If you have a deck on your house, you know how much abuse it endures. It is continuously exposed to the outdoors and trampled on by humans and pets. There’s probably not much that your poor deck hasn’t seen. The deck has seen it all: water, dirt, algae, bird droppings, bugs, humidity, intense sunshine, snow, mildew, grease, mold, dust, hail… you name it, the deck has seen it.
With all that a deck is subjected to, it’s a marvel any of them survive four seasons, much alone the decades we anticipate from them. This is where you, the responsible deck owner, come into play. There’s not much you can do about what Mother Nature throws at your deck, but there’s a lot you can and should do to safeguard it. Here are four helpful tips on how to protect your deck from the weather.
Provide Regular Maintenance
The most crucial thing you can do is sweep your deck regularly, paying particular attention to cracks and gaps between the boards. Stains should be cleaned as soon as they appear, and any encroaching plants and bushes should be trimmed. Wipe beneath furniture and pots regularly. Keep a look out for dangling nails and twisted wood. Basically, be cautious.
Keep it Sealed
Wait about three days after cleaning to begin sealing. It will keep the weather from wreaking havoc on the deck’s material. However, you may need to remove prior treatments from the wood before proceeding, which may take some time. When selecting a stain, keep your decking materials in mind once again. Most wood decks benefit from a synthetic resin sealer, whereas cedar benefits from a water-based epoxy. Because UV protection is provided by the pigments and resins in sealers, you should choose a solid or semi-transparent product over a clear or translucent one. Above all, make educated selections regarding your deck and carefully follow the directions on any product you use; this will make or break the lifetime of your deck.
Bring in Furniture & Plants During Bad Storms
Before any storms, you should always bring in furniture and plants. After cleaning and covering your couch, chairs, and table, store them in the garage or basement. Keeping them indoors keeps the deck from being worn due to inconsistency in weathering. Consider how your carpet or rugs look after the furniture has been placed on them for an extended time. If you don’t want this to happen to your deck, the first thing you’ll do when the weather changes are to remove the furniture, leaving only the deck visible. Few plants can withstand freezing temperatures. That is why, as the seasons change, it is critical to bring them indoors. You don’t want them to die because they aren’t getting enough sunlight and warmth. If they are in huge pots, move them to smaller pots until they can be placed outside again.
Clean Your Deck
The autumn season is ideal for significant cleaning and sealing jobs. You prefer mild and dry weather, with no rain for a few days before and after. Your cleaning approach will be determined by the materials used on your deck: For wood decks, pressure cleaning is not the best choice. Too much pressure applied by an untrained hand (particularly on a sun-damaged deck) might harm the surface. An excellent and ecologically friendly choice is oxygen bleach and a good old-fashioned scrub brush. A specific cleanser followed by a moderate pressure-washer rinse is the best approach to clean composite decks.
Inclement weather is unavoidable. If not monitored frequently, it can happen swiftly and cause catastrophic harm. If you want to safeguard your investment in installing a deck for your house, you must take precautions to protect it from inclement weather. Valor Home Services provides recommendations to help you extend the life of your deck. We will provide you with options that match both your demands and your budget. Please let us know what we can do to assist you. We realize how critical deck protection is. It’s an investment that pays off immediately since it beautifies your house, provides a location for you to spend time outside and generates personal memories for everyone in your family. To get your deck in tip-top shape, call our skilled team of experts today.
