Faded grey patch in new jarrah decking boards

[grizzlyscotsman]

Hi there,

I've recently has a new deck built and need to oil it. Couple of queries I'm hoping for some advice on:

- there is sap dripping out of the pergola on to the jarrah decking boards in a couple of places which has caused black marks. Is there a good way to remove these marks before I oil the boards?
- I tried cleaning some greasy marks off the deck (from dropped food) using Nappisan (as recommended elsewhere) and I've left a faded patch on the wood. Is there a way I can get the colour on the faded patch back to match the rest of the deck? Should I sand this patch using a fine grit sandpaper?

Level of knowledge is 'comedy blunderer' (obvioulsy) so don't assume any knowledge on my part.

Thanks,

Grizzlyscotsman

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

- there is sap dripping out of the pergola on to the jarrah decking boards in a couple of places which has caused black marks. Is there a good way to remove these marks before I oil the boards?
- I tried cleaning some greasy marks off the deck (from dropped food) using Nappisan (as recommended elsewhere) and I've left a faded patch on the wood. Is there a way I can get the colour on the faded patch back to match the rest of the deck?

Personally, I'd sand the whole deck down with a light sandpaper immediately before oiling, even if none of the above had happened and it still looked pristine. This removes any minor grease from bare feet, or dirt trod into the grain, etc. and ensures a nice, fresh layer of timber for the oil to key into. ie. it gives you the best result.

IMHO you were right to use Napisan to remove the food stain, as if you'd given it time for the grease to penetrate into the raw wood you'd never have removed the mark. But Napisan does also remove the surface oils from the timber too, hence the grey patch. Sanding should fix this.

The black marks from the sap could be a concern, especially if a light sand doesn't remove them. If they are in deep, learn to live with 'em. Heavy sanding (more than a mm or so) just makes an annoyance into a problem.

Once it's oiled most people will never notice them and with time the deck will earn other battle scars anyway. (Although it'll probably irritate you every time you walk onto the deck. That's just how life works. )

A tinted oil can also help minimise colour variation if you want it all a fairly even colour, but I prefer clear finishes myself. Purely personal taste, though.

[derekcohen]

Hi GS

Sand and seal as soon as you can if you want to preserve the colour. the summer sun of WA is fierce and will dry out the Jarrah quickly. It then goes grey. Some prize the grey colour. Personally I prefer the original. We use an oil/tint mix from Bunnings to restore sun bleached chairs, etc.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[grizzlyscotsman]

Thanks for your replies guys.

I've sanded the grey patch using an '80' sandpaper on a random orbital sander and the grey patch is now much less noticeable.

I'm planning on using a deck cleaning product before oiling it (just about to do a test patch to ensure the deck cleaning product does not also remove the colour).

Thanks for your help with this.

Grizzlyscotsman