The Hazards of Having Mold and Mildew on Your Deck

The ocean is one of the most attractive features about California. The blue waters, warm weather, and smell of ocean air draws millions of visitors and makes our shoreline property some of the most valuable and desirable in the entire country. Many of these beachfront properties, both commercial and residential, are outfitted with decks that overlook the sea, offering spectacular views and enjoyable space.

However, these decks face a significant problem: constant, unrelenting exposure to ocean air. Ocean air is extremely humid, and sometimes is full of fog or marine layer, which imbues deck materials with moisture that can cause extra expansion, expedite wood rot, and even wear away at the structural integrity. If you have an ocean-view deck, you’ll want to choose a material that’s both resistant to the immense heat California beaches can experience and the almost-constant barrage of moisture.

Here are a few deck materials that are particularly good for decks in areas located in close proximity to beaches.

Synthetic Boards

Wooden plank-style decks are a pretty common design choice near beaches due to their laid-back, coastal feel. However, traditional wood is a pretty awful material to actually use since it tends to rot so quickly. Synthetic boards, however, are rapidly becoming a pretty popular choice since they’re made of a mixture of recycled plastics, wood fibers, and other materials that are less influenced by heat, less prone to water intrusion and rot, and can withstand a heavy barrage of moisture both from humid air and marine layer.

Concrete Pavers

Concrete pavers are quickly becoming a popular low-cost choice in beachfront decks, particularly for patios, pool decks, and rooftop installations. Pavers are inexpensive, have a classic look to them, and can be easily maintained and replaced. They’re extremely durable to heat and moisture as well, two of the toughest elements for a deck to survive. However, they are heavy and require a pretty sturdy deck space, which makes them generally only advisable for well-supported deck structures and patios built on ground level.

Poured Concrete

Poured concrete is a great material for those who have the extra money and time to invest in a truly durable and long-lasting deck. Concrete can be formed into nearly any shape, is extraordinarily strong, and water and heat have very little effect on it as long as the deck surface is regularly inspected for cracks and given a waterproof seal. However, this is a pretty expensive option as well, and may not be suitable for all applications.

Vinyl

Vinyl is an extremely popular material that’s used to make almost everything. It’s extremely flexible, being made in a wide variety of different styles and colors to match any look you’re going for (even wooden-style decks), easy to install, and fairly inexpensive. It also never needs painting, resists staining, and even has significant heat rejection properties, making it a popular choice for California summers! However, over time it can start to sag, particularly in heavy use conditions, so you may want to think twice before installing this material as it may need replacement sooner than others.

Learn more about the great deck material options available to you by calling Capital Deck & Stair Waterproofing at (888) 508-2966 today!

The deck around your pool has an extremely difficult but important job to do. Not only does it have to withstand the brutal harshness of being exposed to chlorinated water during pool usage, but it also has to bear the brunt of hours of sunlight, wildly-changing temperatures, and even the occasional rainfall. As such, a pool deck needs to be extremely durable and have numerous other qualities.

That means the material you choose to construct your pool deck from is an important choice that you shouldn’t take lightly. What material you choose should not only be able to stand up to the task of serving as a pool deck, but be able to last for a considerable amount of time (considering the investment it takes to install one of these decks) and much more. On this blog, we’ll discuss pool deck materials and talk briefly about some of the best pool deck choices for Southern California residents.

Qualities of a Good Deck Material

What makes an ideal pool deck material in Southern California? While a lot of deck materials are out there, few have the qualities needed to be an ideal choice. Here are five things to consider:

• Slip-resistant: A pool deck will get wet during pool use, and a wet, smooth surface is going to be slippery. Generally, a good pool deck material will naturally be slip-resistant, such as having a rougher texture that can still provide grip even when soaked with water.
• Non-abrasive: While a non-slip material is great, it also needs to be slip-resistant without being difficult or painful to walk on while barefoot. Some non-slip materials are exceptional at maintaining grip, but can be extremely painful for a barefoot person to walk on, and that doesn’t really work around a swimming pool.
• Water-resistant: Obviously a pool deck is going to get wet, so a pool deck material needs to be able to withstand a good water soaking without getting damaged. Porous or absorbent materials aren’t the best choice in this regard.
• Low-cost: Does this super-material sound like it would cost a fortune? It doesn’t have to, and that’s a good thing considering not everyone has tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars to spend on building a pool deck.
• Low-maintenance: A swimming pool is a pretty high-maintenance property feature to begin with. Even with automatic filtering, the latest in cleaning technology, and computer systems designed to encourage clear water, you’re going to need to spend time keeping it. Don’t make the deck around it also become a burden in this regard.

Ideal Materials

So now that we know what a good material should be capable of doing, let’s take a look at a few of the best materials we’ve found for building pool decks.

Concrete
Concrete is arguably the most common pool deck material because it’s inexpensive, easy to install, extremely durable, requires very little maintenance, extremely waterproof, and can be textured to be slip resistant without destroying your feet. You can choose to either have concrete poured, which may require a little bit of added maintenance, or install concrete pavers, which looks a little more dated and adds a bit of complexity to the installation. In either case, this is the most common and usually the ideal pool deck material for most customers.

Natural Timber
Wood is the “classic” deck material, and while most people think wood is easily damaged by water, there are waterproofing treatments that can help it last for decades under heavy use and exposure to moisture. A wooden pool deck both looks great and is easy on the feet, but requires more maintenance than other materials, notably an annual or bi-annual waterproofing and sealing treatment.

