The Importance of Waterproofing Your Home Deck

Some homeowners might believe that the only benefit to waterproofing your home deck is to protect it from water. However, in addition to this, there are many more benefits that come with waterproofing your deck. In fact, when your deck is water resistant, it can help maintain the structure and integrity of your deck. Here are some ways keeping your deck water resistant will help maintain your deck.

When your deck is waterproofed, it is also protected from dry rot. Not only does dry rot negatively affect the way your deck looks, it also can weaken the integrity of the deck, which may make it dangerous to walk on. With enough dry rot, your deck can even collapse resulting in serious damage to your property or others as well. Rebuilding a collapsed deck is also an expensive process. Having a deck waterproofed is a great way to combat against dry rot. Adding a water resistant surface to your deck also helps to protect from UV rays as well. UV rays from the sunlight can actually discolor the wood and even lead to deterioration. Even on days when the sun is covered by clouds, the UV rays are still doing damage to your unprotected deck. With rain and leaves or debris that are left behind, mold and mildew can also start to form on your unprotected deck. If your deck is water resistant, this allows the wood to be protected from mold and other forms of rot.

Another way that a water resistant coat can help maintain your deck is that deck coatings actually add a protective layer over the deck. This can lessen the amount of scratches or scuffs that can occur due to foot traffic or moving around deck furniture. Deck coatings can also add more friction to the surface of the deck, which means it is less likely for people to slip and fall. These are just some ways that water resistant coatings can help to maintain your deck.