When you first built your deck onto your home, you enjoyed the natural beauty of the golden wood and didn’t think much about deck restoration.   However, if you didn’t have it sealed when it was installed, about 9 months or so later, depending on what the weather was like, you probably noticed that it was no longer completely honey colored. If you did have it sealed when it was installed, but haven’t re-sealed it over the years, you will have the same result. Instead, the wood will have begun to turn gray. If you understood that this would happen and prefer the aged look of the gray wood, then you simply need to begin maintaining your deck. Otherwise, you may be ready to consider professional deck restoration.

San Diego Deck Restoration

When a wooden deck is restored or refinished, the first step is to make sure that it is cleaned properly. If you had the deck sealed at some point, not only will the wood need to be cleaned but the old varnish or sealer will need to be stripped from the wood during the cleaning process. Professional deck restoration companies have the proper equipment and supplies to clean your wood deck without damaging it. If there is some discoloration or staining, that will need to be removed as well. Occasionally, fungus will also begin to grow or mildew spots will appear. A professional deck restoration company will know exactly what must be done to eliminate stains and discoloration from all kinds of sources.

The next step in deck restoration after the thorough cleaning is a light sanding. Without sanding, the sealer may not be able to penetrate the wood properly to provide the protection you are looking for. Without proper penetration by the new sealer, the wood can become discolored, and the sealer can crack and peel. That is why the old sealer had to be stripped off as well, so that the new sealer would properly adhere to the wood. Another benefit of sanding is to restore the wood to its natural golden color.

The final step in deck restoration is to actually apply the sealer. Professionals understand the importance of using the correct sealer for each type of wood.  All wood types require their own unique type of wood sealer.   They will use a deck sealer that is suited to your wood and will help it regain and retain its beauty for many years to come. If you are thinking about having your deck refinished, it is a good idea to call a professional restoration company to do the work so that you are sure it is done right.

Teak is a beautiful hardwood that is tropical in nature and starts out with a golden honey color. It has become a prized wood for both indoor and outdoor furniture. However, as teak begins to get older and particularly when it has been out in the elements, there is a profound color change that takes place. The beautiful golden honey shade becomes a silvery gray. The wood is still strong and durable, but has a completely different look than it did when it was new. While some people prefer the silvery gray of aged teak furniture, others prefer to do what they can to regain the original golden shade of wood. One way to get back the original color is by cleaning teak furniture and then sealing it.

How to go about cleaning teak furniture

Whether your teak furniture is honey or silver-colored, cleaning teak furniture should be done prior to sealing it. It should also be done on a regular basis thereafter in order to maintain and care for your furniture. Most professionals recommend that you use a mild dish detergent or laundry detergent. You can use a soft bristle brush or a sponge to remove the soil. It is important to remember that foods have oils and other ingredients that can leave stains on wood, particular coffee, wine, condiments, and any oily foods, so your best option is to lightly sand those areas of the wood with fine grit sandpaper.

Professionals suggest that one should never use bleach, steel wool or a high pressure washing system when cleaning teak furniture, because only people who have been trained to use these items properly know how to do it without causing damage to the surface of the wood. Bleach can cause a discoloration to the finish, so should not be used. If you are worried about small mildew stains that can show up during cold weather or when it has been humid for a period of time, you can usually remove those with detergent or by lightly sanding the area.

When you are finished cleaning teak furniture, whether you do it yourself or have professionals do it, you should have a professional seal the wood with a penetrating teak sealer. Then, it is your job to keep an eye on the furniture and have it recoated with sealant when needed.  Keeping it cleaned and sealed will go a long way to protecting your furniture so you can enjoy that beautiful honey color for many years. Remember, teak restoration is much more difficult and costly than cleaning teak furniture on a regular basis and sealing it.

If you would like a free, no-obligation estimate on what it would take for one of our professionals crews to clean and seal your teak furniture, give us a call at 800-517-9362.  You won’t believe how good your teak can look!

