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Fence and Deck Building & Repair Experts
Ice melt is where the sources disagree, so start where Cargill, a de-icer maker, starts: ask the maker of your decking. Composite and PVC boards. The makers split on rock salt (sodium chloride). Trex says calcium chloride or rock salt can be used on its boards, and Fiberon names "a calcium chloride-based 'ice-melt' or rock salt". TimberTech says to use a calcium chloride product, "not rock salt", and MoistureShield says not to use regular rock salt, which it says can damage the walking surface and "corrode deck fasteners and hardware". Calcium chloride is the one product Trex, TimberTech and Fiberon all allow. TimberTech and Fiberon both warn against ice melt with added colour, which can stain the boards. Fiberon says never to use sand, because "Sand abrasion can grind into the decking". Wood decks. The wood-side sources lean against salt. The Western Red Cedar Lumber Association says "if possible, avoid salt or other ice melters", which "may discolor or damage some deck finishes". Viance says not to treat snow or ice with salt because it can damage the finish, and that if you do use a salt-based product, to rinse the excess away once the ice melts "to prevent damage to fasteners and hardware". The home-improvement press does not settle calcium chloride on wood: This Old House and Family Handyman each have one article that recommends it for deck ice and another that says to avoid it. Cargill says it knows of no scientific studies of de-icers on the wood itself. The steel in the deck. Cargill's firmest advice is about metal. Where a deck has metal construction materials, it says to avoid all chloride de-icers, "salt, magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, and potassium chloride", because they are corrosive to steel, and it names calcium magnesium acetate (CMA) and urea as low-corrosion alternatives. Simpson Strong-Tie, which makes joist hangers and deck connectors, lists de-icing salts among the causes of corrosion and puts places where de-icing salts are used in the same class as ocean front, which it rates Severe for treated wood. Simpson is describing salt in the surroundings, such as road mist; it gives no figure for ice melt spread on a deck. Stainless steel can still mark: an engineer answering in the Journal of Light Construction says 304 and 316 stainless "are known to stain in the presence of chloride salts", and that a dark stain is not rust. Whatever goes down, take it off afterward. Trex says to rinse it off "when first practical", and Fiberon, Deckorators and Viance all say to sweep or rinse away what is left once the ice has gone.
A deck is softer than a driveway. The boards have edges that sit a little proud of each other, and the screw heads are just under the surface, so a shovel that is fine on concrete can gouge a deck. Every decking maker and wood-industry source we read agrees on the shovel. Use plastic, not metal. Trex says never to use a metal snow shovel on its early-generation boards, and that a shovel scratch "is not covered under warranty". TimberTech says metal shovels "or plastic shovels with a metal leading edge" will damage its boards, and Deckorators recommends "a plastic snow shovel without a metal edge". Viance, which makes the preservatives in treated lumber, says a metal shovel can scratch and dent a deck.Push along the boards, not across them. Fiberon says shovelling crossways "greatly increases the potential that you will catch the edge" of a board. The Western Red Cedar Lumber Association gives the same advice for cedar: run the shovel lengthwise, because going cross-wise "can scratch or cut in to the deck". Leave ice alone. Fiberon says an ice chipper, "even a plastic one", should never be used on its decking, Deckorators says not to break up or scrape ice, and Viance says banging on ice can leave indentations in the deck. If the only shovel you own is metal, Viance suggests leaving a thin layer of snow and sweeping it off later with a broom. For a light snowfall, Trex, Fiberon and Deckorators all suggest a broom or a leaf blower in place of a shovel. Where the snow goes matters too. Family Handyman quotes a contractor whose customer pushed all the snow to one side of the deck, which "put twice the weight load on one half of their deck". TimberTech recommends clearing all the snow but says it is not required on a properly installed TimberTech deck. Our snow load guide has the Building Code figures a Niagara deck is built to. Clear the stairs and a path off the deck first: This Old House says to clear snow from wooden decks and stairs promptly, and Fiberon calls a clear path "a separate exit path in case of emergency". The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety's advice for any shovelling holds on a deck too: push the snow rather than lift it.
Every decking maker and wood-industry source we read says no. Trex, TimberTech, Fiberon, Deckorators and Viance all say a metal shovel can scratch or gouge the boards, and TimberTech and Deckorators also rule out a plastic shovel with a metal edge. Push along the boards, not across them.
It depends on who made the boards. Trex and Fiberon say rock salt or calcium chloride can be used. TimberTech and MoistureShield say not to use rock salt. Check your maker's care guide, avoid coloured ice melt, and rinse or sweep it off once the ice is gone.
The sources do not agree. This Old House and Family Handyman each have one article that recommends it for deck ice and one that says to avoid it, and Cargill, which makes de-icers, says it knows of no scientific studies of de-icers on wood. The cedar association and Viance both say to avoid salt where you can.
Chloride de-icers are corrosive to steel, Cargill says, and it advises avoiding them where a deck has metal parts, naming CMA or urea as low-corrosion alternatives. Viance and MoistureShield say salt can damage fasteners and hardware. None of them gives a timescale, and stainless can show a dark stain that is not rust.
TimberTech recommends it but says it is not required on a properly installed TimberTech deck. Keep the stairs and a path clear as a way out, and do not pile the shovelled snow on one side of the deck. Our snow load guide has the Code figures for Niagara.
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