Deck Care Before Summer: Cleaning, Sealing and Checking for Damage

Get a deck ready for summer in three steps: check it for damage, clean it, and seal or stain it if the wood has stopped shedding water. Do it on a dry stretch in May, before cookout season, and follow each product's label for temperatures and drying times. Anything structural, such as the posts, joists, stairs or the board that fastens the deck to the house, is a job for a professional, not a weekend project.

How do you check a deck for damage?

Inspect it first, before you clean or seal anything. A fresh coat of stain on a deck with a structural problem only hides the problem.

On top

• Boards: look for cracks, splits and soft spots. Press a screwdriver into any board that looks dark or weathered. If it sinks in easily, the wood may be rotting.
• Fasteners: nails or screws that have popped up, and rust streaks around them.
• Railings: push on each section and each post. A railing shouldn't move.
• Stairs: check every tread, and the handrail, for movement, cracks or soft spots.

Underneath

If you can get underneath safely, take a flashlight and look at:

• Posts: leaning, cracked, or soft at the base where they meet the ground or the footing.
• Joists and beams: sagging, cracks, rot or dark water stains.
• Where the deck meets the house: the ledger board, which holds that side of the deck to the house. Gaps, rust or water stains there need a professional's look.
• Hardware: rusted, loose or missing brackets, bolts and connectors.

When should you stop using the deck?

Keep people off the deck, and have it looked at, if it sways or bounces when you walk on it, a post leans, a railing moves, or the deck is pulling away from the house.

What can you fix yourself, and what needs a professional?

Who should repair structural damage?

Posts, joists, beams, the ledger, stairs and railings carry people's weight, so repairs to them have to be done right. Hire someone with experience in deck structure, and before the work starts, ask:

• what's wrong, what the repair involves, and whether a board-level fix is enough;
• whether the repair needs a building permit, and who will get it (your county's or city's building department can tell you);
• for a written description of the work and the price;
• for their contractor license number, if the job is big enough to need one.

In Virginia, a construction or repair job worth more than $1,000 needs a contractor license from DPOR, the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (Va. Code § 54.1-1100, as of September 2026). You can check a license for free on DPOR's License Lookup. This is general information, not legal advice.

How should you clean a deck?

Pick a dry, mild day with no rain in the forecast, then:

1. Clear it. Move furniture, planters, rugs and the grill. Planters and rugs trap moisture and leave marks.
2. Sweep, and clear the gaps between the boards with a putty knife, so water can drain.
3. Protect plants and siding the way the cleaner's label says, for example by wetting or covering nearby plants.
4. Use a cleaner made for your deck's material, wood or composite, and apply it exactly as the label says.
5. Scrub with a stiff brush, working along the grain on wood.
6. Rinse well with a garden hose.
7. Let the deck dry completely before you seal or stain it, for as long as the sealant's label says.

Should you pressure wash a deck?

A pressure washer is fast, but it's also the quickest way to damage a wood deck. Too much pressure, or a nozzle held too close, can gouge the boards and raise fuzzy fibers that hold dirt. If you use one, follow its manual and the deck cleaner's label, and test on a hidden spot first. For composite boards, read the manufacturer's care guide before you start, since some limit pressure washing.

If the deck is large, high off the ground or hard to reach, book pressure washing instead.

Does your deck need sealing or staining?

Try the water test

Sprinkle water on a few boards in the sunniest, most walked-on spots. If it beads up, the finish is still protecting the wood. If it soaks in and the wood darkens, it's time to reseal. Test several spots, because sun and foot traffic wear some areas faster than others.

Sealer, semi-transparent stain or solid stain?

Whatever you choose, check that it's made for decks and for your type of wood. If you're changing from one kind of finish to another, the new product's label says how to prepare the old surface.

How do you seal or stain a deck?

• Read the whole label first. It sets the temperature range, how long the deck must be dry beforehand, how long it must stay dry afterward, and when you can walk on it and put the furniture back.
• Check the forecast against those times, and pick a stretch of dry days.
• Start clean and dry. Never seal over dirt, mildew or a damp deck.
• Try a small hidden patch to check the color.
• Apply thin, even coats, following the label's advice on tools and on working in direct sun.
• Don't let it pool. Brush out puddles, which dry sticky and can peel.
• Get rid of rags the way the label says. Rags soaked in some oil-based finishes can heat up and catch fire as they dry.

How do you get the deck ready for summer use?

Once the finish has cured as long as the label says:

• Put furniture back with feet or pads that won't scratch the new finish.
• Raise planters on feet or stands, so water doesn't collect under them.
• Keep the gaps between the boards clear through the summer, especially after storms drop leaves and twigs.
• Look under the deck after heavy rain for standing water, and fix a gutter or downspout that empties onto it.

For the rest of the season's jobs around the house, see the spring home maintenance checklist.

Book deck repairs before summer

If your inspection turned up loose railings, soft boards or anything worrying underneath, get it fixed before the deck fills up with guests. Book fence and deck repair with an independent local Pro, ahead of cookout season.

Last updated September 2026.