Decks that surround pools are often exposed to lots of moisture and harsh pool chemicals that can degrade your wood surface. Fortunately, there are easy ways to enjoy your pool while still protecting your deck from getting damaged.
Here are the preventative steps pool owners need to know about.
Keep the Deck Clean
Decks that directly surround a pool are the most susceptible to chemicals. Without proper maintenance these chemicals will begin working their way into the wood and damaging it. To keep this from happening hose the deck off every few days even if people haven’t been splashing around in the pool, because the chloride ions are still going to be in the air.
Once a week clean your deck with a specially formulated deck cleaner or mild detergent to get rid of build up and prevent the surface from becoming slippery.
Stain the Deck Surface
A penetrating stain can help to keep the chemical laced water from soaking into the deck boards around the pool. One sure sign that the deck needs to be stained is when moisture no longer sits on the surface. Applying a stain isn’t difficult, and if it’s done every year or two it can really help extend the life of your deck. A solid or semi-solid stain may be best for decks around pools because they also get a lot of sun exposure.
Building with Composite Decking
If you are planning to build a pool deck or need to replace your current deck you may want to consider using composite decking. Composites, particularly plastic decking, are often less prone to developing mildew and water damage from the pool. The one thing to be mindful of is that composite decks can sometimes get warm to the touch if they are exposed to long periods of direct sunlight.
Keep Grills Away from the Pool
The chemicals in pool water can have seriously negative affects on metal. When moisture is on the surface of a metal the chloride ions in chlorine can cause a reaction that creates hydrochloric acid. Even stainless steel can be corroded when the hydrochloric acid reacts with the chromium in the metal. This isn’t just bad for your grill it can also be bad for your deck. Rust spots could potentially form anywhere that the grill’s metal surfaces come in contact with the wood. The easy way to prevent these problems is to keep the grill as far away from the pool as possible. Also use a ventilated cover whenever the grill is cooled off and not in use.
If you are building a deck around a pool or need help selecting cleaners and stains swing on by Timbertown Austin and one of our decking experts will be happy to answer your questions.
Image Source: By Infrogmation of New Orleans (Photo by Infrogmation) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0), CC-BY-SA-2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Original Source: http://timbertownaustin.com/home-improvement/protecting-your-deck-from-harsh-pool-chemicals/
