How To Remove Snow From Composite Decking Safely

Composite decking has been growing in popularity over the past few decades. This material can last much longer than wood boards, especially in colder climates. If you want to learn how to remove snow from composite decking, continue reading.

The most important step to removing snow and ice from composite decks is to avoid scratching the surface. You will need to avoid using a metal shovel and opt for a plastic one instead. It also helps to work with the direction of the boards so you can prevent damage.

What is Composite Decking?

Invented in the 1980s, composite decking is made of wood fibers that are encased in plastic. It requires much less maintenance compared to traditional wood, as you don’t need to worry about painting, staining, or sealing.

One of the biggest problems with wood decking is that the boards often absorb water when not protected. But composite decking is fully moisture-resistant, which makes them the preferred choice in humid environments.

How To Remove Snow From Composite Decking

Just like other building materials, composite decking requires routine maintenance. You want to avoid using a snow blower, or a metal shovel on the surface. These tools are highly abrasive and can potentially damage the finish.

1. Remove Furniture

It’s important to prepare your deck before winter arrives. As the weather begins to get cooler in the fall, make sure to remove any furniture from the deck.

There are two main reasons why you should follow this routine maintenance task. For starters it will be a pain to work your way around furniture while you are removing snow.

It will take more time overall, which is why you should just keep the deck empty to begin with. But leaving furniture out in the snow all winter long can also cause damage. Extend the life of your tables and chairs by storing them inside for the season.

2. Clean the Surface

Cleaning the deck will also help before the first snow. Begin by sweeping any loose debris from the surface with a broom. It’s common for leaves to build up during the fall and you will need to remove them before any snow.

Once these surface debris have been cleaned, you can move on to washing. You can either scrub the deck down with warm, soapy water, or use a pressure washer.

A pressure washer will be a much more efficient tool, but there’s nothing wrong with doing it by hand. Washing your deck should be part of regular maintenance. It will be harder to remove stubborn grime the longer you wait.

3. Try a Broom

You can safely remove light amounts of snow with a broom. There’s no reason to use a shovel if the snow is less than two inches deep. Decks are not large areas to begin with, so a boom should be able to take the snow away in no time.

You could also try using a leaf blower for small amounts of precipitation. These tools are powerful enough to blow snow right of the deck. Keep in mind that this won’t work on heavy, wet snow.

4. Use a Plastic Shovel

It’s critical to use a plastic shovel on your composite deck if you want to avoid causing any damage. Traditional metal shovels are too abrasive on the surface of the boards and they will cause scratches, dents, and other marks.

A plastic shovel will be safe on the surface as you use the tool for snow removal. Just be aware of plastic shovels that have metal edges. This will cause the same amount of damage – so keep an eye out for this important detail.

5. Follow a Pattern

In order to minimize the risks of damaging composite decking, it helps to shovel in the direction of the boards. In other words, work with the plastic shovel and remove snow vertically (long side) and not horizontally (short side).

This is a more natural direction, as the shovel will glide easily over the surface. If you were to follow the other way the end of the shovel would be making constant contact with each board. This could potentially chip the composite decking as a result.

How To Remove Ice From Composite Decking

There’s no reason to worry if you have removed snow from your composite decking only to discover a layer of ice. This can be removed in just a few minutes of work. Keep in mind that you should never chip away at the ice with your shovel.

You might be able to get away with this on an asphalt driveway, but it will almost always end up damaging the boards. Instead, try using a calcium-based ice melt formula (also known as rock salt). Look for any information on the label that says it will not kill grass, or that it’s safe to use on concrete.

And if you have a dog or cat, look for a pet friendly product. Also make sure to avoid buying rock salt with colorant added, as this will stain the surface of your composite deck. Once the ice has fully melted you can sweep up and discard any remaining rock salt.

Leaving the remaining rock salt can cause damage if people drag their feet across the deck surface. But you also want to avoid getting these small salt rocks inside your home.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully this article has taught you how to remove snow from composite decking. Even though this building material lasts longer than traditional wood, there are some important maintenance tips you need to follow.

Using a broom or plastic shovel will always be the safest method when it comes to snow removal. This will decrease the risk of scratching and damaging your composite decking.

But you should also remove snow in the direction of the wood. It’s critical to work with the grain and avoid going against it. This tip is less forceful and it will lower the chance of an abrasive shovel chipping away at the surface.

How To Remove Snow From Composite Decking Safely

What is Composite Decking?