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Decking provides a fantastic range of benefits to your home and garden, from its aesthetic value to the whole new range of possibilities and activities it opens up for your space. However, it’s no secret that maintaining it over winter can be something of a challenge for homeowners.
During the rainier months of the year you might not be spending any extended periods of time on it, or entertaining as many guests and visitors out in the garden, but there’s a good chance that you and your family are going to be walking about on every so often, so at the bare minimum you’ll want to keep it safe, and preferably looking nice too. This is exactly why composite decking is such a brilliant choice for winter, as it’s inherently resistant to the trials that the season is known to bring. Here are a couple of its key strengths!
This is undeniably one of the biggest strengths of composite decking, and it’s at the core of a lot of the other key benefits it provides. Wood is naturally absorbent, and to a certain degree this is true of timber decking and hardwood decking too. However, since composite decking is made from a combination of recycled plastic and recycled wood, and those plastic fibres means that composite decking absorbs even less water than its counterparts.
For starters, the inert plastic means that the boards don’t expand or contract to the same extent as timber boards can do, and it won’t gather in the nooks and crannies to freeze and expand in winter, so you’ll get none of those spooky cracking noises that we covered in our recent post. There are a few even more tangible benefits too…
The tendency of timber and hardwood decking to absorb water is one of the main things that can make them quite so slippery, especially in the rainier seasons of the year. The chemical makeup of composite decking means that doesn’t have this absorption ability, and the boards are manufactured to such exacting degrees that they’re less likely to have indentations or other imperfections where the water may pool up and be slow to dry.
All this means that as long as you take care to occasionally brush down any obviously gathering pools of water on your composite decking, it will keep its traction and remain relatively safe to walk on even after heavy periods of rainfall.
The chances of us experiencing a white Christmas here in the UK is probably fairly unlikely, but in the event that we do see widespread snowfall, you’ll be glad to hear that composite decking stands up well to that, too. Its absorption resistance means that it’s a pretty straightforward task to simply sweep up the snow, without the fear of damage to your decking. However, we would recommend doing this with a plastic shovel rather than a metal one, just to minimise the chances of accidentally causing any scratches or marks to your decking.
The moisture resistance of composite decking, coupled with the plastic materials in its makeup, means that it’s more resistant than some other types of decking to the ever-present risk of mould and mildew. We’ve already covered on the blog exactly why you shouldn’t underestimate mould on your decking, but to quickly sum up the key reasons:
And when natural pollutants like pollen, dirt and debris get left on any outdoor surface, there’s the potential for mould growth. Thankfully, the moisture resistance of composite decking means that even mould spores can find it difficult to get a foothold, preserving the integrity, appearance and safety of your decking, even through the winter months. It’s still worth keeping a wary eye out for it though, just in case.
If you do spot any areas of concern, you can just give it a quick scrub down with warm soapy water and a soft bristled brush. However, be careful not to scrub too hard, or use strong bleach, as both can result in permanent damage even to famously hardy composite decking!
If you’ve got any specific questions, or you need any further advice about composite decking, we’re only too happy to help here at Savoy Timber. As your one stop shop for decking products, our stock ranges from individual boards all the way to composite decking kits in a variety of colours, ranging from walnut to mocha to charcoal black.
If you fancy browsing our products for yourself, feel free to pay a visit to our DIY stores in Blackpool, Preston or Wigan. We’re dedicated to helping you to shop safely during the ongoing Covid-19 situation, so don’t forget to check our latest Covid-19 service update before you visit!
