Newly installed decking looks great, and if you’ve left it untreated because you loved the natural colour of the wood, you’ll be in for a surprise quite quickly!
It doesn’t take long for wooden decking to turn a silver/grey type colour. This is the natural colour of weathered wood, and some people love this look and patina it brings.
However, the silver patina isn’t for everyone, and it can occur within one year, so in this blog we’ll explore:
- Why wooden decking turns a grey/silver colour
- How to prevent decking fading and turning grey
- How to restore decking that has turned grey
Why does decking turn grey?
This is a natural weathering process that turns the wood grey, which is mainly caused by sunlight. The ultra violet rays start to break down the cellulose that then causes chemical degradation in the wood. This process makes the colour of the wood change from its newly installed rich colour, to a silver/grey.
Sunlight isn’t the only factory that contributes to the weathering process. The timber will also be effected by wind, dust, pollen, dirt, and wear & tear.
This is why it is very important to protect your decking from day one; there are so many things effecting the decking and if you want to maintain the original colour, you’ll need to make sure the timber is treated and protected.
How to prevent decking from turning grey
We now know why decking turns grey, so now we’ll talk about preventing this from occurring.
There are two options for protecting and treating decking; either a Decking Oil or a Decking Stain.
- Clear Decking Oil
Our Clear Decking Oil is natural and clear, so when it is applied to decking it enhances the original colour of the wood. This is the only product you should use if you’re looking to preserve the natural colour of the wood. The product soaks into the wood helping to keep the wood protected from within, and also forms a thin barrier, helping to protect the surface.
The oil will protect the decking from sunlight, rain, dirt, dust and all things that causes the weathering effect, helping to keep the original colour of the decking shining through.
- Decking Stain
A decking stain doesn’t really protect the woods original colour as the oil does, as the stain contains pigments designed to change the colour of the wood. So in this scenario the decking stain will stop your wood from weathering and turning grey, but it will also completely change the colour of the wood too. This is of course something many people want.
How to restore decking that has turned grey
This is actually a lot simpler than people think! All it requires is to give the decking a thorough clean using our Decking Cleaner. This removes all the dirt and grime from the wood, reverses the weathering process and restores your decking back to its original colour.
Once cleaned, you can further enhance the colour using the Clear Decking Oil, and also the application of the oil will help to keep the decking in better condition for longer. For more information on cleaning decking, check out our blog post - How to clean decking
Above: The left photo shows the direct and weather decking, the middle photo shows it after we have used the Decking Cleaner, and then the right photo is with a treatment of Clear Decking Oil too.
