Winter Acid Rain and Snow Damages Decks

Deck damaged from winter acid rain

Deck damaged from winter acid rain

Winter Acid Rain & Snow Damages Decks
Winter snow and rain is actually acidic due to pollutants traveling in the air around the world! What does this mean for your wood deck? The acidic content is at work as we speak, slowly eating away at the finish.

What can you do? Either wash it off yourself or have a professional such as a Zelok Licensed Dealer come by and properly clean it. Also, check with an eyedropper of water to see if water is penetrating into the wood surface or cracks. Or a Zelok Licensed Dealer can check it for you. Water penetration ends up causing great damage through freeze/thaw cycles, dimensional changes in the wood, and general deterioration. There is a reason why your wood kitchen cabinets will not deteriorate… they are not getting wet continually! If you can keep your wood deck consistently repelling water and at below 20% moisture content, it should last virtually indefinitely.

If your deck is absorbing water like a sponge it means that the type of stain you have been using probably has not been doing a good job repelling water. Indeed, most wood deck stains actually are not water repellents. Putting on the same stuff again will end up with the same results. Zelok Zx55 is a phenomenal sealant; learn more on our website. It’s like high-tech raingear for your wood deck…and breathable! Our state-of-the-art water repellents with a 125-year pedigree are manufactured by Zelok and applied only by trained Zelok Licensed Dealers; locally owned independent contractors.