New Deck

[Fumbler]

Need Help. I have a brand new 1 week old Merbau deck, under cover (99.9% finished). i have heard several different opinions on what to do next, ie oil straight away, weather for 6-8weeks (hosing down every 2-3 days or basically hosing down after its dry eachtime) then deck wash then oil, and even so far as to using napisan to speed up the process. Now i have this beaut deck, i want to do the best thing, which is what?

The section in pics is the first 2/3 of the entire deck, but due to time constraints, will get the last third down after xmas. not too bad a job for a first time decker/weekend warrior. Deck boards are down with CAMO hidden fasteners (great system). I went the pre-drilled option to prevent splitting and i'm glad i did.

thanks, Fumbler

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[nrb]

I wash off the tannins as soon as the last nail goes in,hope that the next couple of days are dry then put on the finish two, coats one day apart.
Please excuse me for not saying Great job,did you say this was your first deck?

[Fumbler]

Thanks, yes first deck. It at our holiday house and thankfully i have my neighbour kind enough to hose down every few days til i can get down again next to oil it.

[CMB]

G'day Fumbler, nice work.

As you have noted, opinions do and will continue to differ. Best way to go about it is to follow the recommendations of whatever finish/product you decide to use.

Hosing down (other than as prep) would most likely only be of benefit if it were exposed to excessive heat and/or sun during or immediately following install. Some timbers can go in to severe shock under new environmental conditions, and as such do weird and wonderful things. This is also the reason why it is highly recommended that timbers intended to be used for decking, flooring, cladding etc be allowed to acclimatise on site for a period prior to install.

Being merbau, you'd be pretty safe to apply your finish whenever it suits you.

Craig