Winterizing Your Deck Essay

As the summer days come to an end, it is time to turn your mind to the chore of packing away your outdoor living area in preparation of winter. While you have indoor storage ready and waiting for your outdoor furniture, when was the last time you did a check of your deck at the end of summer? Winterising your deck now is going to make sure the deck condition does not deteriorate over winter. But what aspects of your deck to you need to check exactly? Use this checklist to get your deck into tip top condition before the temperatures plummet.

Damaged Boards

If you do nothing else during your deck check, have a close look at each of the timber boards that make up the base and railings of your deck. In particular, you are looking for boards that are broken or have chips missing out of them. These boards need to be replaced before winter begins
If you are not too handy with a hammer, you can arrange for a deck builder to replace the damaged planks for you.

Dirt Removal

While leaving dirt on your deck may not seem too big of a big deal, a dirty deck can cause deterioration to the wood beneath, as well as encourage mildew growth. Mildew on a deck is dangerous because when it is wet it becomes slippery, and this makes walking on the deck hazardous to you and your family members.

Decks can be cleaned two ways. First, sweep away any loose dirt using a stiff-bristled broom. Brushing the deck first will reveal any damaged boards that need to be fixed. Secondly, you need to wash the deck with hot, soapy water. You can do this by manually scrubbing it using a scrubbing brush, or you can use a pressure washer to hose the deck boards clean. If you choose to pressure wash the deck, make sure you keep the tip of the pressure hose at least 30 cm away from the deck boards. If you get the hose any closer to the deck than this, the force of the water could splinter the deck boards.

Water Resistant