How to Winterize Your Vinyl Deck in 3 Steps

There’s no more denying it. The days are shorter. The temperature is colder. Winter is on its way.

If you’ve got a covered deck, you might use it all year round, but decks exposed to the rain and snow tend to get neglected through the winter months.

There’s a few things you can do to keep your vinyl sundeck in top shape to survive the harsher winter weather and be ready for a simple cleaning come spring.

#1 – First, if you have not already done so, pack away any seasonal furniture or planters stored on your deck. When you are not using your deck frequently, you may not notice the debris or dirt that can accumulate around the edges of temporary furniture or fixtures of your deck, making for a tougher scrubbing in the spring.

#2 – Clear any organic debris that has accumulated. If you are lucky enough to have a lot of trees around your deck, that good fortune is often is accompanied by leaves and twigs that autumn weather can send to your deck in wet, mucky piles. Be sure to remove organic matter before it starts to decompose as this can lead to stains on your vinyl deck that can be difficult to remove.

#3 – Wash your deck with a mild cleaner and rinse thoroughly. While it is easy to brush this one off the list until spring, you can make your spring clean a little easier if you perform once before winter. You can use a vinyl deck cleaner for a gentle clean but if you would like to substitute for a more common household cleaner we have found that diluted Cascade powdered dish detergent works well also. Simply scrub with a soft bristled brush or broom. No matter what product you use to clean, make sure it is safe for use on vinyl and be sure to rinse well so there is no chemical residue remaining.

Now your deck is ready for winter, and probably looks so great that you will still want to use it every chance you get.

If you do access your vinyl deck through the winter months, have some rock salt or other snow melting chemicals on hand to deal with slippery ice and snow. Just remember that as soon as the spring weather arrives, you must rinse those chemicals off your deck to get keep your vinyl from premature aging.

Depending on the amount of snow accumulation you get, you may also want to be sure to have a plastic edged snow shovel on hand. Avoid the use of metal edged shovels on your vinyl deck so there is no chance of puncturing the membrane.

If you have been considering a deck renovation, don’t wait until spring or summer when deck builders are at their busiest. Start the conversation now to get an estimate on your decking project.

In many areas, Duradek installers can take care of re-surfacing your deck with Duradek vinyl all year round.  

Duradek installers are a very talented and creative bunch of contractors. Communicate with your Duradek contractor and don’t be afraid to ask him to make use of any scrap bits of left over vinyl (if there are any). Little, left-over vinyl remnants work well to place under metal planters to stop rust from developing on your permanent deck; and creative uses like this mini snow slide protects the landing of a patio stairway from snow accumulation.

In the fall and winter months, deck contractors have a little more time than they do in the summer to accommodate extra requests.