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Article: Hit the deck: Get your outdoor party pad in shape for summer now
- Article from:
- Lake Villa Review (IL)
- Article date:
- May 22, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2008, Lake Villa Review, Pioneer Press. All rights reserved. REPRODUCTION PROHIBITED. (Hide copyright information)
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Any longtime deck owner in Chicagoland knows the area's seasonal weather can have deleterious effects on their outdoor party pad.
Dave Marion of the Arlington Heights-based Pro Coat, Inc., explained just how sun, precipitation, heat and cold, and ubiquitous environmental factors wreak havoc on the wood that makes-up a deck.
"Exposure to the sun breaks down the wood fiber. Moisture that enters the wood expands and contracts and tears apart the wood fiber, and bacteria and algae eat the surface of the wood," he said.
For these reasons, Marion said, a deck requires steadfast maintenance, which includes cleaning and staining or sealing.
"The horizontal surfaces, or everything that faces the sky, ...