Winter Deck Care: Protecting Your Outdoor Space in Cold Weather

There are a few things that you should do to protect your outdoor space in the winter. However, there is not one step-by-step guideline that will fit everyone because what you need to do will vary based on your deck materials and your outdoor space. So, in today’s blog, we will give you some general suggestions on what to do, and why, to protect your outdoor space in cold weather.

Repairs

If your deck needs repairs, these repairs should be done before winter as the cold weather can make things worse. If your deck is made of wood, then wood will expand and contract with extremes in temperature.

Protective Finish

If you have a wood deck—as compared to composite—applying a protective finish before winter is another good idea. A protective finish on your deck will prevent water from penetrating and damaging the wood.

Sweeping or Shoveling

In heavy snow, sweep off or shovel your deck. You may have thought of this anyway, because dogs may need a path to the yard or you may need a path to the barbecue. Also, during freezing and thawing cycles, if you do not clear the snow off your deck, you may wind up with a block of ice that will not be so easy to get rid of.

Snow is very heavy. While your deck should be built to withstand the weight of it, why subject your deck to an unnecessary load? Remove the snow. Hint: it is much easier to shovel small amounts more than once than waiting until you have several feet of snow.

Landscape

Trim branches back before the worst of winter hits. Falling branches can damage the deck, and most trees and shrubs should be pruned in the fall or winter anyway. Trim branches away from the deck before you have a major problem. 

When you need some help building or rebuilding your deck and outdoor living space, give us a call on the Lower Mainland at (604) 626-7100. This is our area of expertise. We can help you design and build any custom deck you want.

Deck Experts, based in Surrey, BC, are professional deck builders with a long track record of success. We offer free estimates and long warranties and can build or fix any deck around. If you have any questions about this article or would like to talk to us about decks, please call us at (604) 626-7100.