Blue Door Painters discusses preparing for the changing season in the Washington, DC area
Indian summer is now winding down, those wild storms and dragging humid droughts are fading into memory, and you can finally step outside without slapping the mosquitos off your ankles – although you may need to put on a pair of slacks first. Autumn in the greater Washington, DC area is a beautiful time of year. The air feels crisp and clean, the leaves are beginning to blush into the colors of their autumn spectacle, and the stores are bursting with plastic ghosts, witches, and plump orange pumpkins. Compared to August, September and October are some of the best months to be outdoors in and around the nation’s capital, because they actually offer some relief from our infamous summer humidity. If your deck or patio isn’t up to par, you’ll be missing out on some of the prime time weekends for outdoor living in DC.
On the other side of the coin, the beautiful fall weather implies the inevitable arrival of winter, a season as harsh in Washington DC as the summers are muggy. Relaxing outside on a beautiful October morning, you can be rest assured that roughly three months from now, cold, wind, rain, and snow will likely barrage the very spot you are sitting.
Both the beauty of the autumn weather and the threat of impending winter are prime reasons to get your deck into tip-top shape now. Cleaning, staining, and sealing your deck will make it an attractive place to enjoy the fall, as well as a safe and protected structure ready to withstand the forces of winter. Once the cold weather rolls around in full force, it will be too late to apply most exterior coatings, and stains and sealants are no exception – temperatures below 55 degrees and direct exposure to precipitation interrupt the curing process and cause the coatings to fail. Early in the fall, there are still enough warm spells to get the work you need done.
Complete deck care involves pressure-washing, staining, and sealing. Pressure washing, a procedure that utilizes water ejected at high speeds to loosen debris and contaminants that are worked into the pores of the wood, is by far the most superior method for cleaning sturdy exterior surfaces. Applying stain after pressure-washing ensures that the stain will be able to achieve maximum penetration, and will not be interrupted by impurities. In addition to beautifying and adding color and tone to the wood, the stain will imbue it with protective and weatherproofing properties that will help it hold up against a harsh winter. Finally, the sealant layer will guard against wood’s worst enemy – moisture – so that even if you have five inches of snow sitting on your deck all winter long, your wood will emerge sitting pretty just in time for a beautiful DC spring.
For more information on deck care, including working with different types of wood, picking stain color, and taking care of your deck all year round, check out Blue Door Painters blogroll. To request a free estimate for full service pressure-washing, staining, and sealing, contact Blue Door Painters now!