Ways To Winterize Your Outdoor Floors On A Budget
Seeing the thick snow covering the surface as you look outside makes you worried about your pool decks, patios, and concrete driveways.
Your outdoor San Diego floors could withstand any impact from harsh weather if they consist of concrete materials.
However, winter seasons would be worse for concrete as the snow melts on the surface, exposing the material to excessive water and moisture.
A winterization process protects the flooring slabs from the adverse winter effect.
Know about four practical ways you can winterize the floors in today’s article.
- Seal Concrete Surface
- Repair any signs of damage
- Store all furniture and items outside
- Enclose the Area
Four Common Ways To Winterize Outdoor Concrete Floors
1. Seal Concrete Surface
You might hear of concrete sealers that repel heat and remain stable under the UV rays. But how about a floor sealer that would protect the concrete from the snow?
The snow would not be the main problem. However, when the ice melts and water begins to leak on the surface down the concrete reinforcement, then there will arise a real problem.
The solution to this is concrete sealers. Most pre-made sealers are accessible for your nearby market.
The sealers help close the pores of the cement, preventing any moisture from leaking inside the core slabs.
The most would remain on the surface of the concrete and would evaporate, giving it no time to go inside the cement.
It is essential to ask concrete sealing contractors if the outdoor floor, like your concrete patio, has sealers on them.
It is also best to use the same type of sealer from its existing one if you need to reseal or add a new layer to prepare for winter.
2. Repair Any Signs Of Damage
This second method is crucial that you do it before winter arrives. Before the snow begin to fall and the climate drops, make sure to have checked every part of the property.
See every flooring in and out.
Give attention to the exterior concrete by ensuring no cracks or holes on the surface.
Having them exist would soon cause problems when the ice melts on the surface as winter passes.
Check out this blog for more basic cleaning tips for your concrete before winter arrives.
3. Store All Furniture And Items Outside
Another practical way to care for the floor during winter without any complex technology is to declutter the outdoors.
Before and during winter, as you see snow begin to fall., make sure that you free the outdoor flooring space of metal devices.
Store away your garden tools that may freeze or get buried in the deep snow.
The material would rust and eventually leave a chemical reaction on the flooring surface when that happened.
Do this, on the driveways where you usually leave your tools, especially for the materials used for car repairs and other metallic items.
Storing them in an outdoor storage cabinet would help make your concrete driveways and floors neat and organized under the snow.
4. Enclose The Area
Last but not least, before the snow thickens and melts into a pond of water, make sure to enclose any outdoor area when possible.
For example, you have an indoor patio, and if it used to have open windows and ceilings during fall and spring.
When the cold breeze rushes in, you should close any openings in the indoor patio.
For outdoor patios, it is best to cover the concrete floor with heavy rugs or plastic sheets, as well as to your driveways.
Doing this would also help you prevent scratching the concrete surface with the shovel and damaging the sealer you applied to it beforehand.