One concern that a homeowner might have when considering whether to choose millboard decking is how much maintenance it will require once it is installed and in use. It is an important point given that millboard, decking, and other decking products, such as composite decking have different requirements with regards to maintaining them.
We are going to explore the ways in which millboard decking should be maintained, but before we do, we should raise one extremely important point. That is, regardless of our general advice regarding maintaining millboard decking, you should always check the manufacturer’s guidance for the specific millboard decking product you buy and follow it to the letter.
Whilst most millboard decking will be manufactured to similar standards and using more or less the same types of materials, there can be differences between them. That could mean a specific cleaning method is not suited to a particular brand or that a certain type of maintenance is needed. These differences will be rare, but it pays to check, just to be sure.
As for the vast majority of millboard decking products, you will find that the amount of maintenance they need is relatively small, and that is one of its main advantages over decking made from wood, for example.
The most basic level of maintenance is cleaning your millboard decking, but here, the regime is extremely simple and straightforward. Normally using a soft brush is recommended rather than the hard bristle types that exist. Not that hard bristles are likely to scratch the surface, but rather they tend to leave behind the tiny pieces of debris that soft bristles brushes will catch.
When brushing, you need to pay particular attention to the drainage gaps between each length of decking. It is in these gaps that tiny particles of dust and dirt accumulate, and if allowed to build up, they can compromise drainage and prevent the necessary circulation of air that decking benefits from.
Thanks to the non-porous characteristic of the coating that is applied to millboard decking during its manufacturing, it does not retain moisture, and thus there is less risk of moss and algae forming. This is most definitely a problem on wooden decking, so it is a significant advantage of using millboard decking as these should never need to be cleaned off it.
Some other cleaning will be required, such as when something is spilled on the decking or if a liquid has not been cleaned up right away and has dried out to leave a mark. When we say a mark, we are not talking about a permanent mark but rather a temporary one that is easily removed using a damp cloth or a mop. Other than that, any spillages can be soaked up using an absorbent paper towel or a mop.
Beyond these basic cleaning tasks, there is really nothing else you need to do to keep your millboard decking looking great except take one or two precautions. By that, we mean whilst millboard decking will resist scratches and withstand things being dropped on it, it is not invincible.
Should anyone drag heavy items across it, and if those items have metal feet, then there is a risk that it could scratch the surface. The simple solution is to ensure no one does, or if something does need to be moved or placed onto the decking, you place something underneath to give the surface some protection.