It’s Spring and Time for Deck Maintainenance
Adding a new wood deck to your home can range from thousands to tens of thousands of dollars. Surprisingly, many people do so and then pay little attention to optimizing their investment after the fact. What do I mean by that? A wood deck’s lifespan can vastly differ depending on how well it is maintained. Sadly, many people don’t. We design and build custom decks that, with annual maintenance, will give years of enjoyment to our customers. One practice that we incorporate into our building process for wood decks is pre-coating the timber with Cutek Extreme Wood Protection Oil. Why Cutek? Because we believe it is one of the best products in the wood oil, stains, coatings category designed to protect wood and thereby lengthen the life of your deck. In fact, we love it so much, we sell it through our online store.
Why is Cutek Extreme Wood Protection Oil so good?
It was developed in Australia for use with bamboo. A characteristic of bamboo is that it has a very hard outer surface. Cutek overcame this barrier with their Cutek Extreme deep penetrating oil which can penetrate bamboo’s hard outer surface. Unlike traditional wood finishes available in North America, Cutek Extreme Wood Protection Oil (reformulated to meet the demands of the climate and timber of North America) penetrates deeply into the timber. (A benefit from its bamboo roots.) Wood soaks it up like a sponge—providing moisture protection and long-term dimensional stability from the inside out. You have the choice of preserving your timber’s character by letting it weather naturally to a silver patina, or retaining its original freshly-oiled colour with one of our 10 Colourtones. Either way, you’ll know your wood is being protected.
Some brief highlights. Cutek Extreme…
- is easy to apply
- highlights your timber’s natural beauty
- penetrates, protects, and extends the lifespan of your wood
- minimizes warping, cupping, and splitting
- doesn’t crack, peel, or flake
- is easy to maintain once used
- can be applied in most weather conditions
Where are you now?
If you have a wood deck you probably fall into one of three scenarios.
- Your deck has previously been treated with Cutek Extreme Wood Protection Oil
- Your deck has previously been treated with another company’s coating, stain, or oil or your deck has never been treated with any product
Your deck has previously been treated with Cutek Extreme Wood Protection Oil
1. Clean the wood:If the wood is only dirty and faded, Cutek QuickClean may be all that you need to prepare the surface for another coat of a Cutek Extreme. Cutek QuickClean is designed as a cost-effective, biodegradable cleaner for the restoration of uncoated, dirty and weathered wood. Cutek QuickClean is less powerful than Cutek Proclean, however, it is less hazardous, and will not damage substrates or vegetation adjacent to the timber surface being restored, eliminating the need for containment or masking. If your timber is quite weathered and stained, better results will be obtained by using Cutek Proclean.
Apply Cutek QuickClean liberally with our Perdura Deck Boss or Rapid Stain Brush, or roller. Let Cutek QuickClean do most of the work by letting it dwell on the surface for 10–20 minutes or such time as deemed to be necessary by the test procedure. It may be necessary to scrub stubborn stains moderately with a stiff fibre brush.
2. Clean the timbers and remove the cleaner
Once Cutek QuickClean has cleaned the timber, it must be power water rinsed (hot water works best) off. For best results wash off with high-pressure water at approximately 750 p.s.i. pressure. (Not more! Higher pressures can damage the wood.) Clean from the lowest point and work upwards methodically. ALWAYS clean off with a water jet that produces a fan that is 40–50mm wide about 100mm out from the jet. Adopt a continuous “mowing action” working with the water fan-jet 100mm from the face of the surface. DO NOT use “turbojets” on timber. CAUTION must be used when cleaning soft timber to reduce the pressure and avoid damaging the sapwood. The longer that Cutek QuickClean is left on the substrate, the greater the rinse time required.
3. Re-coating with Cutek Extreme (old, and previously coated wood)
Following the cleaning of the timber with Cutek QuickClean or Proclean, it is important to complete the maintenance process by coating the timber with a Cutek wood protection oil, following the procedure detailed in the relevant factsheet.
Your deck has previously been treated with another company’s coating, stain, or oil. Your deck is heavily soiled. Or, it has never been treated with any product
For Cutek Extreme to function properly, it has to be able to penetrate deeply into the wood. Anything that inhibits
this (moisture, insufficient time between coats, or the presence of any surface sealant, coating, mould, or other barrier) must be avoided or remedied before using Cutek Extreme.
You’ll have to do either a routine cleaning of your deck (Cutek QuickClean), a significant cleaning of your deck (Cutek Proclean), or, depending on the wood’s condition and what results you are looking for, your preparation may involve thorough stripping (Cutek Naked) or sanding to completely remove the previous coating to bring your deck back to the bare wood.
Once all the deck is clean or the previous coating has been removed, the surface should be cleaned with Cutek ProClean.
Old, dirty, stained or weathered timber should be prepared by first applying Cutek Proclean restoration agent, then power rinsing with a high-pressure washer set to under 750 p.s.i. (50 bar), with a fan jet pattern to avoid damage to the wood. Once the timber is thoroughly dry, apply two coats of Cutek Extreme—following directions.
Another reminder: Wood previously coated with a film forming product such as stains, linseed oil, paint, polyurethane, etc., must first be restored with Cutek CD33 Naked paint stripper and Cutek Proclean (or possibly sanded) prior to the application of Cutek Extreme.
This process can be complex, so view the videos on our Cutek Resources page for more information. That said, the results achieved from restoration are dramatic and rewarding – the original natural colour and beauty of your wood can be restored.
Cutek Extreme Application Technique
Before you begin, note the hazards and precautions on our website and the can labelling, and ensure that you use the correct safety equipment as detailed in the Safety Data Sheet.
Step by step application process
1. Avoid contact with plants, shrubs, trees and waterways. For best results, one coat of Cutek Extreme should be applied to all faces of the wood prior to installing, with a second coat applied to the top surface once the first coat is completely dry. Penetration time varies significantly, depending on species, temperature, porosity, and moisture content of the wood. Thicker sections such as post, beams and logs will require additional coats, as Cutek Extreme has a cumulative effect in the wood.
2. Apply each coat evenly with a Perdura Deck Boss or Rapid Stain Brush, paint pad or roller. When using Cutek Colourtone it is essential that the container holding the oil be stirred frequently both before and during use. Two or three thin coats on finished wood and hardwoods are better that one or two thick coats. The wood must feel completely dry and non-greasy before application of the second coat.
3. Clean-up: Equipment may be cleaned with soap and water or turps. Oily rags and other oily materials may cause combustion fires. Immediately after use you MUST (1) spread out all oily materials outside to dry, by flattening them out to their full size in an airy spot at temperatures above 4 degrees Celsius, or (2) Wash them thoroughly with water and detergent and rinse. Remove all oil from all clothes, tools, rags and any other materials contacted during use or as a result of an
accidental spill. All wash water is to be disposed of properly.
Sure, if your existing deck needs hasn’t been treated with Cutek Extreme it takes a little work to do so. But, once you have done so, ongoing maintenance becomes quite easy. And, you can assured that you’ve done everything you can to extend the life of your deck. For more information, how-tos, videos, and datasheets please see our Cutek resources page.
That’s all for now. Until next time, we’ll keep Building It Right™.