Tradepoint: How to spruce up your decking

Decking can be a useful addition to most gardens, but it is vital it is kept in good condition; both for safety and aesthetic reasons.In this blog, NRLA partner TradePoint provides some useful advice when it comes to sprucing up decking.

Five ways to spruce up your decking

1. Clear the decks

It may sound obvious, but you need to sweep away any debris before treating your decking. Take a large outdoor brush and give the decking a good sweep. Depending on the season this could include leaves, small stones and removing twigs between the decks.

2. Use an anti-fungal cleaner

Once the decks are clear, it’s time to use an anti-fungal cleaner.  Before you begin, use a sheet to cover the grass around the decking, to protect it. Make sure you are also wearing eye protection and gloves. Next, take a wire decking brush and use this to brush the decking with the cleaner.  Once covered, set the brush to ‘spray’, and spray the entire decking area with the spray, taking extra care not to slip. Allow the decking to fully dry off.

3. Repair any damaged decks

It’s also a good idea to inspect the decking and if there are any decks that have worn due to natural wear and tear, these should be replaced. Once you’ve measured the correct amount you’ll need, you can take a mitre saw to ensure a precise cut. Make sure you use specialist decking screws to screw in the joists.

4. Decking wood stain

Sometimes the above steps will be enough to spruce up your decking, but if you’re looking to improve the appearance so its nearly as good as new, then a good way to do this is to use some decking wood stain to enhance the colour. You can apply multiple coats if needed,  depending on how dark you want it to look.

5: Freshen up the furniture

Lastly, if the decking is already in a good state of repair, simply changing any garden furniture that may be on the decking and adding some plant pots could give the overall area a new lease of life. B&Q have plenty of videos when it comes to this, including how to build a new raised deck.

Watch: So there you have it, five simple yet effective things to try in order to refresh outdoor decking and ensure it is safe. To watch a video about how to refresh decking, see below.