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How low-maintenance is a composite deck?

You may have heard that there are low-maintenance decking materials available but what exactly does that mean?

Well, first, you won’t have to paint your deck – ever. The low-maintenance materials are available in various colors. The first benefit of this is that won’t have to paint or stain your deck on a regular basis. The next benefit is that you won’t ever have to paint or stain your low-maintenance decking boards.

Custom deck with outdoor kitchen
Lees Summit MO low-maintenance deck

Gone are the days of annual deck maintenance. When you think about annual maintenance, in addition to painting and staining, you think about having to get the dirt and grime off to prime the wood boards to accept a stain. Or you think about scraping painted boards to pick up all the loose cracks in the paint. No more packs of sandpaper to further prime your outdoor wood to accept paint or stain.

Custom deck staircase with lighting
TimberTech low-maintenance deck in Parkville MO

What about mold and mildew? Wood is very porous. Water will soak into the wood which may lead to the formation of mild and mildew. In addition, leaving either wet or dry debris on the deck for a period of time may cause mold and mildew to form on the top of your decking boards. What about warping, sagging, cracking and splitting? You don’t need to worry about these issues with low-maintenance decking boards. These boards come with a warranty that protects against all of these.

Custom multi-level poolside deck with railing
TimberTech low-maintenance deck in Morado

Do you have to check for termites and other wood rot? You’ve probably guessed by now. Low maintenance decking materials come with protection against all of these ailments that tend to afflict wood used in outdoor structures.

These two are not the same. Although you won’t have to peel, scrape, sand or stain, you will need to get out the sponge and warm soapy water. The one thing low maintenance decking boards can’t protect you from are spills. If you spill foods on your deck or drag mud across your deck, they will not be repelled or somehow disappear. You will need to wipe them off the surface the same way you do with your indoor hard flooring. Are there spills that you should wipe up more quickly? A good rule of thumb is to treat spills the same way you might treat one of your indoor floors. You likely are more careful to wash off stains from dark red materials such as wine and ketchup, that’s also a good idea on your low maintenance deck.

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Are you ready to discuss a new low-maintenance deck for your home in the Kansas City area? Get in touch with our award-winning designers for a design consultation at (913) 704-6240.

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