How To Use Wood Decking Brightener

It’s a sad fact of life that even the finest quality wood decking will dull over time.  Outdoors in all weathers and under varying pressures from heat and cold, it’s not surprising that decking can often show extreme signs of wear and tear.  Wood decking brightener is a great way to bring your decking back to life and looking new again.  An efficient and effective way to clean and restore the colour of your deck, wood decking brightener is a cheap and DIY friendly treatment that you can easily carry out over a weekend.

At Wood and Beyond we recommend Owatrol Net-trol Wood Cleaner and Brightener.  This is a really effective product that we’ve tried and tested ourselves.  It does exactly what it “says on the tin” and brings untreated decking back to its natural colour with minimal effort.  Add to this the fact that this product is mild and kind to the wood and you can see why we’re so fond of it.

Owatrol Net-trol is easy to use and requires little more than water, a brush, some patience and a hose or a pressure washer.  When you’re applying the product, you need to make sure that the outside temperature is neither too hot nor too cold.  The manufacturers state that anything outside of 5-35 degrees is either too hot or too cold.  As a result, springtime weather is usually ideal for this sort of job, as well as being a great time to get your deck looking its best ahead of the warm summer months.

To prepare your deck for this treatment, you need to make sure it’s clear of all plants and furnishings and give it a good sweep down.  Take care when moving your furnishings and any heavy plant pots, making sure that you lift and don’t drag them because dragging them could cause damage to your deck.  If there are any parts of your deck that you don’t want to treat with the brightener, just make sure you cover them and then you’re ready to get started.  Before starting, if you’re using an alternative brightener and not Owatrol Net-trol, make sure you’ve read the manufacturers instructions carefully.

If you have taken our recommendation and have choosen Owatrol Net-trol, you need to shake the container thoroughly and wet the surface of your decking with fresh, clean water.  Thereafter, to apply the product, you should use a synthetic brush or roller and give the surface a good scrub.  After that, it’s a simple case of leaving the product to do its job for 15 or 20 minutes without letting it dry out.  At that point you can use either a hose or a pressure washer on a low setting to rinse the product away whilst scrubbing the deck at the same time to get rid of the remainder of the grime.  In severe cases, you might need to repeat the process.

When your deck has been treated with the brightener, if you’re planning on re-finishing the deck, it’s important to let it dry for 48 hours.  This process will really bring your deck back to life by removing stains and algae, letting the beauty of the wood shine through again.