Along with a nice clear coated decking floor with it’s glimmering rows of perfectly finished wood, it is now quite common to see that lovely wood theme continued with clear coated wooden handrails around the deck, and stairs leading up to your deck.

In our last post we talked about clear coating decks and now to complete the picture we’ll go over how to apply clear coat to all those extras.

Stair Tread, Hand Rail and Post Preparation

As with the decking boards the key is in preparation. You want to make sure there is no dirt on the handrails, posts or stair treads.

When you’ve given it a sweep and you’re ready to start give all rails, posts and stair treads a light sand down to get any rough timber smooth and also to sand off any pencil marks.

How To Coat Your Stair Treads With Decking Oil

For the stair treads (the flat part of the stair where you tread on it, smart name for it hey?) you will coat them with decking oil in a similar manner to coating your deck. Cut in the edges two stair treads at a time and proceed to apply oil with the decking applicator.

The tough part of doing the stair treads, and here’s the gotcha, is that you must get underneath the treads with the clear coat as well making sure you cover all the bare timber.

Stair treads will require 2 coats of decking oil with 24 hours between coats otherwise you will have problems with stained water dripping off the treads – this is especially bad if they are exposed to the weather and not very nice if you have tiles underneath the staircase.

How To Coat Your Hand Rails and Posts With Decking Oil

Now for the rails and posts. First and foremost, make sure you buy a descent cutting brush as this is guaranteed to make your job 100x easier. You can find brushed specifically for cutting in at your local hardware store.

This is one of those occasions where I want to point out a couple of products and it really does make a measurable difference if you use them. We’ll be using two products to do two coats (one coat each).

The first coat I recommend you purchase a product called “Sikkens – Filter 7″. When you apply the first coat, try not to get too much on whatever you have inbetwen the posts (be it wires, or other metal poles).

After 24 hours give your rails and posts a light sand with a sanding block. Brush it down to remove the dust and now we’re ready to apply the final coat.

For the final coat I recommend you use “Sikkens – HLS”. This will give you the best results, but again cautious not to get it on your wires and other metal.

Final Advice For Clear Coating

Remember as with all clear coating it is best to recoat at least 3 times a year.

Take your time with it, you don’t have to do two stairs at once if you’re uncomfortable with it, it takes practise and repitition which is why as a professional painter I can get it done faster with a better finish. You’ll get there!

And finally, the more time and care you put into it the better it will look and you can be back to enjoying your lovely deck with your family and friends knowing it was a job well done.

Together we’ll go through the ins and outs of applying decking oil and detail exactly how to coat a deck to last in these tough Australian climates.

Before We Start Applying Decking Oil

There are a number of tools we need to correctly paint a deck with decking oil and it’s best to organise all your tools and products before hand.

• 120 Grit Sand Paper
• Soft Bristle Broom
• A brush at least 63mm wide
• Roller Tray
• Extension Pole
• Lamb’s Wool Decking Applicator
• 4L Tin Of Oil Based Decking Clear Coat such as Solver Decking Oil (adjust amount as required)
• A Broad Paddled Mixing Tool (something that can reach the bottom of the can)
• Pair of Socks (or you can go barefoot if your prefer)
• Turpentine (for cleaning the brush and applicator)

Preparing Your Deck For Coating

Depending on if you’re a do-it-yourself deck builder or if you’re using a professional builder and coating it yourself there will likely be a lot of pencil marks or chalk lines left over from measuring.

While there is really no need to sand the entire deck, it’s important to sand off all of these markings to ensure they don’t show through in the finished product.

Handy Tip: Using your 120 grit sand paper make sure you sand with the grain. This also goes for any nice timber surface you intend to clear coat.

Next, grab your soft bristled broom and give the deck a thorough sweep off to get rid of any dust or dirt.

If you’re on a second story, make sure you lay a sheet over anything underneath the deck you would want to protect from stray drips of decking oil.

Coating Your Deck With Decking Oil

I recommend coating the deck in either your socks or bare feet. This tip alone could save you a lot of tears – the last thing you want on your lovely new deck is a shoe print!

Pour some decking oil into the roller tray trying not to overfill it.

First step, using your brush, cut in around the edges of your deck (cutting in means making a border). This means we don’t have to go all the way to the edge with the applicator which can cause runs.

Now using your lamb’s wool decking applicator, dip it into the decking oil in your roller tray and proceed to do 3 to 4 boards at a time going from one end of the deck to the other.

You should aim to complete at least 3 coats of decking oil with 24 hours between coats.

Maintaining Your Decking Oil

Due to weather, wear and tear, dirt and grime your deck will need recoating to keep it maintained to that new look.

If your deck is kept clean and stain free this will make it an easier job.

Depending on the positioning of the deck, expect to recoat approximately 2 to 4 times per year. Obviously a sunny spot will need recoating more than a nice shady deck.

You can reduce this, but expect more work to get it back to it’s original state.

Congratulations, You Now Have A Pristine Deck

A deck that’s been freshly coated in decking oil can really enhance the natural beauty of the exterior timber decking.

A good decking oil will be formulated to highlight the timber grain and produce a natural timber-look finish.

I hope this guide has been helpful and remember, I’m always just a phone call away if the job becomes too big or you are after a professional quality finish.

Next article: How To Clear Coat Your Stairs With Decking Oil