Cloak - Vinyl Decks and Aluminum Railings

So, you're researching decking options or have just had a new vinyl membrane installed on your deck. These maintenance tips will help you to keep your deck looking new for many years to come. The only regular maintenance of your vinyl deck, other than general cleaning, is an  annual inspection. - Check all areas where sealants have been applied to areas where the decking membrane is in junction with the building, posts, columns, vents and drains. Often the areas where this sealant is applied will expand/contract, shrink or shift causing the sealant to crack, thereby breaking the seal. - Check all seams to make sure there are no openings. Although unusual, seams can open allowing water to penetrate the vinyl deck. When discovered early, repairing seams is an easy repair. Contact us to have these repairs done quickly. General Cleaning Your vinyl deck should be cleaned a minimum of four times per year. More often if acid rain or airborne pollution are a problem in your area....

Vinyl rolls come in either 6 foot or 4.5 foot rolls. On most decks this means that two sheets or more are going to have to be joined together in order to cover the entire surface of the deck. This is done by using an industrial heat gun to 'weld' the back of one PVC sheet to the surface of the other. To keep the manufactures warranty intact, this overlap needs to be a minimum 3/4 of in inch, resulting in a doubled up layer across the deck. This join is higher then the rest of the vinyl (you may have noticed these lines running through the vinyl decks you have seen). The height of this join for some is an ugly detail, but beyond appearances, it can trap water, dirt, and can be a catch point for furniture and snow shovel...with the risk of opening the seam. To get around this a 'flushed seam' detail is used. We recess the overlap height into the plywood with a carefully planned router and guide method, sinking the vinyl into wood, leaving a nice level surface. ...