07
May

It’s important to prepare your home for wildfires. Even if you have just had it built with Class A rated products, there are limitations to the materials. Getting the rest of the home ready is essential. This is especially the case for decks.

You may want cedar or redwood for decking. This looks beautiful, but they require a lot of maintenance. Then there’s pine, which is more durable but there are some chemical toxicity levels to consider. On top of all this, you’re looking at wood, which means it’s going to be easier to burn than other products.

Treating Your Decks with the Right Products

If you already have a wooden deck, you may just want to start from scratch instead of looking for ways to fix any potential problems. If you are just building a deck, you’ll need to get the right products. Any wood you choose needs to be treated with a fire retardant.

There are some woods that can be rated Class A. This is usually due to the products that the wood is treated with, but it will cost around 25% more than the untreated options. It’s worth it for safety, but that doesn’t mean you have the money.

When building, consider using fire-rated capped composite materials. These are made with recycled materials and will have a protective plastic cap like Trex Transcend, TimberTech Evolutions, or Fiberon Horizon. Just keep in mind that PVC decks can end up melting.

Updating a Current Deck

If you already have a deck, you may want to treat the wood rather than start all over again. You’ll want something like Fire Kote 100 or Flame Stop II. It’s cheaper than building a whole new deck and should last around five years to give it a Class A resistance. Make sure the deck has 48 hours to dry fully.

You’ll need to remove any old staining first. It’s important that you work with bare wood to make sure the coating soaks all the way in. Then you can re-stain it when the resistant chemicals have dried.

You’ll also want to look at the support posts. If you can’t replace the whole deck, consider replacing the posts with heaver timbers. They take longer to burn, which could make all the difference in saving your home.
Nothing is perfect whe it comes to decking. You’ll need to maintain them, whichever type of material you choose, and you’ll still need to set up your zones to ensure you limit the risk of fires reaching your house.