Decks, Patios, Porches and Docks - Deck Work

Hi,
We moved into a house with a nice sized deck and it looked really good when we moved in last year but it has lost its color now. Its wood, could any one please suggest what I need to do to it to make it look nice and clean again.

Paint? Stain? Sand? I don't have much clue but would love to get this done inexpensively and nicely.

Your replies will be much appreciated. Thank you.

Omer

First you need to clean it. I would spray bleach [mix with 50% water] or deck cleaner on with a garden sprayer and rinse with a pressure washer. If it's not too bad you might get by with just rinsing with water hose. I believe the best results come from appling stain. It can barely have color [almost clear] or can be quite dark, all according to your preferances. If you do it all yourself the cost would be fairly low.
After you clean the deck it should resemble what it looked like when you first saw it. Without a sealer or stain it will again look like it does now in about the same amount of time. :)

Before you do ANYTHING, tell us what the deck is!! If the decking is wood, that's one thing. But if it's a composite, your course of action (if there is one) will be TOTALLY different.

From what you've posted so far, I'm thinking that you have a Trex deck, and it's their Natural color.If that's true, there's NO WAY you'll ever get the nice browntone color that you first saw back.

Thank you very much both Marksr and Lefty for your replies.

Marksr - I will try and do what you suggested, will probably get some of the supplies from a hardware store or perhaps home depot. But thank you very much for the information, I am going to have a busy weekend :)

Lefty - It is wood and do let me know if you have some time what course of action to take, I am thinking it will be pretty similar to what Marksr suggested. Thanks for your response as well, after reading it I am really glad that its wood :)

Take care.
Omer

Just F.Y.I. I cleaned my deck 12' X 22' Sunday using a commercial cleaner. Most are plant friendly where bleach is not.
Today I recoated the deck ( stain type sealer ) by hand cutting in the edges with a brush and then using a heavy nap paint roller with a pole attached so I could stand while coating. The roller sure made the job easier.
The last coating was about three years ago and I just used a pump sprayer to apply the cleaner, worked it a bit with a stiff broom and hosed it well.
If you opt for a pressure washer, be very careful as they can easily chew up the wood if not properly controlled.
GL

OK, I reread your first post -- you said it was wood and I missed it.

What marksr is suggesting is fine, but use OXYGENATED bleach -- not the Clorox the wife does laundry with!! You don't want to kill any landscaping that may be around the deck. In fact, rather than bleach, I would just stick with a deck cleaner, a deck broom, and some elbow grease. Read the labels carefully, especially about the affects the cleaners have on plants. I haven't found a good one at our local HD, but all 5 Ace hardware stores around here carry one that works.

I doubt that there is much you can do to get the color back unless you pressure wash it very gently -- lowest pressure, a fan spray, and the nozzle at about a 45 degree angle to the decking. (You don't want to etch th decking, just clean it.) If you are able to get the color back, then seal the deck after it dries with a quality sealer -- Silkens, Cabots, SuperDeck, etc. Expect to pay about $25 to $30 per gallon for it. It'll last 2 to 3 times as long as the less expensive stuff, and the UV inhibitors are better.