Teak refinishing is oftentimes a misunderstood subject.  Many people prefer teak furniture to other types of outdoor wood furniture. However, this wood, like any wood, tends to change color over time if it constantly exposed to sunlight and weather changes.  While the teak itself usually receives minimal damage, the color does change. However, with teak refinishing, the teak can regain its original color and look.

Some people enjoy and even prefer the grayish color of teak that has been exposed to weather and believe that it adds to the vintage feel of the furniture. However, many people prefer the brighter honey color of new teak. Whether you are a homeowner who prefers teak or a vintage furniture collector, you will be happy to know that with teak refinishing, old furniture can look nearly new again.

Knowing What to Look For In a Professional Teak Refinishing Company

There is a lot of work involved in teak refinishing, and most people prefer to leave this type of a project up to professionals so that everything is done properly. However, if you know what needs to happen, you can find a professional who follows all of the proper procedures when performing teak refinishing.

For instance, the professional outdoor wood specialist should clean the teak with soap that is specially designed for teak so that dust and dirt is removed prior to sanding. Proper sanding is the key to restoring the teak to its original honey color. Professionals understand that sanding must be done in only the direction that follows the grain, and that the wood should not be sanded too hard. All areas of the furniture need to be treated to the same amount of sanding so that the overall effect is even and so that there is no gray left showing.

Professionals understand the need to carefully remove the residue from the sanding and then apply a specialized teak sealer l in order to restore the natural color to the wood. They understand how many coats need to be applied and how long to wait between coats.

When you are searching for a professional to do your teak refinishing, it is a good idea to speak with them about the process used so that you feel comfortable with the job that will be done. Make sure they have an office, are accredited by the Better Business Bureau and use only their own employees and never sub-contractors.  If you have a set of teak furniture that has been outside long enough to turn gray and you want it restored to the original honey color, you should be able to find a professional experienced in teak refinishing who can do the job right for you.

If you want to keep your deck looking new for years to come, you may want to consider professional deck refinishing. Whether you have a brand new deck that needs to be sealed, or you have an older deck that needs to be restored, professionals have the tools and experience necessary to do the job for you. When you are looking for the right deck refinishing company, you may want to ask friends, co- workers, or neighbors which company they used so that you can get a good idea of how pleased they were with the results. You can also search online for a company that is near you.

When you search online, the websites can give you quite a bit of good information on the companies and what they have to offer. It is a good idea to go with a company that specializes in deck refinishing and working with woods that have been out in the weather. This will assure you that they know what they are doing and that they have the tools and know-how to do the job right. For instance, if your deck is made of teak, you want to be assured that the deck refinishing company you have selected understands how to remove the gray and restore it to its original honey color.

Searching for the Right Deck Refinishing Company

Something you may want to look for on the company websites as you begin searching might be a description of the process used to restore or refinish the wood. They should include cleaning the surface as well as stripping off any left-over sealant if the deck was originally sealed. Cleaners specific to the woods should be used and they should be able to remove stains, including fungus. Another thing to look for is whether the company will sand the wood to help it accept any stains or sealers that will be used. If the deck is not sanded, it may not allow the new sealer to properly adhere to the deck.

The professional deck refinishing company should use high quality sealers that are designed to protect the wood from such things as UV rays, fungus growth, and even mildew. If you have a new deck, this is the type of sealer you will want to use in the first place. Wood can look beautiful and be very functional, but if it is not well-maintained and cared for, it can become unsightly. Protect your wood and increase your home value by properly maintaining your deck. Deck refinishing and sealing is one of the best ways to extend the life and beauty of your wood deck.

