Maintaining green or grey deck boards

Exterior wood , and in particular wood decking, should be cleaned and renovated at regular intervals to improve the durability of the material. Wooden decking is considered to be in need of maintenance as soon as green patches or a greying appearance appear.

Looking for the cause of premature ageing

The cause of a “greening” terrace is undoubtedly the growth of algae and lichen. In France, lichens and algae are particularly fond of winter weather (damp and with little sunshine), which provides the ideal conditions for them to thrive.

The colour of untreated wood changes over its lifetime. If the exterior wood turns grey (known as greying), this is the effect of wood-rotting fungi. These fungi are responsible for the aesthetic deterioration of the wood, giving it a grey appearance. They do not alter the structure of the material, unlike their their cousins, wood-eating fungi.

When should I maintain green or grey deck boards?

Spring is the ideal time to clean and protect a wooden deck.

This comes after the dampness of winter and before the warm, sunny days of summer. These two seasons are ideal for the development of fungi, algae and lichens.

Choosing the right products for deck board maintenance

Choosing the right products and the right equipment is essential. To do this, it is important to be aware of the tests carried out by the research laboratories to ensure that they meet your requirements and those of your customers.

The XILIX EXPERT® range range has been tested in accordance with accelerated ageing standards (EN 927-6), with results ranging from 3 to 6 years’ protection under normal outdoor exposure conditions.

How do I maintain green or grey deck boards?

For optimum results and durability, the following steps should be followed:

1/ Protecting yourself and areas not affected:

Operators must make sure they are wearing PPE (personal protective equipment) before starting work:

• Safety shoes to prevent slipping on damp deck boards,
• Protective clothing
• Mask
• Glasses
• Gloves ..

Next, you’ll need to protect everything not involved in the renovation with a tarpaulin.

2/ Thoroughly clean the deck boards:

Renovating a wooden deck starts with cleaning. To do this, you’ll need high-performance equipment such as a special outdoor wood brush. The brushes are designed to remove all the dirt from the wood.

We recommend using XILIX Wood Deck Cleaner in two brush strokes. We also recommend applying a degranulator.

A final pass with brush and vacuum is necessary to remove impurities. The deck boards are now ready to be protected.

3/ Protecting your wooden deck

After brushing, we recommend applying XILIX Hydro Saturator T-HD using a professional airless pump or a spalter.

The saturator provides long-lasting protection for the wood by deeply saturating the fibres. Properly applied, it delays greying and gives the wood water-repellent properties.

A second coat of finish is necessary to ensure the product’s optimum qualities.

Good to know:   XILIX® EXPERT saturator is available in 5 colours. The darker colours give the wood longer-lasting protection than lighter colours in similar exposures.