Caring for your new deck: the first year and the next twenty

A deck's first year is the year you set the next twenty. Skip the first-year care and the deck never quite catches up. Here is the schedule we send home with every job, by material.

Pressure-treated decks — first year

The wood ships wet from the treatment plant. It needs to dry before you seal it or stain takes patchy.

• Weeks 1-12: let it dry. Walk on it, use it normally. Do not seal.
• Month 4-6: sprinkle test. Drop water on a board; if it beads up, the wood is not ready. If it soaks in within 30 seconds, you can stain.
• Month 4-6 once it passes the sprinkle test: apply a transparent or semi-transparent oil-based stain. We like Cabot or TWP. Two coats. Let dry 48 hours between.
• Month 9-12: sweep clean every 2 weeks. Pollen and oak debris ferment on wet wood and stain it.

Pressure-treated — lifetime schedule

• Year 2: light wash (garden hose + deck brush). Re-coat stain in spring.
• Years 3-5: annual wash. Re-stain every 24-36 months depending on UV exposure.
• Year 8-10: inspect for soft spots near posts and ledger. Treat or replace boards as needed.
• Year 12+: consider re-decking with the existing frame if framing is still solid.

Cedar — first year

Cedar ships dry. You can finish it the same week we install it.

• Week 1-2: wipe boards with a damp rag, let dry overnight, apply a penetrating oil (we use Penofin or Sikkens Cetol). Two coats, 24 hours apart.
• Months 1-12: sweep biweekly, hose off as needed. Avoid pressure washing — it raises the grain.

Cedar — lifetime schedule

• Annual: re-oil in spring. Cedar drinks oil; it is not a one-and-done finish.
• Every 5-7 years: light sand with a 60-grit pad to remove weathered surface, then re-oil.
• Year 12-18: evaluate. Cedar in Florida ages out around 15 years if you keep up with oil.

Composite (Trex / TimberTech / Azek) — first year

The "no maintenance" claim is mostly true. Caveat: it is "no maintenance" only if you actually clean it. Mildew on the surface looks the same on a $80/sq ft composite as on a $30/sq ft pine.

• Months 1-3: sweep weekly. Pollen + oak debris + summer heat cooks into a sticky film if it sits.
• Month 6: first deep clean. Garden hose + soft brush + Dawn dish soap. Do not use bleach on the cap; it eats the UV coating.
• Month 12: walk the deck and check for hidden-clip movement. Some clips back out under thermal cycling; one drop of thread-locker per affected clip and it is back to permanent.

Composite — lifetime schedule

• Every 4-6 months: hose-and-soft-brush clean. 20 minutes. Done.
• Annual: walk the frame from below. Check the joist hangers and ledger for any galvanic corrosion. (Composite + steel can corrode if water sits.)
• Year 10: evaluate for clip + screw replacement. Warranty period for many systems.
• Year 25-30: usually still in service. Plan board-by-board swap only as needed.

Things to NOT do (on any deck)

• Pressure wash above 1,500 PSI. Cuts the wood fiber. Lifts composite caps.
• Park rubber-backed mats long-term. Traps moisture, leaves a permanent square. Use rubber mats with feet that let air through, or move them monthly.
• Run gas grills directly on the deck without a heat shield. Drips burn into composite; drips fire-stain wood.
• Apply ice melt. Not really an Orlando problem, but worth knowing — chlorides corrode hidden hardware.

We send this guide home with every deck install, customized to the specific material. If you have a deck we built and want a free check-in at year 1, just ask — we drop by, walk the surface and the substructure, and tell you what (if anything) needs attention.