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I rebuilt our covered porch out of pressure treated lumber a couple of summers ago. This past summer, we retreated it with Thompson's Water Seal. It's now winter, and we've actually had a cold spell with some snow. We've got some icy patches on the porch and I just scattered some ice melt on it to clear them away. (We're expecting the UPS guy, so I thought I'd be nice.)

I plan on keeping an eye on it during the day today and sweeping the water off to drain it between the deck boards as soon as I've noticed it's melted, but I'm not sure if it is necessary or if it is overkill.

Am I likely to cause significantly more damage to the sealed, pressure treated decking (or worse to the supports underneath that I can't see) by having salty water sitting on them as opposed to the damage that would occur by having plain rain water/snow melt sitting on them?

FreeMan
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  • You say salt water from ice melt.... Ice melt is not salt. Ice melt contains ingredients that create an exothermic reaction with the water to heat and melt the snow. Salt on the other hand (rock salt, road salt, table salt) do contain a salt that lowers the freezing temp of the snow /ice... I which may destroy some finishes and materials. If you are using ice melt, make sure the product says safe for plants and or animals, they should be less destructive. – Gunner Feb 09 '21 at 14:36
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    Most "ice melt" around here at least is NaCl - common salt. There are other products, often a mix of other salts like CaCl2 (Calcium Chloride) or MgCl2 (Magnesium Chloride). But these cause wood damage also but just a bit less than NaCl. – jwh20 Feb 09 '21 at 14:42
  • Unless it's an all the time thing I wouldn't lose sleep over it. – dandavis Feb 09 '21 at 20:14

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Yes, water damages wood and salty water damages it faster. If at all possible do not use ice-melting salts on wood decks. If you must, wash it off and let the deck try as soon as possible afterward. Keep your coatings refreshed.

jwh20
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