10 Affordable Ways to Take Care of Your Mahogany Deck

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How to Take Care of Your Mahogany Deck

A dark rich reddish brown mahogany deck is an asset that adds luxury & class to your beautiful & stylish home. The deck ages gracefully as it gets darker & richer in color over time. It does not come cheap but the beauty & durability make it worthwhile. If you take good care, your mahogany deck can last a generation.

Though the mahogany deck is expensive, taking care of it need not be. Here are 10 affordable ways to take care of your mahogany deck that will let you enjoy it for decades.

1. Sweep your Deck Regularly

Your mahogany deck is exposed to the elements all the time. Dust and debris, such as leaves, gets blown over it. Your shoes bring in the soil from the yard.

If you do not sweep regularly, the slush & grime may stain or encourage fungus growth on your mahogany deck.

Sweep your deck as often as you can. I suggest you do it at least once a week. Use a soft broom or a soft bristled synthetic brush. Pick out any large or sharp objects by hand.

Sweep along the length of the board. Give special attention to board joints, corners and cracks. That is where the muck hides! Sweeping will get rid of most of the dust & debris before it gets wet & sticky.

I recommend using the Cleanovation Deck Detailer as it

Cleans the deck boards
Has special ‘Fangs’ on the brush head, that get in between the board ‘gaps’
Comes with a stainless steel adjustable telescopic pole that lets you do the sweeping standing up

BROWSE FOR DECK CARE SUPPLIES

2. Wash with Dishwashing Soap

Sweeping regularly will get rid of a lot of the debris, but not all of it. If mud has caked and dried then you will need to clean with water and mild dishwashing soap such as Dawn.

After sweeping the deck, wet a workable area of the deck using a garden hose. Squirt water with some pressure into the gaps to loosen the mud sticking there. Prepare the soap solution in water in a small bucket or pan. Pour the solution on the wet deck and spread it around.

Use a soft synthetic bristle brush to scrub out the dirt & mud sticking to the deck. Use a smaller brush or even an old toothbrush to get into the gaps. You can make the work less tiring by using a hand drill with the right brush attachment.

Rinse off the soap residue and now loose grime with clean water using a garden hose.

Clean with water & dishwashing soap, once a month or as required.

3. Pressure Wash with Deck Cleaner

To take good care of your mahogany deck, give it a deep clean, once a year. Pressure wash it with a good quality deck cleaner.

Recommended Deck Cleaner: Simple Green Oxy Solve Deck and Fence Pressure Washer Cleaner lifts away tough grime, oil & grease stains and stains from mold, mildew, algae, etc. using the power of hydrogen peroxide. No harsh chemicals are included in the formulation.

The process of pressure washing a deck is:

Wet the deck with clean water using a garden hose
Prepare a solution of the deck cleaner in a bucket of water as per directions on the packaging. Broadcast the cleaner on the paving in a small workable area.
Some deck cleaners may come in ready to use spray bottles.
Wait for the cleaner to lift the dirt & grime, but make sure you start the pressure washing before the cleaner & the muck dries up
Pressure wash at low pressure and at an angle. A rotary surface cleaner attachment is very helpful
Pressure wash the deck once again, this time with just clean water, to rinse off the cleaner & grime residue

NOTE: Pressure washing mahogany decking can damage the wood, if not done correctly. Using a rotary surface cleaner attachment safeguards your deck.

You might want to check out Karcher Universal 11″ Pressure Washer Surface Cleaner Attachment for Electric Power Pressure Washers.

Its key features are:

Universal Compatibility: Compatible with Karcher & most non-Karcher pressure washers
Efficient Cleaning: Two high RPM spinning nozzles instead of one
Multi-Surface Cleaner: Works on concrete, driveways, patios, decks, sidewalks and more
Splash-Free Skirt: A shroud and splash-free skirt minimize overspray
Superior Clean: Eliminates streaks as nozzles at a fixed height from the deck

4. Reseal the Mahogany Deck

Mahogany is a hardwood and is not as porous as softwood such as cedar or redwood. Nonetheless, it still needs to be resealed every 2-3 years. This is the best way to care for, protect and waterproof a mahogany deck from rain, water and moisture.

Here is how to reseal an existing mahogany deck:

Sweep the deck to remove dust & debris
Repair cracks & chips. Hammer in any protruding nails
Pressure wash the deck to remove any traces of the old stain
Clean the deck with a Thompson’s Water Seal 3 in 1 Wood Cleaner to
- remove stains from dirt, mildew, algae & fungus
- eliminate tannin & rust stains
- brighten & restores wood’s natural beauty
Sand areas that still have some of the stubborn old stain
Apply the waterproof sealer using a pressure spray

Recommended Waterproof Sealer: Thompson’s Waterseal Clear Water-Based Waterproofer Wood Protector even exceeds Industry Standard ASTM D-4446 for Waterprooﬁng Wood. It is exceptionally good at

Preventing Water Damage
Maintaining Wood’s Natural Color
Resisting Mildew and UV Damage

5. Re-stain the Mahogany Deck

Resealing the mahogany deck every 2-3 years will not only protect it from rain & sunshine, it will also make your mahogany deck look as good as new. But this will not happen if you reseal a faded & weathered mahogany deck.

