Salting a Vinyl Deck
Vinyl decks offer several advantages over traditional, natural-wood decks. In general, vinyl decks last longer and need less maintenance and care. Damage to your vinyl deck -- from scratches or otherwise -- may be difficult to replace and repair, however. When winter comes, snow and ice come with it. It is important to remove ice from your deck surface, but you must do so in a way that does not damage the surface. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Use a plastic snow shovel and remove as much accumulation as you can from the deck surface. Always use plastic shovel; metal shovels may damage your vinyl deck.
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Sprinkle rock salt or calcium chloride on your deck so that a single layer of salt crystals rests on the surface of the ice. Rock salt and calcium chloride are safe to use on your deck surface.
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Shovel away the slush and brine as the snow melts. Apply more rock salt or calcium chloride as necessary to melt ice that remains.
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Wash your deck with a mild soap and water solution to eliminate the white film that may remain on your deck after the snow melts.
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Tips & Warnings
Damage to your vinyl deck can be expensive to repair. If you are unsure whether the rock salt or calcium chloride will damage your deck, contact your deck’s manufacturer before proceeding or test the deicing material on a small section of your deck before continuing.
