If you have a porch or a deck or even a wood fence, you may have noticed that over time, the rich brown tones take on a dull, gray color and this may raise concerns. Though obviously a common enough occurrence, why does old and weathered wood turn grey? To give you a more visual explanation, think about how you shed dead skin cells – every day dead skin cells flak off, making way for new skin cells to come to the surface. Just like you shedding dead skin cells, the dull grey patina that old wood takes on is purely dead wood fibers brought about by UV rays coming from the sun and yes, even sealed wood will over time, turn grey. Considering that wood cannot regenerate fresh wood fibers on its own, you have to slough off the dull grey color on your own.
And to avoid risking the durability of outdoor wood, it is important that you regularly maintain and care for outdoor wood or floors even if you are gunning for a more rustic, weathered look. And this means you have to learn how you can go about maintaining and getting rid of the grey color that weathered outdoor wood takes on. Although it would be easy to have the old, grey wood replaced by professionals, you can save money by stripping the wood and refinishing it yourself. If you’re going to use a chemical wood stripper, make sure you would protect your hands with gloves before using anything, reading instructions carefully to avoid irritating your skin or using the chemical the wrong way, causing more damage to the wood. Afterwards, you can rub the chemical-soaked rug onto the wood until the grey is gone and the natural color of the wood comes back.
Should there be any grey spots that the chemical did not remove, you need to sand these areas down, wiping off dust with a dry and clean rag before applying the wood stain of your choice. After the wood stain has dried completely, you then have to apply polyurethane or a sealer onto the wood, allowing it to dry completely before putting the wood outdoors again. Although it is true that it would take considerable effort and time from your end to strip, sand, refinish and reinstall wood fences, floors and even furnishings, you need to understand that it will cost you even more money to replace outdoor wood furnishings or deck floors or fences if you leave these things untreated. If you have never tried doing this project for the first time, it is advisable that you ask help from friends or relatives that have restored weathered wood before so you can avoid running into problems or spending a lot of money replacing damaged floors or fences.
