Salt on plastic decking?

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Q. I’m hoping you can help me with a snow problem. My back door gets used the most, and it has a Trex deck (the plastic boards). My son insists that it’s OK to put down salt and ice melt on it when it gets snowy. Is this true?

A. The first question has to be whether you or your son is dealing with a full deck. You may just be trying to clear a narrow path. Once we know that, we can analyze the condition and effects of what salt or ice melt can do to a plastic material. Consider that synthetic decking, often made from recycled soda bottles and other plastic products, is fairly inert, and has been installed without damage in saltwater environments, especially near the ocean. Salt and ice melt will eventually cloud the surface with a film or take the shiny finish off even though the manufacturer says that the decking material is perfectly fine to salt. If you spread salt on just a narrow path, the finish will be like old carpet tracks through the middle of a living room from the front door. When the finish looks different, whether cloudy or worn, you may be disappointed that you salted it.

I recommend using a broom and brushing the snow off at intervals during a heavy storm, or just brushing it off when it gets 1 to 3 inches deep. Another technique I use on my driveway and synthetic deck is to cover them with a plastic construction tarp, silver side up. It sounds strange but really works. The silver side is slick, which has some positives and negatives. The positive is that snow and ice blow off rather than stick, and with the slightest breeze, the accumulation is less. It also takes seconds, not minutes, to broom off with a deep-bristle push broom. The negative is that you need to get the tarp up after it stops snowing because it may be too slippery to walk on without snow-tread footwear.

Most tarps come with handy grommet holes that you use to hold the tarp down with bungee cords to keep it from flopping in the wind. If your deck isn’t too large, a tarp works well, and another tarp technique is to attach it so it angles away from the entry door, with bungee cords around the rails to form a slope. This allows 4- to 8-inch snowfalls to roll away to the sides, like off a tent. Never use a shovel, ice chopper or other metal tools on the deck, as they will ruin the surface with nicks and dents. When the snow season is done, clean the deck boards with a soft brush and soapy water. I use my car washing hose/brush, which has a refill port in the handle to distribute the soap evenly. Good luck!

© 2014 Monte Leeper. Readers are encouraged to send questions to yourhousedr@aol.com, with “Herald question” in the subject line, or to Herald Homes, 2 Endo Blvd., Garden City, NY 11530, Attn: Monte Leeper, architect.