MoistureShield® Deck Safety Month: Time to Check Your Deck!

Whether your deck is in your backyard, around the pool, or home to your outdoor kitchen, this outdoor space is a wonderful place for gathering with family and friends. As more and more people spend time together outside on their decks, it’s important that these areas remain as safe as they are functional.

Of the more than 60 million decks in the U.S., it’s estimated that half are past their useful life and need to be replaced or repaired. That’s 30 million decks that are potentially unsafe! It is crucial for homeowners to have their decks inspected to verify the integrity of these spaces to ensure user safety, extend the deck’s lifespan, improve appearance, and increase livability.

“Your roof has a life expectancy. Your windows have a life expectancy. What about your deck?” Says Michael Beaudry, executive vice president of the North American Deck and Railing Association (NADRA). “Consider the snowfall accumulations from just this past year. These heavy loads cause additional stress on outdoor structures and create a need to evaluate. It’s time to Check Your Deck^®!”

Homeowners can access NADRA’s resources to Check Your Deck^®, which includes a 10-Point Deck Safety Consumer Checklist. This resource offers a step-by-step guide for visually inspecting the deck for safety concerns such as corroding fasteners, decaying materials, loose railings, inadequate lighting, and more. Although not a substitute for a professional deck inspection, the checklist is a helpful tool to assist homeowners.

Looking for a Long-lasting, Low-maintenance Deck Option You Rarely Have to “Check?”

If you’re looking for a real-wood look that’s low maintenance and will last for years and years, MoistureShield has an incredible option. Our composite decking offers amazing strength and outlasts traditional wood by years. In fact, MoistureShield composite decking is the only decking product with zero structural field failures for more than 30 years.

The key to MoistureShield’s longevity is our proprietary solid core—an impermeable barrier that fights damage from moisture, rot, insects and other harmful elements. MoistureShield is the strongest and only composite deck boards in the industry that can be installed in the ground, on the ground or underwater without any structural performance issues. Additional features in some of the collections include CoolDeck^® Technology, which offers a more comfortable deck experience by reducing heat up to 35% over other composites in similar colors. Our DiamondDefense™ Coating creates the strongest composite cap in the industry to resist damage from scratches, stains and fading.

Next-Level Decking

You can now take your outdoor living space to the next level with new MoistureShield Stratos™ composite enhanced PVC decking. Stratos combines the best features of both wood composites and PVC decking to stay lightweight while delivering stronger and longer-lasting performance than any PVC decking on the market. Plus, Stratos also offers our CoolDeck^® Technology as well as our unique TruTexture™ Surface delivers the most realistic wood look and texture all backed by incredibly strong scratch, impact and fade protection.

Railing to Better Protect Your Deck

MoistureShield also offers a wide range of deck railing including aluminum, composite, and steel deck railing systems that provide worry-free safety and enduring style. Best of all, when it comes to maintenance, MoistureShield decks and railing systems just need periodic cleaning with a hose or pressure washer to ensure they last for a long time. Check out our railing options to learn more about the quality of our various railing systems and determine what material best matches your style and needs.

Remember, if you have an older deck or you’re thinking about one for the future, safety should be a major consideration to protect you and your loved ones. Traditional wood decks are functional but come with yearly maintenance and repair, especially as they age. MoistureShield makes a solid choice for years of safety, plus long-lasting and low-maintenance enjoyment.