Five Questions and Answers About Soap-Treating Your Deck

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Soaping the deck is a good alternative to oiling it or treating it in other ways. Below I answer five of the most common questions we receive.

Can I soap our deck which is made of pressure-treated wood?
Yes, you absolutely can. Your deck will be pleasant to spend time on, the surface becomes silky smooth, slightly waxed and therefore easy to keep clean. Pollen and dust will not stick as much as it can if the surface is a little "oily".


Does the durability of my pressure-treated deck affected by the soap?
Well, it is so that pressure-treated wood today is usually of very good quality and what determines how long a "pressure-treated" wood lasts is precisely the pressure impregnation, not the surface treatment. But how the surface feels and looks you can of course influence, if you choose soap, the surface becomes matt and smooth. If you choose oil, it becomes shinier.

Should I use cold or hot water when I scrub?
You can't treat a dirty surface so you first need to clean it. You do that with hot water and soap. You can remove far more dirt than you think with a coarse brush and soap. You can "save" things that actually look a bit hopeless from the start. Give it a try before you replace the deck, it might work! Everything depends of course on the starting point and the material but often you are pleasantly surprised by what a coarse tool and soap can do.

When the surface is clean, you use cold water and soap. Use a soft brush and/or a cloth. Mix about 1l of soap with 9l of water = a bucket. The water should feel greasy from the soap. Go over the deck and let the soap soak in. You notice when the material stops absorbing the excess fat in the soap. A new deck or a deck of a harder wood type will absorb less soap than a soft and porous deck.

How much soap is used?
It depends on condition and wood type. A porous, dried-out pine board absorbs more soap than a new pressure-treated board. But a rule of thumb is about 1l of soap / 30m2. Dilute 1l of soap with 9l of water = a bucket, this makes the solution easy to handle.

Can I change my mind and oil after I've soaped?
Yes of course you can. Soap is a type of detergent, not a type of oil, impregnation or paint. If you feel that you have too much soap in / on the deck, just scrub once more with just hot water and a brush.