How to Match Wood on an Existing Deck

You've just had repairs done to your deck, and you have a crazy patchy pattern in the wood that's driving you nuts. The good news is that there are several simple ways to make the wood on your existing deck match again. All it takes is a little know-how, elbow grease and patience.

Things You'll Need

• Broom
• Hose
• Stiff brush
• 1.5 lbs. of baking soda
• Dishwashing detergent
• 1 gallon of warm water
• Mop or rags
• Eye goggles
• Rubber gloves
• 4 oz. oxalic acid crystals

Instructions

Age New Wood to Match Old Wood

1. Rinse the new wood with a powerful garden hose. This is to remove any sawdust, dirt or debris that may have gathered during the replacement process.

2. Scrub the wood well with a stiff brush, and work both with and against the grain to help loosen up the surface fibers a bit.

3. Mix 1.5 lbs. of baking soda and just a dash of dish washing detergent in 1 gallon of warm water. Dissolve all of the baking soda in the water, but avoid shaking the mixture since it will tend to suds up on you.

4. Spread the mixture over the new wood with a mop or rag. If you just have one single plank to match to your existing desk, then a toy mop is perfect.

5. Allow the mixture to dry on the wood.

6. Rinse off the wood to remove any residue.

7. Repeat the process until the desired shade of weathered gray is achieved.

Brighten Old Wood to Match New Wood

1. Clean the old deck wood thoroughly. A good sweeping and a quick rinse with a diluted bleach solution will do the trick.

2. Put on protective clothing. This includes rubber gloves, goggles and old clothing. Oxalic acid has been known to cause skin and eye irritation, so it's always better to be safe than sorry. It's also a wise idea to cover any nearby plants that may get splashed as you work.

3. Combine 4 oz. of oxalic acid crystals to 1 gallon of warm water. Allow this to dissolve completely.

4. Coat the old wood liberally with the oxalic acid mixture. This can be done with mops, sprayers, rollers or a sponge. Paintbrushes are not recommended for this procedure because of their tendency to splash.

5. Allow the solution to dry on the wood. The acid is more effective if it is allowed to dry over a long period of time, so work in the early morning, early evening or on an overcast day.

Tips & Warnings

• Oxalic acid can also help remove rust and metal stains that often occur from the nails holding the deck together.

• An additional way to match the wood is to recycle any pieces that were used in a past repair job or the original project and were left to age somewhere on your property.

• If your deck was excessively aged, you may wish to use both of these techniques to get the look of the two different kinds of wood to average out evenly.

• Do not use any kind of metallic objects with the oxalic acid. This includes wire brushes, metal pails and steel wool.