With the arrival of cold weather, there will be a lot of moisture and wetness. These aren’t great for natural wood, particularly outdoors with many snow contacts. Your deck is one of these places. It’s essential to prepare your deck for cold weather, especially if you’re in an area with harsh weather conditions. This will prolong the lifespan of your deck and save you effort, time,  and money in the future.

Here are some tips on how to maintain and protect your deck during winter:

• Thoroughly Clean the Deck:

In protection from the cold weather, you should thoroughly clean your deck surface of ice and snow. This goes beyond the regular everyday cleaning done in the summer months. To ensure your deck is in the best shape, ensure you employ deep cleansing, mainly if it’s a wood deck. By doing this, you get rid of dust, dirt, debris, and every other thing that might have accumulated overtime on the decks.

In addition, make sure to scrub the surface of your deck with a bleach-free wood cleaner and a hard-bristled brush to remove mold and mildew. Because moisture may be hard on wood, failing to do so can make it easier for your deck to decay and be wrecked during the colder months.

• Inspect and Fix Deck:

After cleaning, inspect the deck surface to check for signs of splinters, water damage, holes that can harbor snow or rot. Establish a general inspection and make sure you are thorough after identifying all problems that may cause damage, get to work, and fix them immediately. The work done on the wood decks will be evident when the winter months pass, and it will honestly pay off in the future.

• Seal and Finish your Deck:

Of all the different ways you can adequately prepare and protect your deck for winter, the one you should never overlook is sealing and finishing. Sealing is one of the important maintenance that should be done at least every 2-3 years to protect your deck lumber from snow, ice, and rain. An excellent finishing to protect your deck’s lumber from these elements is a water-resistant seal.

To ensure snow, hail, water, or sleet won’t cause damage to your deck, seal the wood up with a stain that penetrates the wood, ensuring the moisture doesn’t even gain access while allowing the wood to breathe.

• Sweep off the Snow:

Maintain your deck’s ideal state by shoveling and sweeping everything off its surface to avoid any further damage. Do not let it accumulate, as it might make it more challenging to handle maintenance. Sweep off with a brush or shovel along the wood’s grain with a plastic shovel after a significant downpour. A plastic shovel is recommended to avoid accidental peeling or scratches of the deck’s finishing.

Contact Three Sons

It’s not always an easy task to improve and maintain the home, but in the end, it’s always worth it. Adhere to these tips to keep your deck in great shape all year round; it will be in top shape throughout the winter months and still look fabulous in the spring. 

If you are interested in having a new deck or porch installed in your home, please contact Three Sons. Our talented and experienced craftsmen offer complete deck/porch construction and installation using some of the industry’s best manufacturers for deck materials including Trex and Azek by TimberTech.