Decks are just like any other parts of your home. They are one of your precious investments. Not only did you spend money and effort on building your beautiful outdoor space, but it’s also the place where many of your most cherished moments with your family happened.
Would you just let your deck grow week and rot over the years? Taking good care of decks is simple if you really want to maintain its functionality and good looks. There are ways you can achieve it for your home to stay as attractive and luxurious-looking as it is on day one.
Ways to Keep Your Deck in Good Shape for Years
By following these easy steps, you can extend the lifespan of your deck while also keeping your family safe. Here are some of the things you can do to maintain a safe deck for years.
1. Monitor its Condition
As they say, prevention is better than cure. This means that a better way to ensure the good condition of things is always to remember to monitor and be observant. When there’s rotten or infested wood in one part of your deck or if one railing is already starting to get loose, you’ll be able to fix the problem before an accident occurs. The weather outdoors is your deck’s number one enemy because changes in temperature and precipitation cause a lot of issues in wood decks. However, this is not as often the case with PVC or vinyl decks. Depending on the type of material used to construct it, you’ll still have to keep an eye on your deck every now and then. Likewise, no matter if it’s made of wood, PVC, or vinyl, decks are meant to wear over time, so you should expect to maintain it.
2. Check the Support Structures and Hardware
Another sign that your deck is starting to fail is when you notice its support structures and hardware becoming weak and loose. Check the ledger boards, joists, and support posts that are essentially what keep your deck connected to your home. If not resolved sooner, the deterioration of your deck may continue and lead to some accidents involving anyone who steps on it. In the same manner, you should also be alarmed when you notice missing, loose, or broken
boards and corroded bolts and screws anywhere in your deck. Again, address these problems immediately to avoid anything undesirable in advance.
3. Assess its Construction
Inheriting a house with an existing deck should not cause you to be confident enough to use it without inspecting it first. Assessing the construction of your deck is vital in learning about the construction of it and whether or not it was made to be durable. Some life-threatening injuries may be experienced if not repaired promptly. In terms of your deck’s safety, its railings play an important role which is to serve as the handle to hold on to when you’re enjoying the view of the surroundings every morning. When you see that railings are missing or unstable, that calls for a repair. See to it also that the railings are not less than 36 inches high.
4. Learn About its Proper Maintenance
Doing proper maintenance should not only be done once or twice. It should be regularly if you are eager to make it last. Starting from its coating, which may have faded or worn away, it’s time to wash your deck and reapply some waterproof seal to the entire deck. Anything that you observe which needs repair or replacement must be done immediately to avoid accidents. Most importantly, for decks that are more than a decade old, remember not to overload it with people and things. Stay within the weigh capacity of your deck as instructed by the experts.
5. Perform Regular Inspections
Inspections don’t only involve having a look at your deck based on how it looks physically. You also need to check within the parts that are hidden most of the time, such as beneath it. Missing nails or screws are often unnoticed until you do a thorough inspection. This has to be done at least once a year.
Who Do You Call for Help?
Any homeowner knows about wood, nails, hammer, and other tools and materials needed to create something. But, if your project is to create something as big and as useful as a deck, you’ll need to seek help from the experts. Cherry Hill Deck Builders offer deck building services within Cherry Hill, NJ area. We are a team of professionals willing to make the perfect plan for any type of deck for your home. Tell us your goals and budget for this project we’ll see to it that your dream is made a reality.
We are homeowners ourselves, and we understand the joy of having your own deck outdoors. It’s where we relax and bond together with loved ones. Our professionals perform other related services like new deck installation, deck design, deck repair, deck cleaning, and much more. Give your whole family their very own hangout space with the dream deck we’ll build for you. Inquire with us and call 856-263-5251 for a free quote and consultation.
