How to Clean and Maintain SwiftDeck Interlocking Patio Tiles
Care & Cleaning
All HandyDeck deck tiles are designed to provide years of enjoyment with minimal maintenance. However to help maintain the attractive appearance of your Ipe wood deck, there are few steps you can take to keep the tiles in peak condition.
Cleaning
- To remove loose dirt and other surface debris, brush the surface of the tiles with water and a stiff brush
- A mild detergent may be used if necessary
- Leaves or other debris falling between the gaps in the tiles can normally be removed with a vacuum cleaner
- Tiles can be hosed down, pressure washed or disassembled to clean underneath if necessary
Caring for your deck
Like any exterior wood products, SwiftDeck Ipe wood tiles will gradually fade to a silvery gray color over time. The rate at which this will occur depends largely on the degree of exposure to direct sunlight, the climatic conditions and the frequency at which any preservative treatments are applied.
Although our wood tiles are coated with a decking oil at the factory, this is a very simple decking oil which is basically designed to enhance the initial appearance.
To reduce the rate at which the tiles will naturally fade when exposed to direct sunlight and to keep the appearance of your deck at its optimum condition, we strongly recommend that the following steps should be taken:
As soon as convenient after installing the wood tiles, apply a good quality decking oil with a brush or roller. Decking oils which contains trans-oxide pigments or other proprietary UV absorbing or reflecting compounds and have a high solids content are preferred for longer term results and extended periods between applications of the decking oil/sealant. These specialized products will help maximize the durability, beauty and value of your decking tiles and assist in maintaining the original wood color as long as possible.
Since we haven’t tested the full range of oils/sealers available, we do not provide specific recommendations on products that could be used, but based on the respective manufacturer's product data as well as ease of availability from local retail outlets, we suggest that some products you may wish to consider would include:
- » PPG Olympic Maximum Semi Transparent Stain
- » Flood CWF - UV Penetrating Oil Finish
- » Penofin Penetrating Oil Finish
- » Behr Weatherproofing Wood Sealer
- » Messmers's UV Plus for Hardwood Decks
- » Defy - Deck Stain for Hardwoods
Further applications of decking oil or sealant should be undertaken at regular intervals depending on the degree of exposure of your deck to direct sunlight, local climatic conditions and the recommendations of the manufacturer of the decking oil/sealant used.
Under certain climatic conditions, you may notice the surface of the wood slats develops a slight concave profile across the width of slats. This phenomenon will normally occur when the underside of the tiles remain damp e.g. after a period of rainfall and the top surface is then exposed to hot sunlight. Since wood is a natural product, this occurs because the wood slats expand more on the underside due to uptake of moisture than the top surface where both the heat of the sun and/or any decking oil which may have been applied, can reduce the absorption of moisture. When the moisture content of the underside and the surface are in equilibrium, this slight cupping should disappear.
This same phenomenon can also give rise to some expansion and contraction of the completed deck, which can be noticeable particularly across the width of large deck and where all tiles are laid with slats pointing in the same direction.
