Water Loves Your Deck, Too

Barbequing and swimming in the pool in the backyard is a staple at many private homes across the country that are lucky enough to have both and anyone who has both those items is likely to want a hardwood deck built onto the back of the house for just this purpose. They look very nice and most homeowners will brag for weeks or even years about how much they love their deck and for good reason. Taking care of the deck either on the front of the house or the back is not too difficult, but if you neglect to do this, then you could be dealing with some serious damage later on down the road.

Waterproofing the deck attached to your home is very important if you do not want to have to replace parts of it later. Water does much more damage to wooden items left out in the elements than we might realize and it is important to make sure that as soon as possible after your deck is built (wait at least 30 days after construction), it gets waterproofed. You can do this or you can hire someone else to do it for you, depending on whether time or money is the most important factor. You may not have the time to do it or you may not have the money, but if you want to keep your deck looking good, you will have to sacrifice one or the other.

Applying a stain to the deck should be done before waterproofing, because the sealant that you put on it will not only repel rain, but also other liquids. Allow the stain to set the appropriate amount of time before applying the sealant.

Sealants for decks can be purchased at most hardware, home improvement, or department stores and applying them is a cinch. You do need to make sure that the whole deck gets cleaned first with a deck cleaner that you can also purchase at one of these places. This will be applied with a pump sprayer and allowed to foam up before you scrub it with a stiff bristled brush. Rinse it with a hose when you are done.

All furniture should be removed before you put the sealant on. For safety, you may want to sand down any sharp edges or splinters that may be sticking up, if you are doing this to an older deck that already shows signs of wear.

The sealant should be applied with a sprayer or a roller, depending on what the instructions call for. After you apply it to the deck, you need to wait at least a few days before walking on it so the seal is not damaged.

Taking Care of Your Water Pipes

Living in your first home can be an exhilarating experience, but when the winter gets to your area, you may forget about some things that you can do to keep your water pipes from bursting. In fact, you may not think of this at all, since you are probably not used to maintaining a home that belongs to you. Your home is an investment and you should take care of it as much as you can, since you may want to sell it later in exchange for another. Your parents probably insulated the pipes in your home when you were younger, but you probably did not really get the significance of this at the time.

When it gets colder than 20 degrees outside, the water pipes that are exposed to these temperatures are likely to freeze and burst. If you are not home at the time, like off on vacation for Christmas or another holiday, this can wreak havoc on your water bill if you do not get home and fix the problem soon and it can also cause a significant amount of water damage to your home in the process.

Any pipes that will be exposed to this weather that you can get to should be insulated in some way. You can do this by wrapping them in cloth or preferably a construction grade of insulation. A good amount of cloth will help in a pinch, though.

Inside your home, the pipes underneath the different sinks in the house can be kept warm by opening the cabinets so the heat in the house can get to them. Keeping a space heater near exposed pipes in your basement could also be a good idea, but use extreme caution when using space heaters, since they can catch on fire. You can use an extension cord with a space heater, but it needs to be a pretty heavy duty one and most homes do not keep extension cords as heavy duty as the kind needed around often. Place space heaters in your home very carefully and if possible, do not use them on carpeted surfaces.

You can also leave a trickle of water running out of the faucets when the temperatures outside get this low. It might add a little bit to the water bill, but it is only necessary to do this when the temperature gets below freezing, especially at night.

Hardwood Deck Waterproofing

Every homeowner who has the space to build one in would love to have a fresh hardwood porch or one in the back to barbecue on, but those of us who already have one want to do whatever we can to protect it from the elements. Over the years your deck will suffer from different forms of precipitation and natural damage and protecting it from these is a little more difficult than from the regular wear and tear of feet running across it. Rain will cause the deck to crack and warp over time, but sealing it water tight with a chemical that can be purchased at almost any hardware or home improvement store will protect it for years to come.

The easiest way to protect your deck is by waterproofing it with a deck sealant, but you can do this yourself or hire someone to do it for you. Doing it yourself is not very difficult and you should be able to manage fine, so this is great for anyone who is on a budget, but if money is not a concern to you and your time is, hiring someone else may be the way to go.

If your deck is newly constructed, then you will want to wait at least 30 days before doing anything like this to the surface of it, since new lumber needs time to adjust to your climate and get rid of any oils and moisture that may already be inside it. If you want to put a stain on the deck, this is probably a good time to do it, since the sealant will prevent the deck from soaking up most liquids.

Clean everything off of the deck and scrub it before you do anything else, whether it’s applying the stain or the sealant. It needs to be as free of furniture, dirt, and other debris as possible. You can purchase a deck cleaning solution from your local hardware, home improvement, or department store and apply it yourself with a pump sprayer. Scrub it with a stiff bristled brush to get it as clean as you can and rinse it off with your water hose when you get finished. It is starting to look better already!

Follow the instructions on the deck sealant and this should include using a sprayer or a roller to apply it to the surface of the wood. You need to let it dry for a few days before walking on it, so start from the end of the deck furthest from a good entrance and work your way back.