Construction & Contractors Blog
If your home has an old wood deck attached to it, you know how fast wood oxidizes and deteriorates. You can keep a wood deck looking fairly good, but that usually requires a lot of maintenance. When you're ready to replace your wood deck, you may want something that lasts longer and needs less care. Vinyl decking would be a good choice. Here are three things to know about vinyl decking.
1. Vinyl Is a Good Match for Kids and Pets
Since vinyl doesn't splinter like wood does, it's safer for kids and pets to lounge, run, and play on. Vinyl is often designed to mimic wood with a textured surface, so it isn't slick and hazardous to walk on. Vinyl is also an easy surface to keep clean and sanitary, so you don't have to worry about your kids sitting on the deck.
Vinyl decking used to get hot when it was in direct sunlight, but today's decking is much cooler due to the way it's made. You can even search for cool decking if you want to make sure the surface won't be too hot for pets or kids. Another option is to choose a light color for the vinyl decking so sunlight is reflected rather than absorbed.
2. Vinyl Is Almost Maintenance Free
You never have to stain or paint a vinyl deck. The only maintenance you need to do is sweep and hose off the deck when it needs it. If you clean up spills right away, you may never need to use chemicals to clean the deck. However, if you have a hard time getting a stain out with water, you can buy a vinyl cleaning product that removes stains and algae.
As long as you keep leaves swept off and don't let them stay on the deck and decompose, you shouldn't have trouble with large stains, but if stains appear or if the vinyl develops a chalky layer due to oxidation, you can remove the discoloration with a pressure washer or a product made for cleaning vinyl decks.
3. Vinyl Decking Is Attractive
Most decking is attractive when it's new and first installed, but vinyl holds its looks longer. The appearance of the deck won't be affected by warped boards, decayed areas, knot holes, or other problems that develop with wood. You can choose vinyl decking in different colors, such as tan and gray, so you don't have to stick with traditional wood colors if you want a different look for your home.
Share5 October 2020
Construction contractors have a very important job. They literally build the structures we live in, work in, and entertain ourselves in. They have control over how these spaces look, and also over how safe these spaces are. Some contractors lay flooring. Others install flooring. Some are generalists and do a bit of everything, from roofing to painting. When you start to understand the nature of a contractor's job, you start to really appreciate all of the buildings around you. It's that appreciation that we really hope shines through as we write this blog to share with you all, our loyal readers.
