A typical Florida summer is known for two things: rain and humidity. And those two things can cause a lot of damage, cost a lot of dollars, and ultimately tie up a lot of time for owners of waterfront properties, especially on the boards of your dock.
You can’t stop the humidity in southwest Florida but you can stop its effect on your dock.
Choose Your Dock Building Materials Wisely
The first thing you can do to help your dock survive the intense humidity of a Florida summer is to choose the best materials.
Top Materials to Battle Humidity
- Treated. Treated wood is by far the leading choice. The treatment process is designed to resist rot from the elements and decay from insect infestation.
- Composites. Made from recycled plastics and wood fibers, these dock building materials will far outlast any other type of building material for resisting Florida humidity, and dock damage.
When choosing either one of these materials for your Florida boat dock, there is no reason that with proper care and maintenance that you shouldn't get any less than 20 to 25 years of service from your dock.
What Can You Do to Extend The Life of Your Current Florida Boat Dock?
If you already have a dock that is beginning to show some signs of wear and tear and of course the aging brought on by high Florida humidity, there are some proactive measures that you can take to extend the life of that dock.
As the Florida humidity begins to rise to its peak summer boiling point, your current dock may begin to absorb that extra moisture in the air. The decking boards will begin to crack, split, curl, and eventually work themselves free from their attachment points.
Besides looking unsightly, these boards can then become dangerous to even walk on. It's time to take the steps to begin thinking about their replacement.
One of the keys to avoiding dock damage is preventative maintenance and bringing in experts to help you decide what needs to be fixed now and what might be a problem in the future.
At Duncan Seawalls, we can provide your deck with the proper care that will extend the life before the need of a total replacement is inevitable.
Give the team at Duncan Seawalls a call or go by their website and begin to protect your boat dock from the harshness of that Florida humidity.