Teak Refinishing Is Misunderstood

Through our extensive experience with customers, we have gotten quite familiar with the top things that people do not understand regarding teak refinishing. So without further delay, here is our ‘Top 5′ all-time list for the top teak refinishing mistakes, as witnessed from actual Teak & Deck Professionals customers:

1. “If I don’t mind the gray, then there is no reason to refinish my outdoor teak furniture” – While we respect people’s taste regarding color, the weathering of unprotected teak wood will, over time, degrade the long-term sustainability of the furniture.  Mold, dirt and bacteria will stay on and in the surface of the wood leading to all sorts of issue. The only way to ensure your furniture has a long life is to maintain it on a regular basis with a teak refinishing expert.
2. “I’ll just clean it with some steel wool and soap” –  This is by far the scariest comment we hear or read in on-line teak refinishing ‘how-to’ articles.  Never, under any circumstances, use steel wool on your teak furniture when refinishing. Small pieces of the steek will invariably get left behind in the fibers of the wood and will rust with the first rain or water. This will leave orange spots all over your teak investment, without a remedy in sight.
3.  “I’ll just cover the furniture to extend the time between refinishing visits” – Covers will protect your furniture from the dangerous sun but most covers will trap moisture leaving your teak vulnerable to mold spores, especially wherever the cover rests on the teak wood. If you do choose to cover between teak refnishing appointments, only use covers made from Kevlar which is breathable.
4. “If my teak is sanded every time is is refinished, I’ll end up with no wood” –  When we sand furniture during the course of teak refinishing, we are using fine grits and only removing the very surface of the teak wood that is no longer healthy. Rest assured, it is virtually impossible to significantly alter the overall structure of the wood only through sanding.
5. “I’ll just wipe on some teak oil every three months as that seems to bring the color right back” – Teak oil may be one of the worst substances to treat your outdoor teak furniture with. It will darken your wood over time and, because of its sticky nature, will actually attract airborne pollutants to the surface of your teak. The first couple of applications will seem to work OK, but after that, you will have to completely strip the teak oil to return your teak to its true natural look. We only use the finest, penetrating teak sealers when performing teak refinishing, which can make all the difference regarding looks and sustainability.

We hope you can learn something from some of these teak refinishing mistakes that we see everyday in our work. Most importantly, if you own teak furniture, trust your teak refinishing and maintenance to a reputable expert. At Teak & Deck Professionals, we restore, refinish and maintain more than 150 pieces of teak each week so rest assured we will handle your teak with the utmost care and attention.

Common Misconceptions with Deck Refinishing

Along the way of refinishing hundreds of decks across San Diego, Orange County and Los Angeles, we have heard quite a range of assumptions and misinformation regarding deck refinishing and deck maintenance.  That experience has resulted in this Top 5 list, which is our “best of the best” misconceptions regarding deck refinishing.

1. New Wood Should Be Allowed to Weather Before Sealing.   Nothing could be further from the truth.  If prepped properly, a new deck should be sealed as quickly as possible.  Studies show that wood degradation starts taking place as soon as wood is exposed to the outside elements so protection is vital as early on as necessary.
2. There Is A Magical Protectorant That Will Last Forever.  Unfortunately, this common misconception is the most common question that we get asked. “Isn’t there something you can put on the wood that will last forever so I won’t have to do maintenance?” With our amount of sun in Southern California, any wood treatment will deteriorate over time. Surface protectorants such as varnishes and paints will chip and peel while penetrating sealers such as oil will gracefully fade over time before yielding to the natural graying of the wood. At Teak & Deck Professionals, we only use penetrating sealers that can be maintained over time.
3. Bleach is the Only Chemical Needed for Prepping Decks. Again, something we hear all the time, especially from so called ‘pros’ coming from a home improvement store. Bleach can be a very caustic cleaning agent on wood and can actually cause more harm than good. While certain deck refinishing situations do call for a brightening agent of some kind, bleach is rarely our product of choice.
4. A Deck Needs 2-3 Days to Dry Properly After Being Refinished. If you ever hear this from a so-called professional in deck refinishing, run for the hills and do not let him touch your deck. Any high-end sealer should be fully dry and usable within 12 hours of application.
5. More Deck Sealer Is Better than Less.  Most high-end, penetrating sealers are designed as one-coat products where ‘more’ actually is worse than ‘less’. The wood can only absorb so much sealer and anything left on the surface is only going to degrade the final finish, not enhance it. In fact, we hand-wipe each of our refinished decks as a final step to ensure that no excess sealer remains on the surface of a completed deck refinishing job.

