Just as it is essential to prepare the hair before adding as many chemical products as we can think of before painting it. Or just like when cooking everything takes a previous preparation process to later have the desired dish.
If you already have in mind to restore the surface of your terrace or to dye it with another type of color or material, you will know that the first step is to prepare the deck surface and clean it as it should be.
The process of cleaning and preparing the deck surface can be done easily by following this explicit guide.
One thing to know before you go any further is that depending on the condition your deck is already in, the type of siding, and the look you want to give it also interferes with what you need to do to prepare the deck surface before a restoration.

If your terrace is made only of wood

If the wood has just turned gray recently but is still in very good condition, a terrace cleaning product will suffice. This will remove any weathered wood fibers, oils or tannins and return your deck to its natural color. Heavily weathered wood should be sanded to a solid surface before cleaning.

If your deck is made of previously oiled or stained wood

We know a sure-fire way to tell if your siding is worn enough to need restoration: Drop a little water on the deck and wait 10 minutes. If you see that the water still remains as beads, the wood will never absorb a new layer of stain, so you will need to sand it in the process of preparing the decking surface.

If your terrace is made of painted wood.

In this case, we know that you only want to renew the layer of paint on the deck surface. To do this you must apply the same thing you would do in a paint coating: remove loose paint, sand what needs to be sanded and clean before painting again.

Whatever the step, if you continue here it is because you want to know the steps to prepare the deck surface that we will tell you below:

Step #1: Protect what could be damaged

Remove plants near the platform or cover them with plastic to protect them while you clean. If the nearby walls are painted in a dark color, they should also be covered.

Step #2: Clean the deck and remove stains.

In the stains you will find that part of the deck is chipping or losing material. If you want to clean more thoroughly, a pressure washer will do magic by removing everything you want. Combine the hose pressure on the deck and then scrub with a brush any solid stains not removed by the previous wash

Step #3: Sanding.

This is always an optional step, but we emphasize recommending it to prepare the deck surface, to help when staining the wood again, this stain adheres more easily to the surface. A light sanding will suffice, unless the terrace really needs a lot of sanding and it is necessary to hire a team of experts who have the right tools.

Step #4: Remove mold.

We hope your wood is in tip-top condition, but if it isn’t, finish preparing the deck surface and clean it with a polish that will remove mold and gray wood. This creates freshness in the wood that will allow the new stain to be applied to healthy, ready wood.

What materials will you need to prepare the deck surface?

• Deck Cleaner
• Bucket
• Hard broom
• Gloves
• Pressure washer
• Rubber squeegee
• Paint brush