With summer upon us, we’re using our decks more than ever for social gatherings, family barbeques, star-gazing on a clear summer night, and more. Summer also brings with it thunderstorms, which can impact the integrity of your deck. Deck waterproofing helps to keep your deck protected from the elements, whether it is made of concrete or another material.
If you have a deck and you’re not sure whether or not it has deck waterproofing, or you are considering getting deck waterproofing, there are a few things you’ll want to know. Here’s some of the essentials anyone with a deck should know about deck waterproofing.
Your deck is constantly exposed to the elements. Rain or shine, nature takes its toll on your deck. UV rays can fade the coloration while snow, rain, and ice can cause moisture damage. Deck waterproofing increases your deck’s ability to withstand the elements and helps to avoid all sorts of problems, such as water-staining, slip-and-fall hazards, structural damages, and more.
It’s important to keep your deck protected with a waterproofing system. Concrete may be durable, but canyons have been carved through centuries of water erosion. Water can damage your concrete deck over time, so you want to use a waterproofing system to preserve its integrity.
Without deck waterproofing, your deck won’t be able to last as long before you need to have repairs done and eventual replacement. By keeping your deck waterproofed, you can increase its lifespan and save yourself money by lessening the amount of damages you need to have repaired in the long run.
Anything that protects your property and allows for more durability, a cleaner aesthetic, and less maintenance has the potential to increase the value of your property, and deck waterproofing is no different. Waterproofing your deck can not only potentially help to increase your property’s value in making it more durable, it can also do so through increasing your living space.
Consider this: you have a deck, and you want to use the space under it as a living area. You can’t very well do this if water is going to drip down your deck every time it rains. Deck waterproofing allows you to increase the amount of living space in your home by letting you utilize under-deck spaces for outdoor living areas. With deck waterproofing, you have the potential ability to double the amount of functional outdoor space on your property.
How nice would it be if deck waterproofing was a one-and-done deal? Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever. In order to keep your deck waterproofed, you’ll need to reapply your sealant every year or so. A professional will be able to give you a better idea of how frequently your specific deck will need to have deck waterproofing reapplied, as a number of various factors can impact the frequency of which this needs to be done, ranging from the age of your deck to how much traffic it withstands to what the climate is like where you live, and more.
In general, a good rule of thumb to tell whether or not your deck waterproofing is doing its job is to spill a bit of water onto it. It should bubble up on top of your deck, the way that rain bubbles up on your waxed car before sliding off. If the water absorbs into your deck rather than bubbling up, this means that your deck needs to have a deck waterproofing refresher done. Staying on top of your deck waterproofing will allow you to increase the lifespan of your deck by maintaining the integrity of its surface and structure.
Stone Edge Surfaces provides a variety of deck waterproofing solutions. Whether you have a wooden deck or a concrete deck, we have waterproofing systems for you. We also have a deck seal, which protects your deck from all sorts of different elements. To learn more about our deck waterproofing systems, please don’t hesitate to contact us today!
