Balcony Deck Wash, Sand & Seal in Chicago, IL

Balcony decks in Chicago's denser neighborhoods sit stacked close together, and the one we worked on here reflected what years of city weather can do to a small platform — 140 square feet of surface that had lost its finish and needed attention at the post hardware before anything else. The deck sat above a neighboring balcony, which added a layer of coordination to the job from the start: protecting what was below while restoring what was above. The scope called for full refinishing of all accessible deck floor surfaces, and we'd flagged the post hardware as a structural concern going in.

We started with a thorough power wash to clear the wood grain and lift the old surface before moving into sanding — power sanding across all horizontal surfaces to open the wood and give the sealer something to hold. Before finish work began, we secured the existing hardware around the posts, working fastener by fastener to get everything as tight as the wood would allow and noting condition as we went. Protective coverings went down over the lower balcony, and every coat of the Rymar Xtreme Weather sealer — oil-based, semi-transparent, in Sienna — was applied by hand brush only, no spray equipment, keeping placement controlled and drip exposure minimal. We inspected and rinsed the area below after each phase and pulled the coverings once the work was done.