Just oiled my deck

By Justin Eslick

Every few years you need to reapply decking oil to keep up the appearance and durability of your decking timber. Recently it was that time again for me. Anyone ever used those decking oil applicators? Looks like a mop with a hairy cover on it. What a pain! The hair came out everywhere during use, despite me following the instructions on how to prepare the head. And then every time I hit a splinter or rough bit of timber some more hair would come out.

I found a solution. I found an old tea towel and wrapped it around the head tightly and neatly, and then used butcher's twine to tie it in place. No more hair and no more worries! Much cheaper than buying replacement heads also. And as this was starting to get a bit worn I didn't even have to take it off, I just wrapped another tea towel around the head.

I also bought a 6 pack of cheap scourer sponges from the supermarket and used these to apply the oil to the edges. Worked a treat and as they started to deteriorate or got too soaked I just chucked it out and used a new one. They are so cheap you don't need to worry about washing them or how many you use.

Have fun!