The winter months for your patio means frosty mornings and shorter and colder days. This always affects the condition of your patio area and garden.
Especially the unfavorable weather conditions of the cold months affect the condition of your decking: a layer of ice can appear on the board. It can therefore become a dangerously slippery surface.
For a wood patio, winter is all about problems. You can slip and fall during snow, ice and frost. Also, wood can rot and warp in the winter, and the surface becomes even more painfully slippery from excess debris and mold.
One of the advantages of composite over traditional wood is that decking board does not rot or warp from temperature fluctuations, and debris and mold do not affect the surface. Therefore, composite decking is easy to care for all year round.
But in winter, even composite is not protected from morning frost. Therefore, you can prevent the moment when the water turns into ice on the surface of your terrace and the decking becomes very slippery.
First, the “corduroy” back surface that most patio boards have, or textured composite options such as Multicolor Elegant 3D, makes the surface less slippery.
Also, in anticipation of the frosty season, it is advisable to clean your patio of excess leaves or debris that contributes to slipping. After all, leaves or, for example, moss retain moisture and if it is removed in time, you can prophylactically prevent trouble.
Another means that will prevent ice from forming is to lay the patio on a slope. This will allow rain or melt water to drain evenly and minimize water stagnation on the patio. Of course, if water stagnates, ice will form on the deck at the first cold temperatures.
What happens if the composite board freezes?
Yes, this is possible in winter, when there are heavy snowfalls and rain during the day, and even a small minus on the thermometer at night.
If for defrosting sidewalks and roads at this time actively use sand and a mixture of salt and gravel, for a composite terrace this option is not a solution.
After all, the terrace board consists of wood flour by 60%, so that no aggressive impurities: salt, sand, chemicals or products with abrasive components are not suitable for its cleaning. They can damage the board or destroy it permanently.
Instead, the patio can be easily defrosted with warm water (not hot). You just have to gently water the decking and wipe it down.
Also, we don’t recommend using metal shovels to remove snow and clear ice – they can scratch the composite surface.
At the beginning of the warm season, when the warm weather stabilizes, we recommend washing the terrace with a brush (with a medium-hard pile) and a mixture of detergent and warm water.
Or a simpler option is a high-pressure washer such as the Kärcher. It can be used to quickly and efficiently clean your patio surface from stains, dirt and detergent residues.
