A little advice from a man who works with his hands.
Let's Talk About Our Wood.
Had a customer ask me the other day…
Had a customer ask me the other day how often he oughta be treating his wood.
Told him that depends on how much sun it gets, how much moisture it's exposed to, and whether he's been taking care of it in the first place.
He stood there nodding like I was giving him marriage advice.
Then he asked if there was anything he could rub on it to make it last longer.
I said, “Buddy, are we still talking about your deck?”
Anyway. Since apparently everybody's got questions about their wood, I figured I'd put a few things together.
01
Take Care of Your Wood
Look, a deck ain't something you build and forget about. You leave it out there getting baked by the sun, soaked by the rain, and covered in whatever the trees drop on it, eventually it's gonna look like hell.
Keep it clean. Don't let leaves and dirt sit there holding moisture against the boards. Check for loose fasteners, splintering, and spots that stay damp.
And when it's time to clean or stain it, pay attention to what kind of wood you've got and what the product actually calls for. More ain't always better. Slapping another coat on top of a bad one doesn't magically fix anything.
Take care of it and you'll get a hell of a lot more years out of it.
Same goes for a few other things in life, but I'll leave that alone for now.
What I Use on a Deck
You don't need a garage full of fancy shit. You need the right stuff, a little patience, and enough sense to read the directions before you start.
I put together a few things worth looking at for cleaning, checking, and protecting your wood.
See My Wood Shop Picks
02
Take Care of Your Personal Wood
All right. Now that we've talked about the deck, let's talk about the rest of ya.
I spend most of my days covered in sawdust and sweat. Doesn't mean I gotta walk around looking and smelling like I crawled out from under somebody's porch.
A little cleaning up goes a long way. Keep yourself washed, trim what needs trimming, take care of your skin, and for God's sake, put on some deodorant.
I put together a few things for that, too.
Joe's Personal Wood
Clean it. Trim it. Take care of it. Make it smell good.
You can thank me later.
Take Care of Your Personal WoodSome links may earn me a commission if you buy something, at no extra cost to you.
18+ Only
Oh. That Wood.
Some of y'all have made it this far and still haven't learned a damn thing about taking care of a deck.
I know why you're here.
I ain't judging. Just saying I know.
If you're looking for the rowdier side of things, I've got a place for that, too.
Take Me to the Rowdy SideAnyway, that's my two cents on taking care of your wood.
Keep it clean, protect it when it needs protecting, and don't wait till the whole damn thing's falling apart before you pay attention to it.
Appreciate y'all stopping by.
— Joe