IPE garden deck protected with Deks Olje D1

This customer’s IPE garden deck (20 square metres) was in need of some TLC and Roger from R & A Pressure Washing Services Ltd. was brought in as the man for the job. He did an amazing job and we think you will agree, the deck looks stunning.

However, don’t be deterred into thinking that you always need professional help to get your deck looking great!

We’ll take you through, step by step, to explain what Roger did so you can discover exactly how to get your own deck looking great again.

Step 1: Remove previous coatings & clean the deck

The first step you’ll need to complete is to remove any previous coatings from the deck with Prepdeck wood stripper. There are other strippers which may be better suited depending on the coating you are trying to remove. Please refer to our wood stripping page to help you.

To use Prepdeck, simply scrub it into the surface of the wood and leave it to work. After a short while, test a small area by giving it a little scrub to see if the coating is lifting. If not, leave it for a little longer. Once it is lifting, scrub the entire area with a stiff nylon brush or power washer, remembering to always work in the direction of the grain. Then, simply rinse with copious fresh water.

Step 2: Neutralise the wood and restore the colour

After using an Owatrol stripping product, you must neutralise the surface of the wood to prevent it from remaining active and interfering with the performance of the finish. To do this, you should use Net-Trol. First, wet the surface with fresh water (you won’t need to do this step if you’re doing it directly after rinsing off the stripper!).

Then, apply Net-Trol with a synthetic brush or roller and scrub the surface with a stiff brush. Leave it to stand for 10-20 minutes. If it’s a particularly warm day and the surface starts to dry, dampen it with a mist application of water. Then, scrub the surface whilst rinsing with water, or alternatively use a pressure washer.

Now leave your wood to dry thoroughly before applying a protective finish.

Step 3: Protect the deck with a saturating wood oil

Before moving onto the protection, Roger sanded the surface of the deck and dusted it off. This step is not compulsory, but many professionals do it to achieve a particularly smooth and sleek finish.

Many home owners choose a saturating wood oil to finish their deck as it allows for a natural look. A matt sheen finish will enhance the beauty of the wood and at the same time, protects it from within. This means there’s no risk of peeling or flaking.

Roger used Deks Olje D1, a saturating oil specifically designed for hardwoods, to protect this deck. It penetrates deep into the wood’s pores to provide excellent protection from damage caused by moisture and exposure to UV rays.

Deks Olje D1 is applied ‘wet-on-wet’, which means that you do not leave the wood to dry in-between coats. Instead, simply keep applying coats, one after the other, until the wood cannot absorb any more and is ‘saturated’. Leave the final application for 30 minutes, then wipe over the surface to remove excess and avoid shiny spots.

We think you’ll agree that Roger has created a stunning outdoor space for his customer to relax on. See his bio below for more information about him and his company.

We hope you found this post on an IPE garden deck protected with Deks Olje D1 interesting. If you have any other advice or top tips, please feel free to leave them in the comments below. We love hearing from you!

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