If you had a new deck installed this year and had a great time enjoying it with friends and family, you are likely looking forward to a similar experience once winter passes. You’ll be able to do that with a few maintenance tips for decks that will get them through the winter cold, snow, and ice.
- Don’t Use Salt– Ice isn’t any fun, but you shouldn’t use salt to prevent it, as that can damage decks.
- Plastic Shovel– You want to avoid using a metal shovel to clear snow, as that can scratch your deck. Instead, invest in a quality plastic shovel. This might sound less durable, but you’d be surprised what they can handle.
- Outdoor Kitchen– If you have an outdoor kitchen area on your deck, you’ll want to protect it by cleaning everything, turning off the power and gas, shutting the water off and draining any pipes, covering appliances with appropriate covers rated for winter use and that have breathability to avoid trapped moisture, and protecting all stone or stainless surfaces.
- Outdoor Furniture– You will probably either want to cover your outdoor furniture during the winter or take it off the deck and store it elsewhere. If you had seating installed when your deck was built, treat it the same way you do you deck surface, and it can stay in place during the winter.
Here at Carolina Home Specialists, we create custom decks that are sure to please and will stand up to weather conditions all year long. When planning a new deck, be sure to consider the maintenance it needs and feel free to ask us any questions you may have.