Maintenance for Hardwood Decks With Oil

Cleaning

• Because oils are natural as opposed to chemical sealers, they have a shorter lifespan. To keep the deck clean enough to reapply the oils, regularly clean the deck to keep it free of stains and debris; you must remove such buildup before reapplying the oil. A general sweeping during dry weather, as well as the occasional wet sweeping, keeps the surface free of debris. Soak up stains as soon as they happen with a damp rag. Clean the deck 48 hours before you apply the oil, using the wet brush method to remove debris.

Sanding

• As a general rule, you should not need to resand the deck to reapply oil the way you would a conventionally stained deck, which requires sanding off the sealer and faded color coats. Instead, you should only sand down sections where damage occurs, such as stains that are not soaked up in time. To address such problems, use a 120-grit or a higher-grit paper to sand down the area. Be sure to work with the grain so you don’t cause unnecessary roughness in the surface of the wood. For best results, sand the areas down by hand to better control the sanding and avoid digging down into the surface of the wood.

Application

• The best way to apply oil to a hardwood deck is via a paintbrush, paint roller or wool cloth soaked in the oil. After the wood has been cleaned and allowed to dry, apply the oil in even coats, row by row, working board to board. Always apply oil along the grain, either wiping with the cloth, brushing it on with the brush or rolling it on with the paint roller. For best results, apply at least two to three coats with at least 24 hours of drying time between them, to give the oil plenty of time to soak into the wood.

Considerations

• Oils such as walnut, linseed, olive or teak all work for hardwood decking. Almost all oils darken the color of your hardwood decking to some degree, although this depends on the darkness of the oil you select. As with stain or paint applications, it’s always best to try out a scrap piece of wood or an out-of-the-way area first and give it at least 24 hours of drying time to verify you do indeed want that color on the finish deck. Decks in the sun need to be re-oiled more frequently than shaded decks. Aim to reapply oil two times a year for shadowed areas and four times a year for decks in direct sunlight.