Winter Deck Maintenance

3 Easy Steps To Maintain Your Deck in Fall

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Fall has arrived and winter is knocking at the door. A lot of times we shut the doors and focus on what are we going to do in order to stay warm and cozy and don’t even think about our outdoor spaces.

Believe it or not, this time is very crucial in the maintenance of your deck especially if you want it to continue looking beautiful for those warmer spring and summer months. It’s pivotal that you sweep off dead leaves and wash down your deck from time to time. Leaves that are left on the deck can wind up in between each deck board. This can then continue to accumulate and develop into a serious drainage problem when the snow begins to pile on or the rain starts to pour. How bad of a drainage problem? Water can begin to collect on the surface of the board, and with nowhere to go, can lead to the cupping and warping of your deck boards.

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Deck Maintenance: How to Shovel Snow off a Deck

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It might seem like removing snow off of a deck is a simple task. Take your snow shovel and put your back into it, right!? Just one look at this picture should tell you right away that it’s not that simple.

deck maintenance, shoveling snow
Shoveling snow off your deck will increase its lifepan. Learn how to do it right!

In fact, you can’t just use any ole’ shovel. You also can’t take a shortcut and use rock salt on your deck…that’s a recipe for disaster, no matter what kind of decking you have! You also might not want to let this much snow just sit on top of your deck and melt on its own. This begs the question…

What’s the best way to shovel snow off of a deck?

Think of it this way, shoveling snow on a deck is a lot like the first rule of shaving, “Go WITH the grain, not AGAINST it!” Using a plastic, or rubber-tipped shovel with rounded corners, gently shovel the length of each deck board. If you shovel across, you will scratch, or dent the decking. While you might be able to live with a mistake like that in winter, come Spring and Summer you will regret not taking your time to be careful.

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Decking Maintenance – How to Winterize a Deck

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Preparing A Hardwood Deck for the Winter

Fall is here and many people are starting to prepare their deck for the Winter months. What do you need to do to ensure your garden deck stays healthy?

How to Winterize a Hardwood Deck
Learn the best way to keep your deck healthy during winter.

Keep Gaps Clear of Debris

Leaving your deck dirty and covered with debris over the winter months is a recipe for disaster. If you allow the gap spacing between your deck boards to get plugged up with debris, you won’t just have a lot to clean up come springtime. You might also be looking at a warped deck due to excess moisture being trapped underneath your deck. Proper ventilation will also ensure that mold and decay don’t rear their ugly head. Keep your deck boards looking good by sweeping away dirt, leaves, pine needles or any branches.

Got mold? Use these tips to eliminate mold from your hardwood deck before winter.

Just ask any homeowner who owns a deck how hard it is to get rid mold watch their face get red with frustration. Mold (aka mildew, aka the bane of composite deck owners everywhere) needs to be dealt with as soon as you see it. Mold can grow and prosper during the months when your deck is being used the least. Mold feasts on moisture so snow and melting ice might as well be a t-bone steak with all the fixin’s to mold.

How to get rid of mold on hardwood decking:

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Ipe Decking Maintenance – How to Remove Ice & Snow from a Wood Deck

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I received a great question from Bob K. (thanks, Bob!) about how to remove ice and snow from an ipe deck. This is a wonderful question not just because it’s winter, but because it’s just not a good idea to scrape ice off your deck using a snow shovel. How do you remove ice off …

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How Much Snow Can Ipe Decking Handle?

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Ipe Deck and Snow Load
This hot tub and Japanese style pagoda were made of Ipe because of its high strength capabilities.

With Winter right around the corner, many people are asking us about ipe decking’s capacity for snow load.

Since no two decks are the same, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly how much snow per square feet it would take to actually distress a deck to the point of breaking. BUT, what we can say for sure is that ipe decking has been ASTM-D143 tested. Ipe wood decking has a maximum bending strength of 22,560 psi (Pounds per square inch)!  your ipe deck might even be stronger  than the frame that supports it!

Or, to put it more simply: The result of these tests reveal that ipe decking is 3 times more durable than cedar decking.

If you already own an ipe deck, you’re probably not even sweating the upcoming winter. And, for good reason. With ipe wood’s high density, tight, interlocking grain, and natural oils, it dries fast and weathers well. Also, when you follow the recommended finishing schedule, (using a deck finish product like Ipe Oil™) you can also have peace of mind knowing that your deck surface will be able to repel water even better than it already does!

When you buy ipe decking from us, you will also get premium grade ipe from the Lapacho species. What does this mean for you? Well, it’s simple:

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