Winter is Coming – Is Your Hardwood Deck Ready
With winter on the way, you may already be pulling out spare blankets, setting the thermostat a little higher, and indulging in hot cocoa more frequently, but now is also a good time to be thinking about your hardwood deck. Genuine mahogany decking is naturally more resistant to some of the wear and tear that all wooden decks experience, but it’s important to remember that if you want to keep your deck looking like new for as long as possible, giving it a little extra TLC now will help keep it in pristine shape all season long.
Check the Stain on Your Hardwood Deck
Before it gets too cold and snowy, take some time to look at the stain of your deck. If your deck is a little older, you may notice some peeling with your stain. This is normal, but ultimately it can compromise the wood and allow mold to grow. Not sure if it’s time to restain your deck? One way to check is to put a few drops of water onto the wood. Does the drop stay on the wood for longer than five seconds? Then you’re in good shape for winter. However, if the water absorbs into the wood in less than five seconds, you’ll definitely want to refresh the stain before cold, wet weather sets in. Not sure where to start? No worries–we’ve rounded up some suggestions for stains and oils that will bring out the best in your genuine mahogany deck.
Minimize Weight on Your Wood Deck
One of the major benefits of using genuine mahogany wood for your outdoor deck is its hardness. A sturdy wood like mahogany can withstand a lot! But in the winter, heavy snowfall adds a lot of additional weight to the deck. In order to help minimize the weight that can increase the wear and tear on your deck, consider bringing less frequently used items off of the deck for storage during the winter. If you’re not going to be grilling much, stash your gas grill in the garage (being inside and away from cold, wet snow will help keep your grill in good shape, too!). Don’t think you’ll be sitting on your deck during the winter? Stack your deck chairs off of the deck. Clearing away these items can help prevent unnecessary wear on the wood during the winter when the snow starts to pile on.
Keep Your Hardwood Deck Clear to Avoid Mold
In a similar vein to minimizing the weight on your deck, removing unnecessary furniture or planters can also help you avoid an invitation for mold or rot. Move planters to another location for the time being if you can so that the moisture from the snow doesn’t cause mold to develop underneath. Making sure to give your deck a good cleaning before the weather gets really snowy and removing all debris from between the wood panels is also very important to avoiding mold as bits of leaves and twigs that naturally accumulate can hold in unnecessary moisture. When you get snow, clear it off of your deck quickly to help protect the wood. Don’t use rock salt–this will damage the wood. Instead, use a rubber-tipped or plastic shovel with rounded corners to help scoop snow off the deck and always go with the grain of the wood as you shovel. When you’ve gotten most of it off, you can sweep any remaining snow off to help keep your deck as dry as possible.
Genuine mahogany is truly one of the best choices for an outdoor deck for how resistant it is to many common deck problems, but it will still experience wear and tear. Taking the time now to assess your deck and prepare it for the cold, snowy weather will help you ensure that your deck will still look new and beautiful once the snow starts to melt again.
