Known as a “Leader in Exterior Wood Restoration,” Everett Abrams, founder of Deck Restoration Plus, has made it his mission to professionally restore, repair and maintain area homeowners’ wooden structures. Recognizing that it is difficult to find a professional company to care for large wooden homes and outdoor areas that are big investments for homeowners, property owners and property managers, Abrams stepped up to offer quality future care.

House & Home had a chance to speak with Abrams about his company, what wood restoration is and its benefits and why his customers call him “The Wizard of Wood.” 

Why do they call you “The Wizard of Wood?”
Back in the day with chat rooms, I hosted an online chat room on a national level every week. I used to serve on the Joint Coatings Committee of the Forest Products Laboratory who create the standards for the industry and they had asked me to talk weekly about various topics having to do with wood. I did it to grow my status and make people more aware about my company and what I do. The person who sponsored the chat called me “The Wizard of Wood” and it has stuck ever since.

What is the No.1 benefit of wood restoration?
Wood restoration will extend the life of any wood surface you may have as much as twice as long if you  hadn’t ever had the surface restored. That’s the biggest benefit.  

What aspects of the home can benefit from wood restoration?
Anything that is wood. And that goes as far as any coating also. Whether it is  ceilings, staining or painting, it will still extend the life of the wood. That goes for decks, fences, wood-sided homes and log cabins.

What is the wood restoration process like?
The process can be different depending on the job. I always consider most jobs like a snowflake—no two are alike. The basics of wood restoration are either you are going to clean a surface and recoat, or you are going to strip and prep a surface and then coat it. To ballpark it, this generally can take one day with a deck  or four to five days on a home.

Are there different ways to strip and restore the wood of a home?
There are three different ways that my company does. It can be done by hand, which is a lot of work and takes a lot of elbow grease. There is a pressure washer technique where the water is used as a rinsing tool to rinse off either the cleaner or the stripper with very low pressure. Or, the home can be stripped and restored by media blasting. Our company uses crushed glass to remove the old coating and this technique is waterless.

Why should a homeowner restore instead of replace?
It really comes down to one option or the other. You’re either going to restore until the life of the wood has expired  and if you don’t, it will cut the lifespan of the wood in half if you aren’t keeping up with the maintenance. At some point you will have to replace, but it’s better to spend that money later rather than sooner. Maintenance and restoration is much cheaper than rebuilding  and replacing. There are costs that homeowners don’t necessarily take into consideration like demolition fees for the existing structures, dumpster charges and labor and so forth.

Does your company offer any other services in addition to wood restoration?
We also do deck building. If a homeowner is past the restoration phase, we will build them a deck. We don’t just do wooden decks, we also do the composites and PVC decking as well.  

We do everything—restoration, maintenance,  building, rebuilding and repairs. Basically,  we are a complete wood company. We are very unique because most places you can get the painting, staining and restoration but then you can’t get the building and repairs and vice versa. We do everything under one roof as a specialized company taking care of all of your wood/decking needs.

Your company’s name is Deck Restoration Plus, what does the “Plus” stand for?
We are not just decks and we are not just wood. The “Plus” means wood and other surfaces restored and repaired with wood or wood alternative products and not just wood decks but also the composite or PVC type decking.

Deck Restoration Plus, LLC
Shamong, N.J. | (866) 440-DECK | DeckRestorationPlus.com

Published (and copyrighted) in House & Home, Volume 18, Issue 10 (April 2018). 
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