ChoiceDek Blog - Care & Cleaning

May Is Deck Safety Month

sales@choicedek.com — Tue, 31 May 2016 05:00:00 -0700

With summer festivities quickly approaching, ensuring your outdoor space is safe and structurally sound is essential. Even the smallest maintenance efforts can help you kick off deck season with confidence. In honor of May’s Deck Safety Month, here are the best tips to keep your entire outdoor living area in top shape:

Inspect:

Ideally, a quick deck inspection should take place every year before the deck season begins. Even if your deck’s surface has been finished with a longer-lasting material like composite decking, its structure may still be at risk. Check the support posts, beams, joists, deck boards, railing, fasteners and connectors to ensure they are in good condition. Usually the first board installed, called the ledger board, is a great place to start looking for damp areas or small holes in the wood that might indicate termite damage or moisture decay. If something looks questionable, call a professional in to take a look.

Combat corrosion:

It is no secret that your deck will be exposed to the elements, but it is not just the structural material that is at risk. All metal connectors, screws and nails will be exposed to just as much rain, sunlight and wind, and should be checked for corrosion or other damage. Be sure to check for popped nails, tighten loose screws and replace any rusted or corroded fasteners to keep them from deteriorating the surrounding wood.

Build it right:

Like any structure, decks and patios must be built to withstand the weight they will hold. People and furniture will make up the obvious load on a deck, but weather elements such as wind and snow can also add to that load. Safe decks are built with materials that have been tested for load-bearing, so to ensure that winter weather hasn’t weakened your deck, check the safety of your railings and stairs annually, which includes looking for any signs of rot or decay in stair stringers and risers. Local building departments or contractors will have expert advice on which materials are the best fit for your deck, and if you are planning to do-it-yourself, they will be a great resource for you to make sure your structure meets all building and safety codes.

Maintain:

If your deck is built with ChoiceDek, you won’t have to do much of this! It is important to perform regular maintenance duties in order to keep your deck beautiful and safe. Water repellant sealants and stains can protect wood boards from moisture, which not only keeps them looking good, but can sometimes even extend the life of a deck board. If the amount of maintenance that comes with a traditional wood deck is daunting to you, there are other options out there. Materials like composite decking only simple annual cleanings, leaving you with more free time to enjoy your deck.

Your deck is an expansion of your house and should be used as much as possible. If you are uncertain about the safety of your deck, contact a professional to help with an inspection so you can get back outside quicker.

Deck Safety: It's More Than the Surface

sales@choicedek.com — Tue, 2 Feb 2016 02:47:00 -0700

Safety is important when entertaining friends and family, especially outdoors. When you build a new deck or remodel an existing deck, choosing high-performance decking materials like ChoiceDek^® composite decking will give you peace of mind and allow you to enjoy your outdoor living space more freely.

Problems on the Surface

To begin, it is important to schedule regular deck inspections to ensure that no problems go unnoticed. Although many deck inspections stop after evaluating the foundation, posts, joists and hardware, a deck’s surface can experience just as many problems as the structure. Many of these problems are caused by high exposure to moisture like rain, snow or humidity. You have probably seen examples of this in the form of cracking, splitting or rotting. When water penetrates the wood fibers in a deck board and experiences a freeze/thaw cycle (or any extreme changes in temperature), they will likely expand and contract. This expansion and contraction can cause gaps between boards and compromise the integrity of the entire deck surface. Further, when this moisture gets trapped inside a deck board, the result is mold and rotting of the wood.

Moisture-Resistant Decking

When deck boards experience these kind of damages as a result of moisture, the entire surface of a deck is subject to failure, and anyone on the deck is at risk of falling through. There are alternatives to traditional wood decking, though, that are completely resistant to moisture. The problem is that many of these materials, like aluminum decking and PVC decking, lack the traditional-wood look that many people want. High-performance composite deck boards like ChoiceDek offer the best of both worlds. These boards can be highly resistant to moisture, and are also created with natural wood-grain embossing and coloring.

High-Performance Composite Decking

Although all wood-plastic composites are made to be moisture-resistant, not all are created equal. Only certain composite decking brands, including ChoiceDek composite decking, make boards that truly withstand moisture. ChoiceDek can even be installed with ground or water contact without voiding its warranty. Using moisture-resistant boards can strengthen the surface of your deck and give you one less thing to worry about so that you can spend your time enjoying your deck or outdoor living space with friends and family.

Why Composite Decking Warranties Matter

sales@choicedek.com — Fri, 21 Nov 2014 13:29:00 -0700

If you’re in the market for a new composite deck, then style, color, cost and maintenance are all likely on your deck-buying checklist. But, what about the warranty? A warranty is essentially a manufacturer’s or seller’s promise to stand behind a product’s performance. These promises can vary widely, so be sure to read them carefully before you buy.

To make sure you know what you’re getting into upfront, take a few minutes to find answers to these questions, building upon guidance from the Federal Trade Commission:

How long does the warranty last? Check the warranty to see when it begins and expires, and look for conditions that may void the coverage, such as sanding or using a pressure washer on the surface of the composite decking.
Who do you contact to get warranty service, and what is the claims process? Find out whether the retailer or manufacturer will provide you with the warranty service, and how the claims process works. Some companies require you to register your decking warranty beforehand or to follow certain steps to make a claim.
What will the company do if the product fails? Read the warranty to see whether the company will repair the decking, replace it or refund your money. And, be sure you understand what they define as a “failure.” Some coverages are limited and won’t protect the boards when installed in certain ways. For example, allowing the material to be in direct contact with the ground may void some composite decking warranties.
What deck parts and repair problems are covered? Check to see if any parts of the decking product are excluded from coverage or fall under a different limited warranty, as may be the case with deck fasteners and railing products. Also, look for conditions that could prove expensive or inconvenient. For example, some warranties require you to have the deck professionally cleaned at your own expense before submitting a claim.
Does the warranty cover “consequential damages?” Verify whether the warranty covers damages caused by the product, along with your time and expense in repairing that damage. For example, if your decking product fails, the manufacturer may only cover the materials, not the labor to reinstall them or any damage the failed decking did to your home.
Are there any conditions or limitations on the warranty? Some warranties provide coverage only if you install the decking in accordance with the manufacturer’s guidelines, and maintain it according to their recommendations. Make sure these conditions will meet your needs.

Keep in mind manufacturers that stand behind their brand’s performance typically offer a more extensive warranty. For example, ChoiceDek composite decking offers a 25-year warranty that isn’t voided by direct ground or water contact. It also protects against rot, termites and insect damage.

While composite decking warranties should be simple, clear and easy to understand, not all warranties are created equal. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to ask a sales representative or contact the manufacturer directly. But, remember that spoken warranties aren’t law. Get any oral promises in writing.

The bottom line is your outdoor deck-escape is only as good as the boards you install. Make sure the composite decking you choose is made to last and backed by a reliable warranty.