Reduce Wood Deck Maintenance with Vinyl Decking

Wood decks do offer a neat look – but unless you’re prepared for a huge amount of maintenance it might be better to find an alternative. Whether you are building a new deck/patio, or simply want to refresh the look of your current deck, vinyl decking offers major advantages over wood. Tuff Industries explains why:

Easy Vinyl Deck Cleanup

Whether it’s a sauce-covered sausage hitting the deck or annual spring and fall maintenance, cleaning a vinyl deck surface requires only soap and water. The heavy vinyl membrane is heat and stain resistant, able to stand up to whatever rigors your family can throw at it.

Immediately Use a Vinyl Deck

After staining a wood deck, you have to avoid all usage for several hours, even days, to ensure that it sets correctly – reducing the time that you get to utilize your deck. A vinyl deck is good to go as soon as it’s done. It also does not require the same level of annual maintenance as a wood deck does. In the end, a vinyl deck saves time and money.

Long Life Span

People like wood decks because of the perceived lifespan – which is great, but you shouldn’t forget to factor in the cost of labor and materials. A Tufdek™ waterproof vinyl membrane comes with up to a 20-year warranty, but can last much longer when properly cared for (swept and cleaned twice a year). Compared to the annual maintenance required with wood decks, it’s easy to see why vinyl deck surfaces are such a great choice.

Vinyl Decking Increases Useable Space

The space under a wood deck generally sits unused, as who would want rainwater, melted snow, etc. to drip on what’s underneath? Since vinyl deck membranes offer a waterproof solution, they also increase usable space, so the area under your deck can be used for storage or even as a second outdoor space.

Reduce Harm to the Environment

Think about it – when you stain and seal a wood deck you are using chemicals that let off harmful toxins into the atmosphere. Multiply that by the number of years you’ll be in your home and that’s a significant amount of environmental damage. That’s not accounting for all the unused product that gets thrown away. A PVC vinyl deck surface offers complete, long-term waterproof protection to your deck or balcony as well as your home. It will never require chemicals to maintain its protective properties, and the material can be fully recycled by the manufacturer when it reaches the end of a lifespan. Now that’s environmentally responsible!

Finally, what if you really like the look of wood decks? Tufdek™ has you covered, with several wood-inspired vinyl decking surfaces. Check out our product catalog for your options!