It’s amazing what a quick clean will do for your deck! On hardwood decks, the grey weathered timber is removed, bringing back the rich colour of the timber. Treated pine decks can be cleaned prior to applying a coating of stain or decking paint. Mix up deck cleaner in a bucket and use a stiff broom to scrub the deck. Wash off then leave it to dry thoroughly before putting on your choice of coating.
Make it safe
To modernise the balustrade, start by adding new posts. Use dressed H4 treated pine as it is best able to withstand the elements while still looking good. Bolt them to the floor frame of your deck using galvanised fixings. Top them off with a primed treated pine handrail. Give the lot a coat of paint before continuing.
Style it with wire
You don’t have to hire the pros to get a wire balustrade, there are DIY kits available so the process is a lot easier. Set up the terminals on the end posts and drill holes through all the middle posts for the wires. Make a template out of plywood to save time drilling the holes. String the wires through the posts, cut them to length and connect them to the terminals. Use the turnbuckles at the end of each run of wire to tighten them up.
Step up
To connect your deck to the rest of the garden, you’ll need some steps. There’s another kit to help you with that too. Pre-cut stair stringers come with all the channels for the stair treads cut into them. All you have to do is slot the treads into the channels and screw them in. Bolt the stairs to the frame of the deck and sit them in post stirrups set into concrete at the bottom. Finish off with a handrail to match the rest of the deck.