Tiles
Stone, clay, or other durable tile materials are becoming extremely popular because they can come in all sorts of different shapes, colors, and patterns, giving you a truly unique and appealing look to your pool area. However, not all tiles are particularly water-resistant (such as sandstone) and over time they can wear smooth and lose their grip tendencies. Not to mention some tile options can get expensive and most require a maintenance regimen to ensure longevity.

Composite
Composite materials are a popular choice because they can be made to imitate many other materials, just with more flexibility in terms of coloration, and are often more durable and water-resistant than many others. Composite is also great as a lower-budget option, but doesn’t have the same hazards as natural wood, including lower expansion and growth rates on hot days and less likelihood of splintering. However, some people simply don’t like the look they offer.

Do you need your pool deck waterproofed or remodeled? Trust the Los Angeles deck waterproofing experts from Capital Deck & Stair Waterproofing! Call us today at (888)-508-2966 to request an estimate .

When building a new deck, you’ll make a ton of important decisions, perhaps the most important of which will be what material you’ll construct it from. There are many different deck materials you can use, and the benefit is that some of them are inherently water-resistant by nature. Whether it’s that these materials damage extremely slowly in water or they’re not porous, allowing them to form a tight, natural seal, these materials are wildly popular due to their ability to withstand the harshest of Los Angeles weather. Here are some of the most popular water-resistant decking materials and some of the advantages of each of them.

Vinyl

Vinyl has rapidly become a popular decking material for many different applications. For one, its cost is dropping dramatically as manufacturing becomes cheaper and more readily-available. Likewise, more and more options are hitting the market what seems like every single week at this point. While many of these different nylons have different advantages, they all inherently share some of the same properties: they’re cheap, require little maintenance, are lightweight, and easily replaceable. Additionally, the interlocking design these nylon “boards” use to stick together often creates a tight seal, making them virtually completely waterproof without any additional coatings.

Concrete

Concrete is a popular deck material for commercial installations because of its ready availability, fairly low cost, and extreme durability. Concrete doesn’t crack and splinter in the sun like a wood or some vinyl materials do: it’ll hold its form for decades with few to no issues. In fact, at the most you might see just a few thin cracks develop in areas where the building itself may have shifted or where air bubbles may have formed under the concrete surface. The only real downside to concrete is perhaps the most obvious one: weight. Concrete is extremely heavy, and any deck structure needs to be durable and capable of withstanding the load of thousands of pounds in order to serve its purpose.

Aluminum

Aluminum has many of the same favored properties as concrete, but in a much lighter package. Aluminum is much stronger than concrete for its weight, making it great for rooftop deck installations or other places where a major structure can’t be built. However, it’s one of the most expensive options out there, and that means you’ll be spending a lot more per square foot to install one. While resurfacing with aluminum is also fairly simple, you’ll have to pay particularly close attention to its condition, and you will need to re-seal it periodically to ensure its durability and strength last for as long as possible.

For more information about building a deck out of these materials or the great waterproofing options we can provide your deck with, speak with the Los Angeles deck waterproofing experts from Capital Deck & Stair Waterproofing by dialing (888) 508-2966 today!

A deck can greatly enhance your outdoor space and give you the ability to enjoy your home, business, or building in a way like you never have before: without the roof over your head. However, before you add a deck or patio, there are several things you need to ask yourself in order to make sure you make the best decision regarding what material to build your deck out of. Here are a few of these questions that can help you make a better-educated decision regarding your deck.

What do you want your deck to do?
If you’re looking to enhance your home, you may want a deck that you can use for things like grilling or hosting parties. You may also be looking for a deck to surround that brand new swimming pool you’re installing. If you have a business or commercial structure, your needs are going to be different. What you want to do with your deck is the first place you should start when coming up with a design.

How can your deck be accessed?
Looking to have an easily-accessible deck that loads of different people will use on a daily basis? Or do you want a private, secluded area that you use pretty much exclusively on your own. The way you access your deck will heavily influence how it’s used and therefore how it should be constructed.

How do you want your deck to look?
Almost equally as important to the functionality of your deck is its design. A deck that looks ugly will bring your property value down significantly and probably won’t be used all that much. Conversely, a beautiful and functional deck will be one of the highlights of a property. Make sure you choose a design that satisfies your desire for beauty as much as functionality.

How much will your deck be used?
How much you use your deck will affect what materials you should be using to build it. Heavy foot traffic? You’ll need something durable. Less foot traffic but lots of elemental exposure? Something different still. This will also impact how often you’ll need to resurface or re-seal your deck.

What kind of budget do you have?
Think pristine marble beautiful? It does, but it’s also tremendously expensive to both install and upkeep, so it’s not for the average deck builder. Knowing about how much you have to spend on a project will heavily influence what materials you choose.

Will your deck be covered?
Decks that take a lot more abuse from the sun, rain, and other elements will wear out faster than those that don’t. If you want your deck to serve as an oasis, you should plan on combatting the sun with a covering of some sort. Where you situate a deck on your property should also influence what kind of covering you’ll need—if it’s a mostly covered area, you won’t need nearly as much covering as one out in sunlight constantly.

Need assistance waterproofing and preserving your brand new deck? Call the Los Angeles deck waterproofing experts at Capital Deck & Stair Waterproofing today at (888) 508-2966 !