when it just has to be clean..
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It’s always a pleasure to be working near the Pasatiempo Golf Course. I’m out here at least once per year. Two of my clients in Pasatiempo have partial shingle homes that are in need of semi-regular maintenance. I’ve washed and stained a few dozen wood(and plastic) decks out there over the years too. Modern Day Paradise.
Doesn’t get sun in the winter months. Portions of the deck are very close in proximity to the earth’s surface. The bottoms of the many boards may actually be touching ground. The “ends” of many boards are butted up to, and in some cases completely buried underground. Over the years the deck has had many boards installed where the hot tub used to be, and many that were replaced that were rotted out. And lastly, this old deck off Larkin Valley in Santa Cruz CA is pretty shrouded in mature oak trees which are notorious mess-makers.
I pulled away some hillside that was crashing the party. I cleared all debris between every single board. An extra thorough professional wash followed up with the finest, highest quality, water based material on the market. Here are different looks during different stages of the process during different times of the day. Delicious as Always!
Santa Cruz Exterior Wood Deck Maintenance
The funky build-up of moss will typically feast on the North and West facing portions of any style/shape of roof. I almost feel as though I see it everywhere I go. Some is worse than others, that sort of thing. This is a property off Clubhouse in Aptos. It definitely gets sun, but only in the summer, and of course only when it’s sunny. This particular roof was very walkable, it was one story, AND I was already doing their decks. I felt compelled to make them an offer they couldn’t refuse.
The deck(s) I have been maintaining for almost 20 years. The first half dozen years I probably washed and stained this deck about three times. Now that it’s under the maintenance spell, every three or so years is just fine. The deck gets medium daily sun and fairly light foot traffic. It is completely surrounded by all different types of tall trees that make a pretty good mess. I think they have landscapers that quickly give it a blow once a week and that likely helps the cause.
As you can see, even the boards that aren’t yet stained are still holding plenty of stain from the application three years prior. Love how nicely spaced these boards are too!
Cleaning Santa Cruz since 2001
Decks, Roofs, Houses, Fences, Bricks, Concrete, Shingle Homes
Wood Staining Professionals
Santa Cruz California
Evidence that this deck was jam packed with filthy grime. This was in May and the debris was still stinky wet in nature. Never a good thing! This lack of maintenance does real damage to the boards over time due to the deck’s inability to naturally drain. In doing so, it also strips all the overall beauty from its appearance. You would be very surprised how much more refreshing the deck becomes when you can see and feel the preferred gap between the boards. .
It’s also a deck that had a giant wood storage box on it that had seen wayyy better days. You can see the mark that was left. I convinced the homeowner to not only remove the thing off the deck but to keep it off as well. It certainly wasn’t doing the deck any favors, in fact it was eating away at the deck in places where it likely stayed wet for months at a time. Yep, perfect conditions for sow bugs, termites, those sorts of critters.
Deck Washing and Staining
San Lorenzo Valley
We last washed and stained this deck in 2015. Doesn’t battle too much ‘wear and tear’. Doesn’t receive a ton of sun either.
Deck Staining & Maintenance
**Shingle Restoration**
Capitola–Santa Cruz–Aptos–Los Gatos
Ipe in all its glory. The four or so boards on the bottom are washed but not yet stained. The rest of the boards are stained with Defy for Hardwoods. We used a mix of Butternut, Cedar, and a sprinkle of Redwood Tone. Interesting to see how each board is totally unique in color and grain. It had been four years since I last washed and stained this 15 year old deck off San Andreas Road in South County Santa Cruz. It obviously cleaned up nicely and the final look is better than new. Am I right or what?
Deck Maintenance, Staining & Sealing, Shingle Restoration, Arbors, Fences, Privacy Walls
Santa Cruz, Aptos, San Lorenzo Valley, Scotts Valley, Capitola, Los Gatos, Saratoga, Freedom, Truckee, Lake Tahoe
Emails only please: cleaningsantacruz at gmail dot com
High-End Transparent Stain Work
Los Gatos California
Every three years like clockwork for this 500s/f Redwood Deck in Live Oak. Deck Maintenance intervals can vary throughout Santa Cruz County. This particular deck doesn’t get nearly the everyday sun exposure that perhaps an exposed deck in the hills of Soquel might. It doesn’t remain wet or damp for long periods of time like it might in Boulder Creek or the like. There aren’t a lot of tall trees dropping constant debris on this deck. There aren’t kids and dogs and barbecue parties happening on this beauty either. So yeah, every three years it is it’s been.
