How to Winterize Your Wood Deck?
A wood deck can be a great addition to your home during warm, summer months. But if not properly maintained, it can take a beating when winter rolls around. Neglected decks often suffer from moisture issues like warping, cracking, and rotting over time due to snow, ice, and cold temperatures. To ensure your deck continues looking beautiful season after season, you should complete the following steps to winterize it each year.
1. Start with a good cleaning.
Deck cleaning usually involves some level of power washing as well as using a quality cleaner before staining or sealing it. By removing dirt and debris from the surface first, you’ll give your sealer or stain better results that will last longer than if debris were to simply rest on the deck’s top layer all winter long.
2. Check for structural damage and repair where necessary.
If your deck has been sitting for most of its time outdoors over the years without being serviced, then there’s likely some type of structural damage that needs to be addressed soon before things worsen further down the road. This could include everything from split planks to cracked posts or joists — all of which need attention right away if you want to ensure your wood deck remains stable in harsh winter temperatures ahead. Address any damage as soon as possible and make sure everything is secure before you move on to any finishing touches like staining or sealing.
Related Article: How to Repair a wood Deck?
3. Shop for quality seals and stains that are designed with outdoor use in mind
(this will help protect against future problems).
Once clean, look for sealers and stains that are specifically made for external use on decks and fences — this will help protect against moisture damage through extended periods of precipitation by creating an extra barrier between rainwater and the wood grain itself (plus they usually look nice too!). It might also be a good idea here to apply a primer before sprucing up the wood with some sort of decorative finish after which point you can start thinking about moving forward into seasonal styling projects such as adding lighting or plants around your newly refurbished wood decking area so visitors can enjoy its beauty at night as well!
Winterizing your wood deck doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive when done right but doing so goes a long way in preserving its beauty until springtime comes back again! Follow these simple tips above for optimum maintenance for successful results — happy building!
