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It is best to power wash your deck and sand it, as cleaning removes grime, mildew, and dirt, while sanding refreshes the wood and allows the stain to penetrate. You should clean your deck first, sand it, and then stain it. You should clean your deck annually, while sanding and staining only needs to be done every three years.

While building your deck, you might come across something called the four-inch sphere rule. Essentially, this railing requirement for a deck states that a four-inch ball should not be able to fit through any gap in the deck railings. The gap between spindles and between the decking and the bottom of the railing must be less than four inches to prevent small children or pets from squeezing through the gap.

There are deck restoration products and oil-based wood stains that can help bring back some of the color and shine to your faded Trex decking. However, if your boards are suffering from serious fading due to UV rays or chemical cleaning products, don’t expect miracles. Also, these products are only suitable for use on the older Trex boards, not the capped, second-generation Trex products. 

You can use a few different tactics to prevent your deck gate from sagging. Aside from using strong, rot-resistant woods, introducing a diagonal element—such as a tension rod or solid piece of wood to act as a brace—across the gate will offer better support. You can also use rigid joists to prevent the gate from sagging.