This post is a continuation of Part 1 on How to Maintain a Wooden Swimming Pool. Lately, we have gone through the type of wood used for swimming pools, and we had a look at step 1 on how to clean the wood structure of your pool.
This post will now cover:
– Step 2: Degreasing the wood
– Step 3: Feeding the wood with a saturator
So, let’s now continue…
Step 2: Degrease the wood
This step is not always necessary, depending on the condition of your pool. It is also possible that the coping stones and decks – horizontal surfaces subject to the direct action of UV rays – become more or less grey while the vertical walls have retained their colour.
To remove the gray colour, use a wood degreaser, which removes stains and graying. Proceed as follows:
– Start with a good cleaning of the wood as described in step 1 and let it dry thoroughly.
– If the wood is really in bad condition and very stained, sand it lightly beforehand (use a fine abrasive) and then remove the dust.
– Shake the stain remover well before use.
– Apply the product generously, in the wood fibres’ direction, with a brush or a long bristle roller.
– For vertical surfaces, proceed from top to bottom.
– Proceed in small areas (no more than 10 m² at a time) and leave the product on for 15 minutes.
– In case of stains or heavily soiled wood, scrub with a brush.
– Rinse thoroughly.
– Allow drying for 3 days before applying a saturator (essential after using the degreaser).
– Namely: plan 1 litre of degreaser for 8 to 10 m² of the surface.
Step 3: Feed the wood with a saturator
The degreaser is only a prerequisite: the saturator will make the greyish tint disappear entirely and restore the original colour, i.e. saturate the wood. The saturator’s purpose is to nourish the wood in-depth, which also protects it from possible cracks.
Good to know: saturators containing UV stabilizers are commercially available that protect the wood for a certain period.
To apply the saturator, proceed as follows:
– Shake the product well before use.
– Apply the saturator generously with a brush or a long-haired roller.
– As the wood absorbs unevenly, reapply the saturator in several successive coats, without drying time between coats, until the wood is well impregnated and “rejects” the product.
– Remove excess product with a clean cloth (the product must penetrate the wood and not remain on the surface).
– Ideally, it should be neither cold nor damp within 24 hours of treatment.
– The frequency of a pool’s maintenance with a wood structure depends on the external parameters (sun, dryness, rain).
– On average, count:
– 2 applications of saturator per year on horizontal surfaces (coping stones and decks);
– 1 application of saturator every year or every 2 years on the outside walls.
The frequency of application is more variable, depending on the weather conditions and tolerance: a lightly greyed wood is not necessarily unpleasant to the eye.
Summary of equipment you will need to maintain a wooden pool:
|
Equipment |
Approximate price |
|
Quackgrass brush |
$5 |
|
Cloth |
From recovery materials |
|
Wood degreaser |
$10 per litre |
|
Sanding paper |
$5 per 3 sheets |
|
Brush Brush |
$10 |
|
Outdoor wood saturator |
$20 per litre |
|
Liquid black soap |
$5 |
Hope these two posts (Part 1 & Part 2) help you maintain your wooden swimming pool. Doing all this might be a bit difficult if you are not a good DIY enthusiast. Hence, you will need to call a professional pool maintenance contractor. Please, remember to share your experience in the comment section below.