You may want to re-stain your mahogany deck every 6-8 years or whenever you are not pleased with the deck’s looks. The process of staining is exactly the same as sealing. To make life easier, most brands have a single product that is both a stain & a sealer.

Recommended Mahogany Stain: Ready Seal Mahogany Exterior Wood Stain and Sealer enhances the natural beauty of the wood allowing the texture and grain of the wood to remain visible.

This stain is an oil-based, semi transparent stain and sealer in one. It penetrates deep to protect & preserve your mahogany deck from mold, mildew and damaging UV rays.

6. Restore the Mahogany Deck

Sometimes, usually 10-15 years of neglect, may bring a deck to a state where it is best to restore it back to its former glory. The main problems that you may come across if the maintenance & care of the mahogany deck has been somewhat lax are:

Fading & discoloration
Mold, mildew & fungus growth
Deck splinters & protruding nails
Damaged boards

All these can be fixed, at a fraction of the cost of a new deck, by restoring or rejuvenating the deck.

Once you have cleared the deck of furniture, potted plants or whatever else is on the deck, do a thorough sweeping and power washing. Inspect the deck to look for protruding nails and damaged boards. These need to be fixed.

Next you need to sand the deck. Always sand along the grain of the wood. Sanding will remove

Mold, mildew, fungus and other stains
Wood splinters to give a smooth deck surface
Old sealer & stain

After sanding, sweep, wash with clean water and let the deck dry. You are ready to apply the stain + sealer.

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7. Protect Deck from Furniture Scratches

What is the point of a deck if you can not put deck furniture on it. It is lovely to relax in a deck chair or sofa, sipping on a drink and enjoying the cool breeze. But deck furniture is the main source of scratches on your mahogany deck.

Deck furniture scratches the wood deck if it is too heavy and is moved by pushing or pulling rather than lifting. To protect your wood deck from furniture scratches, you can use one or more of the following:

Outdoor Furniture Foot Pads
Rubber Furniture Caster Cups
Transparent Furniture Leg Floor Protectors
Wrought Iron Patio Furniture Feet Glides
Furniture Leveler with Teflon Glides
Place Rugs or Mats under Deck Furniture
Use Plastic Deck Furniture

Check out my post 10 Simple Ways To Protect Wood Deck From Furniture Scratches for details.

BROWSE FOR FIRE PITS, ETC.

8. Protect Deck from Fire Pit or Grill

A deck is an important place for entertaining friends or just chilling out with family. Of course you want to have a Grill or a Fire Pit on your deck. But can you do that on a mahogany deck without the risk of a fire accident or damaging your deck?

It is possible, provided you adhere to the following safety guidelines:

Place the grill or fire pit far from flammable structures
Use a “Grill Mat” to protect the wood deck
Use “Drip Pans” to contain the grill grease
Throw a wet blanket on deck railings
Do not grill or use the fire pit, if it is too windy
Extinguish the coals correctly
Keep fire fighting equipment handy

Check out any of my following posts for more information:

Charcoal Grill On The Wood Deck? (8 Important Safety Tips!)

How to Best Protect Pool Deck from Fire Pit?

9. Protect Deck from Ice Melt

When your mahogany deck is under several inches of snow, you have only two options. Shovel as hard as you can or use an ice melt to expedite the melting of the snow. Traditional ice melt is basically “common salt”.

Ice melt containing common salt will wick into the wood fibers of the deck. Later when the wood dries, the salt will crystallize, push the fibers apart and give the wood a “fuzzy” appearance.

Salt, when dissolved in water, will also accelerate the corrosion of concrete and metal. The salt creates an electrolyte solution, which promotes the flow of electrons from one electrode to another.

Since wood decks use metal nails & screws and may be sitting on a concrete slab, standard ice melts are damaging to a wood deck, in more ways than one.

To protect your mahogany deck from damage use a non-salt based ice melt. Safe Paw Ice Melter, 100% Salt/Chloride Free lists its main ingredient as Modified Carbonyl Diamide Crystals.

10. Protect your Deck from Potted Plants

The use of potted plants is an excellent way to bring some color and natural charm to your mahogany deck. You, possibly enjoy a bit of gardening too! Beautiful as they look, potted plants can stain & ruin your deck.

So how do you protect your mahogany deck from damage from potted plants?

To best protect your deck from potted plants, you will need to minimize the contact between the pot and the deck and avoid the flow of muddy water on the deck. These are some of your options: