Now that you’ve enjoyed your deck for yet another summer, the fall and winter months upon us could start to cause some serious damage. Particularly if you haven’t waterproofed your deck in a long time (or ever), you may discover some unpleasant problems by the time next summer rolls around.
The importance of waterproofing is something you’ve perhaps ignored, despite hearing about your neighbors using it on their decks. If you’ve had your deck for at least a few years, things can start to happen that quickly snowball and become a bigger problem.
Neglecting waterproofing could ultimately lead to a complete deck restoration or rebuild due to extensive deterioration. Yet, you may not know what signs to look for to see if you need waterproofing.
At issue here are mainly wooden decks that easily become damaged from water exposure. Let’s take a look at why waterproofing benefits you, and what could happen if you ignore indicative signs.
What Waterproofing Is
You may only know general information about waterproofing without understanding the specifics. Basically, it provides a protective surface on the wood of your deck to protect from deterioration due to water. This protection comes in the form of sealers, membranes, or specialized coatings.
Almost all of these benefit you in different ways. For instance, a water sealer coats the boards on your deck using a long-handled paint brush or roller. While some people attempt to do this on their own, it’s best to have a professional do it because it requires the right application to avoid lap marks.
You’ll find some companies offering vinyl membranes for elevated decks, or roof decks. Vinyl ultimately requires professional installation rather than being a simple do-it-yourself project.
The same goes with rubberized coatings, which are a common application used by waterproofing professionals. This usually gets applied to plywood, though the coatings are sometimes specialized to provide extra protection for many years.
Signs That You Need Waterproofing
Before you make any decision with the above applications, you need a professional analysis of your deck. When you ignore waterproofing, you may start to see many signs you can’t tuck away any more. It’s not to say early signs aren’t sometimes missed without an expert inspection.
Water stains are one of the first signs on wooden decks, especially if you live in an overly rainy climate. Rusty or loose areas in your deck materials can usually get scoped out on your own, but early signs are sometimes subtle.
Soft spots in the wood are usually obvious as well, and this could become very dangerous if you ignore it for another year. Deck collapse could happen eventually if you think it’s just a temporary problem.
Cracking and peeling in the deck’s wood gives the same signals waterproofing is mandatory. Your best move is to get a waterproof coating on your deck before next summer, despite weather being a factor.
Getting Your Waterproofing Done at the Right Time
If a professional deck inspector realizes you need waterproofing this winter, you’ll have to wait until a dry day. Applying the coatings in pouring rain just counteracts the benefits.
In that regard, you may have to wait until spring when things dry out. Still, it’s a perfect time to get your waterproofing done since you’ll get a more accurate inspection done first. You’ll be able to enjoy your deck for yet another summer immediately after the coatings become applied. Most importantly, you’ll have your deck protected from excess moisture for years to come.
Contact us at Pli-Dek Systems where we’ve designed specialty waterproof deck coatings that businesses and homes have used for over 35 years.
