and check out this tutorial that ILikeToMakeStuff.com has put together on How To Make A DIY Greenhouse. Their video has been viewed over 2 million times, so you know it's good!

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Build a Workbench

If you take on lots of DIY projects, you’ll likely benefit from the use of a workbench. There are so many different options to help you with all of your projects, big or small. Check out our blog on DIY workbenches to get you started, we’ve even included some useful how-tos!

Build Planter Boxes

Right now it seems like EVERYONE is gardening in one form or another. If you’ve got a decently sunny spot you’re willing to give up, building planter boxes can be a fun project that will keep on giving back. If you don’t have a lot of space, no worries, worst case you end up with fresh herbs you can use in your kitchen. Check out this great step-by-step tutorial by Charles + Hudson to do this yourself.

Build a Storage Shed

Buying a storage shed can be costly and some of the materials they’re built with don’t always hold up. So why not build you own? A storage shed is a great way to free up some much needed space in your garage, attic or basement. Here’s a great how-to on how to build a storage shed that won’t break the bank.

At Webfoot Painting, we want all of your projects to be realized this spring, however, if you happen to need a little help, we’re here for you. We have extensive experience in more than just painting; we can help with all your carpentry and concrete coating needs as well. All of our estimates are free and we can provide virtual and contactless consultations; just fill out our contact form and a member of our friendly staff will contact you.