{"id":360,"date":"2014-12-05T08:11:28","date_gmt":"2014-12-05T08:11:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.assuranceenvironmental.ca\/blog\/?p=360"},"modified":"2014-11-30T01:12:12","modified_gmt":"2014-11-30T01:12:12","slug":"protect-deck-winter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.assuranceenvironmental.ca\/blog\/2014\/12\/protect-deck-winter\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Protect Your Deck During Winter"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"mould<\/a>
\nWith so much on the list to prepare your home for winter, your deck may not be the first item you are thinking of.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately not preparing your deck for the hard winter months can cause excess mold and mildew<\/a> to accumulate destroying your wood and becoming a danger to your home.<\/p>\n

Getting your deck ready to fight Old Man Winter is as easy as following a few steps.<\/p>\n

Have Your Deck\u00a0Inspected for Mold<\/h2>\n

Contact a licensed and certified mold inspector<\/a> to assess your deck for any mold or mildew that has accrued in the previous years. \u00a0Be sure to choose a mold inspection service that has proper certification. Long-term mold problems can cause severe damage not only to your deck, but your home\u2019s value, and your overall health.<\/p>\n

Bag and Store Any Patio Furniture<\/h2>\n

Leaving items or patio furniture on your deck\u00a0can not only cause wood discoloration due to trapping water, but can also cause mold and mildew growth throughout the wet winter months.<\/p>\n

Clean Your Deck<\/h2>\n

Once your deck is clear it is time to clean it. \u00a0Use a deck wash that is free of bleach and will not cause yellowing. \u00a0Use the scrub until all of the ground in dirt, debris and any algae is removed. \u00a0You may have to repeat the process\u00a0a couple of times to remove all dirt. \u00a0If your deck is particularly dirty or covered with oil, paint, or other stains it may be time to refinish it. \u00a0If you need to do this you will need to strip and refinish your deck before proceeding to the next step.<\/p>\n

Apply Water Repellent<\/h2>\n

Choose a water repellent and sealer. \u00a0This will help prevent the wood from yellowing, splitting, warping or cracking during the winter months due to accumulation of snow, sleet and ice. \u00a0There are options of choosing colored sealant to enhance the color of the wood or transparent. \u00a0Follow the instructions for applying. \u00a0Be sure the deck is properly prepped and this is done under the appropriate weather conditions for the product to avoid any problems.<\/p>\n

Maintain Your Deck\u00a0Through the Winter With Regular Snow Removal<\/h2>\n

Keeping the deck free of snow and ice throughout the winter will help prevent cracking and warping, especially in the case of heavy snow fall or ice. \u00a0Be sure to shovel in the direction of the boards so you do not nick the planks. \u00a0Do not use salt on your deck,\u00a0as this will erode the wood and cause long-term damage. \u00a0If you keep up with the snow removal, ice buildup that requires salt should not be an issue.<\/p>\n

Keeping you deck beautiful from year to year should not be a headache. \u00a0If you follow the simple steps above, you will be able to keep your deck looking like new for years to come. \u00a0For more information on keeping your deck mold free contact a mold specialist today<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With so much on the list to prepare your home for winter, your deck may not be the first item you are thinking of. Unfortunately not preparing your deck for the hard winter months can cause excess mold and mildew … Read More »<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.assuranceenvironmental.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.assuranceenvironmental.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.assuranceenvironmental.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.assuranceenvironmental.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.assuranceenvironmental.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=360"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/www.assuranceenvironmental.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":365,"href":"http:\/\/www.assuranceenvironmental.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360\/revisions\/365"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.assuranceenvironmental.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.assuranceenvironmental.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.assuranceenvironmental.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}