Dock maintenance

[LIforrelaxin]

It all depends on what the floor sections where made from, as to the best way to take care of them.

From where your at now, I would start buy pressure washing them, and then giving them a light sanding.... Through this process you should take care of any spots that may give you splinter problems.

From there I would simply go with some type of clear water proofer (Thompson Water Seal)... Just make sure it is rated for UV protection, and will not break down quickly with exposure to the sun.

Down the road when it is time to replace the floor boards, I suggest going with Pressure treated wood .... My dock is now coming up on 25 years of age.... while we have replaced boards here and there, most of the floor boards are original..... All we do for maintenance, is a power wash, when they look gross (every 5 to 10 years)........

Now if you don't like the idea of true pressure treated wood.... you can also find wood, that has had pressure treated with Thompson water seal, which is good as well....(yes there is a difference here, the water seal treated stuff is great for deck flooring etc. but isn't good to be in contact with the ground like true pressure treated wood.)