Get the wood on attracting buyers

A spring clean for tired wood will refresh your property. Picture / Getty Images

If there's one thing that hits buyers in the face before they've even walked through the door, it's tired wood. It screams old, damp, poorly maintained. That could be your deck, your fencing, or your outdoor furniture.

With buyers placing emphasis on outdoor living, sorting out the tired wood is essential if you want the best shot at selling your place quickly for top dollar, says Daniel Coulson, national residential manager at Bayleys.

"What a really tired deck or fences will indicate is the lack of maintenance," says Daniel. "If buyers see the deck hasn't been maintained the question is, 'Is the rest of the property maintained?'"

Daniel says northwest-facing outdoor areas are one of the key things people are looking for when they buy a home in Auckland.

If the outdoor area looks good, your property is going to appeal to a greater number of potential buyers who may be willing to pay more. "It's very cost-effective to refresh it," he says.

Start by giving it a good clean. Some people use Wet & Forget or 30 Seconds-type products. They do a great job, but take time to work, says Bryan Thomas of Chemwash North Shore.

Waterblasting is an instant fix for dirty and tired decks in many cases and may be all you need. Some decks are a lot bigger than others, so expect to pay anywhere between $200 and $500 as a ballpark figure for a Chemwash.

The effect will be different depending on the type of wood. Pine will lighten a bit with waterblasting, says Bryan. Kwila often returns to the reddish colour of when it was new. It's a look that some people like and others don't, so you might want to stain it as well.

It's important not to over-waterblast because it can make the wood "splintery and hairy", says Bryan .

If you're doing it yourself, says Stan Scott, Mitre 10's "Easy As Guy", use a waterblaster with a special deck cleaning head.

If you plan to stain your wood and don't want to waterblast or wait a month, use Wattyl Deck & Timber Prep. One litre costs $11.99 so it isn't going to break the bank.

It gets rid of pork chop grease from the barbecue or the mess from your dog's bones, says Stab. Occasionally it's also necessarily to use an anti-mould product.

In the old days, it was usual to then oil decks or use an oil-based stain, says Stan. "The water-based stains for decks are so good now they are doing just as good a job, and they are easier to use."

Don't forget to clean -- and if necessary stain -- your trellis and fences as well. Popular these days is a charcoal stain that looks dramatic and gives tired wood a fresh look.

Or if the trellis/fences are too far gone, it's possible to buy bamboo or brushwood screens relatively cheaply, which will cover a multitude of sins and modernise your space.