Deck Staining & Maintenance plans. Santa Cruz, Aptos, Scotts Valley, Capitola
This is common. Sometimes I am able to find out exactly why something like this has happened, and sometimes I am not. The remedies are numerous and it usually doesn’t involve doing too much about it immediately. The reason something like this happens are also numerous and usually involve some combination of improper application and/or over application of a transparent stain. Transparent stains can easily be built up over time. Building up the coats on a single application can easily encourage the stain to peel. A transparent stain that peels doesn’t make any homeowner happy. It’s just awful, and in many cases very orange. Double Awful. If this is your deck, let’s talk. Deck staining and maintenance in Santa Cruz County has been a specialty of ours since 2001.
We spend about six weeks every summer in the Truckee area. This home gets a couple weeks worth of attention within every stint. There are some problem areas that pay to stay ahead of, and those can range. This house is beautiful. It’s also giant. There are about a half dozen spots on the second story where snow build up has really done a number on the bottom portions of this beautiful cedar siding. In addition, there is one pitch of the house that gets heaps of hot sun made hotter by the metal roof. The deck is Ipe and there are some trouble spots from water run-off. So there are about six boards that lose all their stain every year, and I don’t like it. Therefore, annual staining and maintenance is needed to stay well ahead of any outdoor board needing to be replaced. And we mean any..
Deck Staining & Maintenance.
Santa Cruz, Truckee, Los Gatos, Scotts Valley, Aptos, San Lorenzo Valley
Shingle and Siding Maintenance Professionals
Small little deck on the upper west side Santa Cruz. Seemed pretty neglected. I was told that the deck was made by the homeowner, and it showed. it was built in 2009, and it appeared like the homeowner used some sort of sealant. Many of the boards were now too close together which is never going to be a great thing for the life of the deck. However, there is never a wrong time to begin the process of maintaining a wood deck. Especially Ipe. We know they last forever. Looking good forever is a different story. Santa Cruz Ipe Deck Maintenance. Wood Shingles & Siding. Aptos Capitola Santa Cruz Scotts Valley Felton Boulder Creek Truckee
Santa Cruz County Deck and Wood Shingle Maintenance
This is a new deck. Nine months old to be exact. As recommended, the homeowner waited some time for the boards to properly dry, oxidize, do their thing. The picture in the middle and on the right are unique in that they show a finished tone up against a strip of clean wet boards. Not soaking wet boards, rather boards that were once wet with water but are now drying a bit and heading towards damp. Damp (clean) boards are a tone that many homeowners are fond of. In other words, “I like how the deck looks when it’s wet,” said the homeowner. The picture on the left is a bit more of a close-up. You can see the finished portion in the upper right of the picture, and you can also see a finished board in the middle that is beading water. The other boards are at various stages of being wet/damp.
These 20y/o shingles face west. So far as shingle maintenance goes, my recommendation for shingles that face west is to love them up every eight years or so. These went ten. Yes these shingles were dirty, blackened to a degree, quite a number of them were greenish, so yes they probably waited a bit too long. Nevertheless…
2:45pm March PDT
Cedar Tone Shingle Maintenance Santa Cruz
Decks, Fences, Shingles, Custom Arbors
Aptos, Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz
2008 post:***This deck is located near East Cliff in Santa Cruz. The wood is probably about 15 years old and still looking great. The key is annual deck maintenance! We took over the maintenance in 2003 after years of neglect. These pictures also demonstrate how transparent stains allow the true grain of the wood to reveal itself. This is Biowash Natural Deck Oil (redw tone) and I believe it is still a little bit wet.
Update 2021: I promise this deck still looks like what is shown in pics, coming up on 30 y/o
Not sure why I decided to put these two photos together in the same post. Each photo represents a completely different section of this glorious deck, facing a different direction altogether. And of course it’s a different time of day after a much stormier kind of night.
One common bond is that both pictures represent a finished look after a fresh coat of high end water based transparent stain. This deck is 10 months new. Good times.
Santa Cruz County Deck Staining & Maintenance
Wood Siding, Shingles, Arbors, Privacy Areas
2022 Inquiries best to email and include some photos
cleaningsantacruz at gmail dot com
As important as it is to maintain the surface of wood boards on a deck, it is equally as important to keep ALL debris clear of the spaces between the boards. Debris will continue packing in there until it begins to eat away at the wood. Proper air flow and water run-off is key! Pic of a deck off Summit Road.
