Testing the Handrails for Deck Care & Maintenance

Series Summary

Having a backyard deck can make a big difference in the life of your home. Decks invite people outdoors and help provide a comfortable transition into a natural setting. They are ideal places to host a party, as they provide a level, man-made surface to walk on and to set up furniture, while keeping your shoes or bare feet from getting dirty. They are also convenient for sitting outside and enjoying an afternoon breeze, a glass of iced tea, and a good book.

In this free video series, learn how to clean and maintain your backyard deck. Our expert will give you tips on how to check for structural integrity, including finding and repairing loose beams, as well as cleaning techniques for removing dirt, grime, sap, and snow. Also included are some video clips on staining and power washing your deck. Use these tips and enjoy the great outdoors once again.

Video Transcript

"Hi this is Drew Finn for expertvillage.com we are going to talk about cleaning and maintaining a deck. This video is presented by Black Dog Video and you can visit us on the web on blackdogvideo.biz. The hand rails are very important obviously for safety reasons we want to check those before we do anything else and the security of them of the post pull on them make sure that are good and firm. If not either tighten them up on have a contractor come in and tighten them up. The spacing between the balancers or if you have boards should be less then four inches. The handrail should be good and firm technically they are suppose be able to take a 200 pound force laterally. I just say to lean on them and give them a good pull to make sure they can hold that. You might also want to check each of the joints were the hand rail attaches to the post to make that there is the wood is not cracked or the fasteners are not rusting through. Both on top and down below. We are talking about cleaning a deck this is a very important and I think is a very thing to put in with the deck cleaning. Something for you got to check very quickly and make sure things are safe for you and your family."