Expert Tips on Maintaining Your Holiday Home Decking Throughout the Year

However, to fully benefit from your decking and holiday home, you will want to maintain it throughout the year, keeping it clean and in good condition.

Not only will this keep it looking nice, but maintenance means it will be safe whenever. But as the seasons change, so should your maintenance routines.

At Vinyl Solutions, we are experts in decking. With 20 years of experience designing and installing premium decking solutions for holiday homes, caravans and lodges across the country, we have seen how differing levels of maintenance impact the materials and usability of the area. This is why we recommend year-round maintenance.

In this blog, we share expert tips on maintaining your holiday home decking throughout the year.

Understanding Your Decking Material

Before diving into some practical maintenance tips, you must understand the material used for your decking.

There are several popular materials used for decking, from wood to composite to PVC. Each one will have differing maintenance needs as they react differently to weather changes.

Wood decking is the traditional decking material and will have a grain pattern. This is probably the easiest of materials to determine because of its popularity and distinct nature. However, due to more recent safety regulations wood is rarely used on holiday parks as the preferred decking material.

The more difficult differentiation is between PVC and composite materials as these both exhibit the same properties. Composite materials will look more natural as they contain wood fibres. If you look closely at composite decking you will find inconsistent spots of organic matter, whereas a PVC decking will have a more consistent look and feel up close.

Seasonal Maintenance Tips

As the seasons change, the maintenance and cleaning routines will need to adapt as you will face different causes of dirt and grime, and the decking will face different weather.

Spring Maintenance

As the weather warms up, spring is likely when you start making the most of your decking. With this in mind, you might want to do a full spring clean. This would mean moving any furniture around to give the flooring a thorough clean to remove debris and any algae that might have gathered during the cooler and wetter months.

Start by simply sweeping the decking to remove large bits of foliage or detritus. Then, mop it down with some warm, soapy water.

If you have a PVC decking, spring is also the best time to revitalise any fading, weathering stains or minor scratches with E2 PVC Deck REVITALISER. This eco-friendly cleaner will make your decking look brand new while enhancing its UV protection in time for summer.

When finishing up your spring clean, it is also worth paying attention to the glass clamps used on your balustrades or glass surroundings with a glass clamp cleaning kit, which will help you remove rust to keep these minute details shining.

Summer Maintenance

During summer, you want to minimise the impact of the sun’s UV rays on the decking, as this can cause fading for some wood or composite decking.

If you have a wooden or composite decking, you can stain and reseal it, which can provide UV protection.

Throughout summer, you might want to put additional protection in place to keep your flooring from getting too hot and reduce the UV rays hitting the floor when it is at peak strength.

This could include:

• Installing parasols or umbrellas
• Adding a misting system
• Install a roof or awning
• Integrate a shade sail

Autumn Maintenance

Maintenance throughout the autumn months can often seem thankless at the time because as soon as you clear one set of leaves away, there is more. However, it is worth doing regularly, as it will prevent mould and mildew on the decking surface.

Of course, you could also complete a post-summer deep clean using soap and warm water. You might also choose to put down a protective layer this season, having not done it earlier in the year because you were using the space.

Make sure you use this time to seal the decking if you haven’t already, as this will help your decking survive winter.

Winter Maintenance

Getting your decking winter-ready is an important part of maintaining your decking. The harsh cold that creates freezing temperatures and snow can be problematic for decking in the long run.

It is important that you clear ice and snow away from the decking as regularly as possible, as this will prevent moisture issues, which can weaken the structure over time. If you have wood or composite decking, don’t use a metal shovel, as this can scratch the surface.

While it might be tempting to put down rock salts to melt any ice, it isn’t advisable as they can damage the surface of the decking in the thawing process.

Essential Cleaning Routines

Throughout the year, it is important to regularly clean the decking. This can be anything from a quick sweep in autumn to remove leaf and foliage build-up to a good scrub with warm water and soap to using cleaning products such as the glass clamp cleaner.

If something spills or there is an accident that could stain the material, be quick to act so that you don’t give it a chance to leave a mark.

Long-Term Preventative Maintenance

While each of these steps will work towards preventing damage over the long term, there are a number of care tips we wanted to pull out to emphasise their importance in long-term care.

• Sealants and stains – It is important to apply a sealant and protective layers to prevent moisture from getting into the decking and fading occurring.
• Regular inspections – when possible, inspect each aspect of the decking, checking for damage and wear and tear.
• Reactive repairs – if you spot damage, repair it as quickly as possible to minimise the impact of that damage on other parts of the decking.
• Trim bushes and plants – keep bushes and plants that surround the decking trimmed so they don’t drop their leaves and flowers on the decking or overgrow around the decking.
• Keep drains clear – facilitate easy drainage to reduce flooding so water doesn’t sit on or around the decking structure.

Speak To Our Team

The team at Vinyl Solutions are decking experts. While we focus on designing, manufacturing and installing composite and PVC decking, we know that maintenance is an important part of having decking fitted for your caravan, holiday home or lodge.

With unparalleled knowledge of these materials, we can provide helpful guidance on how to look after your outdoor extended area so that you can keep using it for years to come.

We offer a selection of cleaning products to help you keep your decking looking brand new and prevent weathering and damage.

Shop online today, or give us a call at 01202 650 700 to discuss maintenance needs.