When to re-oil a deck?

cassy1

Hi all,

My home was completed in July 2024. I have a covered deck - half of which is midge meshed and is very protected from the elements being covered in rugs and positionally, it doesn't have the sun or rain on it. 

The exposed half of the deck is exposed to strong QLD afternoon sun and rain does come in. 

I  re-oiled the exposed half with Cabots Natural decking Oil in March 2025. Granted I was a bit late to re-oil and probably should have done it before summer but as at that stage it would have only been 6 months old I didn't think it would need it.

Questions

1, When should I re oil the exposed half given it was done 7 or so months ago.

2, Should I, as routine, re oil the unexposed half this year before summer.

Thank you for your thoughts.

C

JacobZ

Hi @cassy1,

Generally speaking, a deck should be oiled every 6-12 months, although the location and conditions can have a large effect on this. If you had some photos of your deck, it would help us understand what you're working with and offer our best advice.

For the exposed half, given that you last oiled it in March, it would likely be ideal to give it another coat now, before summer. Look for signs such as fading colour, dryness, or water no longer beading on the surface; those signs indicate the oil protection has thinned out. 

For the covered half, you can likely stretch the interval out to every 18–24 months, or as needed. Since it’s protected from the sun and rain, over-oiling can actually make it sticky or attract dust. Instead, just clean it periodically and only re-oil when you see dullness or dryness in the timber.

In short: re-oil the exposed area now and hold off on the protected section until next year unless it starts to look dry. That will keep your deck looking great and ensure both areas are protected appropriately for their conditions.

Let me know what you think, and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob