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Protect Your Deck with the Right Finish

At Narangba Timbers, we have supplied a lot of timber decking for Australians. When we sell timber to a customer for a decking project, we want it to come out perfect. We especially don’t want to see someone work so hard, construct a perfect deck and fail to protect it properly. We would rather see every timber deck in Brisbane and Sydney turn out perfect.

Remember that your timber decking is outdoors and exposed to the worst that our Australian climate has to offer. Heat, standing moisture, rain and ultraviolet rays can all wreak havoc on a deck that hasn’t been protected properly. Since you will be using your deck, that probably means foot traffic, a BBQ grill, furniture and spills of food and beverages will also attack your timber deck.

Luckily, there are plenty of great products out there that will protect your timber and help you get years and years of use and recreation out of your deck.

Surface Preparation

First of all, we don’t recommend that any timber be exposed for more than 90 days without some kind of protective finish. We like putting the first coat on before even assembling the deck. Make sure the ends, faces and edges are all covered. New timber should be allowed to dry for two to three weeks if possible to bring the moisture level down.

If you are using any pressure treated timber, the treatment method can cause it to have excess moisture. If your timber isn’t slightly weathered, it may be too moist and not porous enough to allow water repellents or stains to penetrate the timber efficiently.

Make sure that your timber is clean before applying a surface. It should be free of dirt, mildew and any foreign matter. If your deck needs to be cleaned, use a specially made deck cleaner.

What Works Best?

Your best choice of coating is going to depend on aesthetic qualities, performance characteristics of the product and the species of timber you are using. Whatever product you use, we recommend three coats for maximum protection.

Product Performance

If you want the natural beauty of a timber such as merbau to show through, a semi-transparent stain is perfect. It has the least pigmentation; this allows the colour and grain of your timber to show through the most vividly.

An oil-based decking stain tends to penetrate into the timber better. It also contains an alkyd resin which provides maximum resistance to abrasive impacts such as foot traffic and furniture legs.

A decking stain with light pigmenting can help bring out the grain of the timber while protecting it with deep penetration into the timber fibres. Lightly pigmented decking stain also looks better with age because it weathers well.

A solid colour decking stain provides more protection but doesn’t allow the wood grain to show through. The finish is tougher and more repellent. It also provides more protection against UV rays.

Transparent wood protectors and water repellents such as clear decking stain can help reduce the amount of cracking, shrinking and checking. They eventually weather to a grey tint.

Timber Species

The species of timber can be extremely important. Pressure treated timber can crack, which gives moisture a pathway into the timber. This will cause the timber to expand and contract with changes in moisture. If you use a stain that forms a film, it may crack and peel due to expansion and contraction. If you are using solid colours, make sure to use a decking stain that will penetrate deeply enough to seal the timber.

Timbers such as Merbau already have an attractive colour, so clear decking stain is often appropriate. Ultimately, each timber has its own set of parameters and each homeowner has their expectations for how their deck should look.

Call Narangba Timbers

Call Narangba Timbers and talk to one of our customer service people. We carry nothing but the highest quality timber and our customer service or timber sales people are as knowledgeable as any you will find.

Call 1300 477 024 today.