Does Snow Damage Your Deck?
Sam Lutz • October 28, 2014
Snow damages unprotected wood in a variety of ways, which is why many homeowners dedicate hours and days of their life to safeguarding their decks against snow. Understanding why snow damages wood and what can be done to protect your deck will help you to keep your deck in good shape for many years.
What Snow Does to Wood Decks
Unprotected wood absorbs moisture, which causes it to warp. Warped boards can sag or bend, reject nails, and may even stop fitting into their place in the structure of the deck.
Even worse is the fact that moisture can cause wood to rot. In the right conditions and at the right temperatures, moisture can activate fungus spores that grow in the wood, slowly causing it to break down. There are multiple types of wood rot. White rot looks like white fungus growing on the beams. Wood affected by brown rot will separate into cubes that break down easily. Rotted wood degrades over time, and will eventually become unable to safely support the weight of humans.
What Snow Doesn’t Do to Wood Decks
Many homeowners worry that their decks will collapse from the weight of snow. However, if your deck is well constructed and structurally sound, and if it’s been properly maintained, the weight from snow should not cause your deck to fall apart.
How to Protect Your Deck From Snow
One of the best ways to protect your deck from snow is to keep it stained and sealed. While sealer keeps out water and protects your deck from rain, snow and ice, stain protects your deck from harsh UV rays of the sun. Since sunlight can be as damaging–if not more damaging–than water, many homeowners to find stain to be a preferable product over simple sealer.
Shoveling
is another way to protect your deck (and get some good cardio at the same time). When snowfall is light, a stiff broom
may be enough to simply rush away snow.
Some homeowners choose to cover their deck with tarp
when winter arrives. This certainly does protect the wood from excess moisture, but if the deck is properly maintained, this level of protection is often unnecessary.
Maintenance-Free Decks
One more important thing to know about decks and snow damage: plastic decks are impervious to snow, rain, sun and all other natural elements. There are two types of plastic decks: composite decking and plastic decking. If you have either of these types of decking, you don’t need to worry about staining the wood or performing any other type of regular maintenance. For more information about the different types of decking, check out this article
on Popular Mechanics.
For More Information
Hopefully we’ve been able to provide you with a little more information about snow and how to protect your deck from it. Residents of the Pittsburgh area with questions about the best type of stain for their wood deck can stop by Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture. We’re happy to offer advice on picking the right color and the most durable brands.
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