One of the best ways to enjoy beautiful weather is on a well-maintained deck. But when the weather turns cold, it’s important to set aside some time to get your deck ready for winter.
Although preparing a deck for colder weather isn’t difficult, there are a few things you should know to ensure that it survives the winter. These are eight ways to get a deck ready for the winter so you can use it in the spring.
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Things To Do To Get Your Deck Prepared For Cold Weather
Get the Deck Cleared
Take down the outdoor furniture: Take some time to take your outdoor furniture off of your deck rather than attempting to fit it in. This will greatly simplify and improve the effectiveness of proper deck winterization.
Eliminate any other substantial debris: Clear up any large material that has accumulated on your deck, including trash, sticks, and leaves.
Keep breakables inside: Don’t replace any outdoor furniture that won’t last the winter after you’ve winterized your deck. If you have the room, you should ideally bring all of your outside furniture inside.
Trim Overhanging Branches
Reduce any overbearing foliage: It might not be a problem if a large branch hangs over a deck. Actually, it can provide plenty of shade and be a convenient spot to install string lights to enhance the atmosphere of your deck. But you should cut off any branches before winter arrives if you think they might fall and break your deck, especially when the weight of the snow and ice falls on them.
Clear the Deck
Blow off the deck or sweep it: After removing the furniture and branches, make sure to vacuum or blow away all the leftover debris.
Clear the deck: Using a scrub brush and deck cleaner, clean the deck. Using a pressure washer could be required for cleaning tasks that require greater intensity.
Examine the Deck
Examine the deck boards: Examine the deck boards carefully to make sure there is no damage or rot after the deck has been cleaned and allowed to dry. Use a screwdriver to check the wood for softness and deterioration if you think it may be rotted.
Examine the fasteners: Examine the bolts holding the deck planks in place as you examine them. To avoid further injury, hammer in any nails that are backing out of their holes.
Examine the stairs and railing: Remember to make sure the steps and deck railing are sturdy and safe.
Examine the frame: Examine every part of the frame, including the joists, ledger, posts, and more, by going under your deck.
Examine the hardware for framing: Verify that all of the frame hardware is intact and that none of the fasteners are coming loose or backing out of the wood.
Replace and fix any broken materials: If you found any damaged hardware or rotting wood, fix it or replace it with fresh materials.
Examine the sealant
Examine the seal coat: It’s time to thoroughly test the sealant after your deck has dried and been well cleaned. To do this, lightly mist various deck sections, and observe if the water beading up on the surface or seeping into the wood. You can probably forgo sealing before winter if the water beads. The deck needs to be sealed if water seeps through the wood.
Keep Leaves Off the Deck
Get rid of the leaves and other seasonal waste. A few vibrant leaves falling on your deck could look nice, but too many could make things disastrous. More precisely, moisture found in the accumulation of fallen leaves can swiftly cause wood rot if left unchecked. Fall leaves should be promptly removed from your deck, especially if rain is forecast.
Eliminate Ice and Snow
Shovel ice and snow off the deck: Similar to soggy leaves, snow buildup can cause serious damage to a deck. Still, there’s more than simply dampness to worry about. A substantial buildup of snow and ice adds weight to the deck, perhaps exceeding the structural support of the deck and causing it to collapse.
Correctly shovel snow: To avoid leaving scratches on the deck planks, move the shovel parallel to them instead than perpendicular. A snowblower, if you own one, can lessen damage.
Make use of deck-safe ice melt: Depending on where you live, you might need to apply ice melt if you want to walk on your deck during the winter.
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