Care and Cleaning

DEKTEK TILE DECKING CARE AND CLEANING

 

CLEANING YOUR DEKTEK TILE DECK

DekTek Tile requires minimal maintenance and cleaning. We recommend giving your tile deck a quick clean in the springtime and late fall. In the spring it's nice to give the tiles a good spring cleaning before decking season so your deck tiles look gorgeous and are ready for outdoor living season!  To prepare for winter we recommend giving your deck another quick cleaning in late fall to remove leaves and debris on the tiles and from the joints.

It works well to power wash the deck tiles and also power wash the joints to get the pine needles and dirt out of the cracks. If you don’t have a power washer, you can also use a water hose with a spray nozzle to clean the tiles and spray directly into the tile joints to clean out any grime, dirt, pine needles, or debris. It's best to clean the joints (between the tile) out first, then spray off the top of the deck. It works well to use a soft bristle brush to rub over the tiles to remove any dust or grime that might be stuck to the tiles. Then rinse thoroughly with a water hose after scrubbing. It is okay to use a light detergent to clean tiles if preferred. Use a dishwashing liquid to spot clean if grease from your barbecue grill spills onto the concrete tiles and then rinse thoroughly.

 

Cleaning Your Deck – How to Pressure Washer DekTek’s Concrete Deck Tiles

 

RESEALING DEKTEK TILE’S CONCRETE DECK TILES

DekTek Tiles need to be resealed every 3 years in cold climates and every 4 years in warmer climates or indoor applications.

STEP 1 - POWER-WASHING THE CONCRETE DECK TILES

Power-wash your deck making sure to spray the dirt and pine needles, etc., out of the joints. If you do not have a power washer, use a hose with a nozzle. Let the tiles dry overnight. Be sure to check the weather and make sure you will have the next 48 hours without rain. (See above video).

 

STEP 2 - RESEALING THE DECK TILES

For resealing using ‘Alliance Gator Seal’, mix approximately 50% sealer and 50% xylene.  When resealing we do not want to use full strength sealer because it may cause the seal coat to build up too thick and trap water in the tiles, causing the tiles to give off a hazy or milky look. (See Resealing Video below.)

Apply sealer with roller and then back roll to even out the sealer.  Make sure you don’t get sealer on adjacent materials – wood, composite, trims, etc. Do NOT use a brush to seal the tiles. It can leave awkward brush marks on the tiles and does not disperse the appropriate amount of sealers on the tile. Let sealer dry for 24 hours before light traffic or walking on the tiles.  If using a different brand of sealer, check with manufacturer for thinning and resealing information. For questions, feel free to call us at 218-380-9330.

 

ADDING SLIP RESISTANT ADDITIVE:

If you want a nonskid deck, add ‘Butterfield’ slip resistant additive to the sealer.  Read instructions on bottle for how much to add to sealer.  Stir sealer constantly to keep nonslip additive from settling at the bottom.  If an extra nonslip deck is desired, you can also add fine silica grit to the freshly sealed wet tiles by using a saltshaker-type dispenser to gently shake on tiles. Then back roll another layer of sealer over the silica grit to cover the grit with sealer.

 

BEFORE SEALING:

Resealing will cover most minor scratches and abrasions.  If you have a deeper scratch, do a water test; put water on the scratch and look to see if it makes the scratch disappear.  If the scratch disappears, then the sealer will remove it.  If after getting the scratch wet, it still does not look satisfactory, then use a colored marker that is close to the tile color to color the scratch. Apply the colored marker to scratch. Dip finger in water to blend color into the tile by rubbing water on the scratch to blend into the tile.

 

How to Reseal Your DekTek Concrete Decking

 

 

SNOW REMOVAL

Snow removal must be done with a plastic shovel. Do NOT use a shovel with a metal edge. If you have asphalt shingles on your roof above your peak, then rain gutters are needed to catch the sharp rocks that shed. Do not shovel your deck without these rain gutters as the sharp rocks will easily scratch the tiles when snow shoveling. 

NEVER USE: Do not use snow blowers on the concrete deck tiles. Absolutely never use chemicals of any kind to melt snow. These chemicals will damage the tile and will void your warranty!

 

How to Fix White or Milky Spots/Areas on Your DekTek Tiles


Every once in a while, cloudy white or milky areas can occur on the DekTek Tiles. This usually happens within the first year after sealing, or it can occur after multiple layers of sealer have been applied to the tile over time.  Don’t worry, there is an easy solution!


Remedy:  First look to see what kind of sealer was used on your deck.  If it is a xylene-based sealer, then this is the remedy for you.  The brand that DekTek Tiles sells is Alliance Gator Seal, which is a xylene-based sealer.  If your sealer is not xylene-based, you will need to consult the manufacturer of that brand.

 

  1. Pour xylene into a roller pan.
  2. Dip the roller into the roller pan to pick up the xylene on the roller.
  3. Remove excess xylene from the roller by rolling it on the washboard (the top of the roller pan).
  4. Roll xylene onto affected area of tile and back roll a few times to make sure white areas have dissolved.  This process by itself will usually fix the problem.  If you are going to re-seal the deck right away, treat the white/milky areas first with xylene, and then re-seal the deck using 50% sealer and 50% xylene.  We always recommend adding xylene when re-sealing the deck, which helps remove the cloudiness and also keeps the sealer from building up too thick, trapping moisture inside the tile.