Exterior Wood Restoration Has Never Been This Important
Prices of wood and wood related products like composites have skyrocketed recently. There seem to be multiple reasons for this and the first is the pandemic. The pandemic caused people to stay home and not travel. To this day there are people not ready to travel or be in crowds. This caused a concentration on making your home, your vacation spot or “Staycation” destination. The “Outdoor Living Space” segment has gone through the roof and a lot of money has been spent on decks and outdoor structures like pergolas and trellises for example. We have just not been able to keep up with the demand. Another reason, not mentioned often, is climate change. Climate change is recognized to be a debatable topic but, in the particular case of wood supply we can draw a line. Some realize, however many do not, that most of our wood is imported from Canada and not domestic. A few years back there was a warm winter where the temperatures did not get cold enough, long enough and wood destroying beetles did not die off as they usually do. The beetles in turn, damaged many of the trees and affect the supply chain today. Now, many want to blame truckers who want top dollar and manufacturers who do not want to pay increased costs and, others want to blame the labor market and the lack of employees to perform this work. The point here is that there are quite a few factors that are impacting the rise in wood prices. There really is not one specific cause, it is a combination of factors. The takeaway here is that whatever the reasons when prices go up, they rarely come back down to where they were, meaning increased prices are here to stay.
Let’s assume you need to replace a wooden deck and you are considering a composite deck. The composite manufacturers have also seen the increases in costs and are either adjusting or pivoting their offerings. There is a move to use more recyclables in these products and less wood content to save costs on their end. The issue is that new equipment and plants will still cost the consumer with increased cost of manufactured products as well. This is brought up because whether you have a wood structure that needs repair or replacement, your replacement costs have dramatically increased.
Another little-known discussed fact is that because of the increased demand over the years, trees are cut younger and younger than in years past. This means that we do not allow the heartwood to develop and mature as we once did. The outer part of a tree is called sapwood and the center of the tree is called heartwood. The longer a tree develops the denser and more durable the tree and the wood. Because of this increased demand we add another reason to preserve, restore, and maintain today’s wood structures.
If the question you are asking is “What do, we do now?” The answer is preserve and extend the life of your wood surfaces and structures now! This is accomplished by proper restoration and maintenance of these existing surfaces and structures. Letting wood just weather and gray could take years off your wood’s life. From rotting to warping wood that need replacement are consequences of neglected maintenance of wood coatings. When wood is left to gray or not preserved organic growth like algae and mold can hold moisture and rot the wood. Wood that is not preserved and left in the sun and elements can bow and warp to the point of replacement. By staining and coating your wood surfaces you help to extend the life of the wood. This in turn saves you money and prolongs you from having to spend a lot of money sooner than later. Vertical wood versus horizontal wood can make a difference. Vertical wood like fences, wood siding, and deck railings have twice the life of horizontal wood like deck floors, steps, and handrails which wear twice as fast. This means on a deck you may be able to re-deck the floor and get another 20 years, or so, out of a deck.
The best way to preserve the wood is periodic cleaning, restoring, and maintenance, as necessary. To put in real numbers, a deck left with no coating or preservative may fail in 7-12 years and a well coated, preserved, and maintained deck may last 20-30 years (sometimes more). In many cases, stains are a better choice than paints. The difference between stains and paints is that stains are considered to be more permeable. This means that the stains allow the wood to breathe, and the exchange of moisture is released through the coating. Paints tend to “trap” in moisture and take longer to dry out. If we were to paint wood siding on a house, we want to keep the rain and moisture out. This works in this circumstance, however on a deck railing where all sides are painted the moisture cannot get out and leads to premature rotting. This ia an example of knowing the best coating for a structure which is also key.
We have now given many reasons why we should be concentrating on preserving and extending the life of wood structures. Gone are the days when we would just replace damaged or unmaintained wood surfaces and structures. The cost of replacement is significant. We spend a lot of money on wood structures which should coincide with a developed maintenance plan to preserve the wood. Vetting the right company or contractor is also key to this process. There are many contractors who just want to “paint” over a wood surface because it is easier. Exterior Wood Restoration involves some expertise and knowledge of both wood and coatings. Restoration will account for the species, or type, of wood before determining the right coating. Preparing wood surfaces is a vital to insuring and extending its life and the ease of future maintenance. Tightening boards, repairs, sanding, proper cleaning, brightening and more are key to the restoration process.
“The Process”
Now, more than ever before, correct methods of restoration and maintenance will save you money and extend the life of your wood structures and surfaces significantly for years to come. As it becomes harder and more difficult to find companies that perform this work to the degree needed can be a challenge however, a little effort in finding the right company or contractor will actually save you money if they can extend the life of your wood.
By: Everett Abrams “Wizard of Wood”
eabrams@deckrestorationplus.com
866-440-3325
Everett Abrams, the “Wizard of Wood” is widely considered one of the leading experts in Exterior Wood Restoration. He has taught over 10,000 contractors with his Exterior Wood Restoration manual and classes. He is the President of DRP Enterprises, Abrams Plus Inc. and proprietor of the Deck Restoration Plus Deck & Wood Stains and Products.
