Wood & Patio Maintenance with Roxil

They say that a man’s house is his castle. If this is the case, then a garden must be the castle grounds. Despite the somewhat old-fashioned nature of the saying, a homeowner’s garden (man or woman!) can be a great source of pride and a place to relax and survey your little kingdom.

This is why it’s important to look after and properly maintain your little piece of the country, specifically wooden structures and patio stones. Mouldy and grubby patios, sheds and fences can really affect the beauty of a garden and actually reduce their functional lifetime.

Green & Unpleasant Land

Whether you are using natural patio stones or concrete patio slabs, there needs to be some thought put into the cleaning regime. Patios will inevitably show some form of mould, algae or lichen growth over the wet winter and spring months. Biological growth can quickly make even the most meticulously installed patio look unkempt.

Surface biological growth may stain patio flags but can generally be removed using patio cleaners, such as Roxil Wood & Patio Cleaner. The real problem occurs when ingrown black spot lichens appear. These little black spots can be nearly impossible to properly remove once they have appeared because they actually take root in the pores of the patio flags.

Prior Patio Preparation Prevents Poor Performance

When faced with biological growth on their patio, the first instinct of many homeowners is to carry out regular cleaning with a pressure washer. Although it will get rid of most surface growth, pressure washing is still not able to completely remove black spot lichens. Apart from being time and labour intensive, it is also a destructive form of cleaning. The high pressures involved will wear away the surface of the patio flags, blow out pointing and disperse jointing sand.

In the case of patios and biological growth, prevention is better than rectification. Black spot lichen requires moisture to grow and both stone and concrete patio flags all absorb water to varying degrees. Using a patio weatherproofing cream, such as Roxil Patio Cream, creates a waterproof barrier out of the patio surface without changing its appearance. By keeping the patio dry, ingrown biological growth will be prevented.

There may still be some surface mould and algae growth due to pooling water but it is easily cleaned away using a suitable non-destructive patio cleaner, like the aforementioned Roxil Wood & Patio Cleaner.

What About the Wood?

Wooden structures in the garden are just as sensitive to moisture ingress. Mould and algae can quickly grow on wood when it gets wet. It is very important with wooden structures to make sure that any cleaning is non-destructive. Pressure washing or acidic cleaners can damage or strip of the top layer of the wood, opening up the pore structure and the rate of moisture ingress worse. Roxil Wood & Patio Cleaner is ideal for cleaning wooden structures in a non-destructive way.

When wood gets damp, however, mould, algae and biological growth are not the only concerns. Continuous moisture ingress on porous woods can lead to more serious problems, such as warping and rot, which can reduce the effective lifetime of wooden structures.

The best way to stop all of these issues is to stop moisture ingress using a suitable wood weatherproofing cream, such as Roxil Wood Protection Cream. It creates a waterproof barrier out of the surface of softwoods and weathered hardwoods without changing their texture or significantly changing their colour. This will reduce warping and prevent the occurrence of rot. By keeping the surface of the wood dry, the amount of superficial mould and algae growth should also be significantly reduced.