I hope you can identify with at least some of the misconceptions regarding deck refinishing cited above.  If you have any questions regarding your particular deck and what may be best for it, please give us a call at 800-517-9362.

Why Is Ipe Deck Maintenance Different?

A properly cared for Ipe Deck is one of the most beautiful settings for an outdoor entertainment area.  While Ipe is an extremely durable and dense wood, it does need regular maintenance to ensure its longevity.  If you have already made the investment in an Ipe deck, you owe it to yourself, and your investment, to take care of it properly.

Ipe is a hardwood, perfectly suited for smooth and durable outdoor deck and railing surfaces. That said, it is a wood that will need regular maintenance, especially in our sunny climate in our Southern California.  Our sun will literally bake whatever protectant is on an Ipe deck right out of the wood, leaving it defenseless against the elements. Left untreated, the Ipe wood will gray over time, and may even start to buckle as more water is absorbed into the unprotected wood. Not something you want from your investment!

What You Can, and Should Do for Your Ipe Deck

So what is a homeowner to do? First of all, almost any condition Ipe deck can be restored back to its original look and feel as the wood’s high density allows for this type of new start. Once properly restored to its original beauty, a regular cleaning and re-sealing of the deck surface will keep your Ipe deck looking its best year-round. Maintaining an Ipe deck should be done at least every 12 months as the Ipe boards can only absorb so much sealer during any one application. Also, with each successive re-sealing of your ipe deck, the wood fibers will absorb more and more of the sealer you are using so each successive maintenance process extends the time period between applications.

Because Ipe is such a  Two things to be very aware of as you maintain your Ipe Deck:

1. You must use a high-end, very thin, oil-based sealer for the protection of your Ipe wood.  Only the thinnest of oils will penetrate the Ipe, and then only very slightly. Because of this phenomenon, a thin, penetrating, oil-based sealer is your only option when it comes to choosing a sealer.
2. You must wipe off any excess oil on the wood’s surface within 20 minutes of application of your sealer. If excess oil is left on a dense surface such as Ipe, the sun’s rays will char the oil and turn the entire surface black. This is the number one mistake we see when homeowner’s trust someone who is not familiar with treating Ipe. A properly maintained Ipe deck should fade gracefully in between maintenance visits, not get darker in any way. If your deck has darkened, it most likely had an overapplication of oil.

One last note regarding Ipe decks. If you ever hire someone to treat your deck, and they tell you that it will need 24-48 hours to dry, please don’t let them touch your deck. Your Ipe should be dry to the touch within one hour of work completion and ready for use with 12 hours. Any longer and you will end up with a sticky, shiny, ready to go black deck surface, none of which any of us want to see.

If you are looking for a company experienced in treating Ipe decks as well as Teak, Mangaris, Redwood and Cedar, please give us a call at 800-517-9362.  Teak & Deck Professionals only focuses on treating outdoor hardwoods and we would be happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have regarding your particular deck.

Caring for Teak Furniture is Misunderstood

This time of year we are bombarded with questions regarding caring for teak furniture during the winter months in Southern California.  One of the biggest misconceptions regarding teak furniture is that our relatively rainy Southern California winters can cause damage to outdoor teak furniture.  While any teak left unprotected can be damaged by any element, the sun, not water, is our main enemy for caring for teak furniture in our climate here in San Diego, Orange County and Los Angeles.

So How Should You Care For Your Teak Furniture in the Winter Months?

Wintertime is a great time to have your teak furniture professionally maintained for the upcoming year. While most people think they should wait until spring to have their teak furniture cleaned and re-sealed, the winter months are actually a better choice. With the right weather condition, your teak furniture will accept a new sealer better in the winter than any other time of year. Also, if you do choose the winter time for annual maintenance, your teak pieces will maintain their color for the better part of your heavy outdoor season. Lastly, most people don’t utilize their teak heavily in the winter so there is no inconvenience if you take care of maintenance during these months.

Caring for Teak Furniture – Choices

So what can you do? Well, you can either clean, sand and seal your pieces using your own time, materials and energy or trust the work of a trained professional who only deals in cleaning outdoor teak furniture.  At Teak & Deck Professionals, we pride ourselves on our ability to consistently maintain teak furniture for more than 750 customers across all of Southern California.  Give us a call so we can discuss your specifics with us and so that we can provide a free, no-risk estimate right over the phone. At a minimum, you’ll learn something about teak care that you didn’t previously know by speaking with our trained and experienced staff.

Deck Refinishing San Diego & Orange County

Teak & Deck Professionals is proud to showcase yet another redwood deck transformation in San Diego.  A video of this complete deck refinishing project can be viewed by clicking here: Redwood Deck Refinishing in San Diego, Orange County & Los Angeles.  This video shows dramatic before and after pictures of a typical redwood deck restoration project by Teak & Deck Professionals.  The deck profiled in this video had been treated nine months prior in an inappropriate manner so the pros at Teak & Deck had to undo all the wrongs before they could make things right. As you can see, the results are quite dramatic.

Most of the decks we see are well constructed but have not been taken care of properly.   By thoroughly cleaning the deck surface, sanding where necessary and then sealing with the proper type of sealer for that particular wood type, deck refinishing can make a tired deck look and feel brand new again. Anyone can powerwash a deck; only a true professional can treat a deck so it ages gracefully and is easy to maintain in the future. Our goal at Teak & Deck Professionals is to work with customers who care about their decks and would only want the best materials and workmanship utilized in the process.

For more pictures of equally dramatic deck transformations completed by Teak & Deck Professionals, give us a call at 800-517-9362.  We will be glad to answer your every question.

Deck Refinishing in San Diego

Teak & Deck Professionals, a Southern California Deck Restoration company, just published a brief video showcasing examples of their amazing deck refinishing in San Diego. The video, only about 30 seconds in length, shows sets of before and after photos and gives contact info to the company’s website.  It can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQtl07S_ffk.  Many more picture are available at Teak & Deck Professional’s web site gallery of deck refinishing pictures.

Why Don’t More People Know About Deck Refinishing in San Diego?

Most consumers still are not aware of the radical transformations that a professional deck refinishing company can do. Old decks can be made to look brand new again and, with regular maintenance, all decks can look their best year-round. All types of decks can be refinished to look and feel like new again including redwood, ipe, mangaris, teak, cedar and more and it is actually more cost effective to maintain a deck annually than to fully restore it every three to four years.  But be careful, as different types of wood have much different needs when it comes to refinishing and maintenance.

Ipe, Mangaris and Teak decks are very dense and require special oils that are thin enough to fully penetrate the surface while still providing the protection that these wood types require. Redwood decks are prone to tanin stains and need to be treated with the proper brightener to avoid darkening and spotting. Cedar decks are very soft and have to be sanded with care and attention. Whatever your particular deck wood type, we have a customized restoration and maintenance plan developed from years of experience.

Contact Information for Deck Refinishing in San Diego

For more information, contact a knowledgeable  deck expert at 800-517-9362 or read a description of our deck refinishing processes here.  At Teak & Deck Professionals, we can help with a same-day estimate or give tips on how to save yourself time and effort if you decide to do things yourself.  Even if your backyard environment is set on concrete or stone, we offer cleaning and sealing services for those materials as well.  A little knowledge can go a long way so please take advantage of the information on our website.  Either way, we are here to help all deck owners get more enjoyment from their outdoor living environment!