How to Shovel Snow Off a Deck

Shoveling snow off your deck will increase its life span so it’s important to learn how to do it right!

• Use a plastic, or rubber-tipped shovel with rounded corners. The sharp edge of a metal shovel will scratch the surface of any material, affecting the integrity of preservatives and scarring the appearance.

• Go with the grain, not against it, gently shoveling the length of each deck board. If you shovel across, you will scratch, or dent the decking.

• For decks that have a herringbone, or other pattern, extra care must be taken. Consider using a soft bristle broom.

• If you have an older, or pressure treated deck, we encourage you to be extra cautious as the boards may be fragile.

• DO NOT use rock salt on your deck, no matter what kind of decking you have. Rock salt is never recommended for wood. Wood absorbs and releases moisture and expands and contracts throughout the year. If you put a corrosive, chemical product on a wood deck, you are counteracting the natural processes, making the wood more brittle and less stable. Applying rock salt to wood could ruin it forever, plus rock salt not eco-friendly. It also is not recommended for areas where a pet may walk because the salt dries out the naturally moist foot pads your dog or cat has, leading to cracking and splitting. Rock salt will also stain your deck. If traction is needed, opt for something natural like sand.

• Do not let snow sit on top of your deck and melt on its own. It’s a good idea to keep the moisture off a pressure-treated wood or cedar deck as much as possible. Constant moisture from snow cover will wear stained or weathered boards more quickly decreasing the life of those boards. Allowing the sun to dry the deck off will slow down the natural weathering of cedar wood.

• Composite products vary because of the different makeup of each one. Check with the manufacturer’s website for more information on snow removal for composites.

• Vinyl decking is the most resistant to water absorption. Leaving a thin layer of snow or ice will leave a very slippery layer on top of the deck boards though, so beware.

• To keep your deck looking great, remove all plants, planters, and any debris that falls on the deck during the winter. 

A little maintenance, even in the cold winter months, can ensure that you will be enjoying the beauty of your deck surface for many years to come.

Six Ways to Recycle a Christmas Tree

Real Christmas trees do not have to be thrown away after the first use. Here are 6 ways you can recycle your Christmas tree once you are ready to take it down.

1. Find Your Local Recycling Center

Many cities now have recycling services that will pick up your Christmas tree or provide drop-off locations. The tree may be used by local organizations for a variety of purposes. You can find a location near you by checking Earth911.com

2. Make Your Own Mulch

If you have access to a wood chipper, you can make your own garden mulch. Use a saw to cut the Christmas tree into smaller pieces to fit into the chipper. The wood chips can be used around your plants, in your compost bin, and for garden paths.

3. Provide a Bird Habitat

If you have room in your backyard, Christmas trees make excellent bird habitats. Remove all of the decorations. Make sure there is no tinsel or flocking. You will need to secure the tree by using the stand or stakes and twine. Provide the birds with food by making pinecone bird feeders, using suet holders, and hanging strings of popcorn or fresh fruit.

4. Create a Fish Habitat

If you have a pond, you can place cut-up pieces of your Christmas tree on the bottom to create places for fish to hide. You can also call your state's Department of Natural Resources to see if they need trees for this purpose. Remove all decorations. It is especially important that the tree is free of tinsel, and has not been flocked or treated in any other way.

5. Help Stop Shoreline Erosion

Christmas trees can be used to help reduce erosion on shorelines of oceans, lakes or rivers. The branches and trunk provide barriers that help lessen the amount of sand washed away by the water. They can also help rebuild areas, especially after hurricanes, by collecting sand deposits. Check with your state's Department of Natural Resources to see if they have a need for your Christmas tree.

6. Decorate Your House with Wreaths and Garlands

Cut off the branches and use them to make winter wreaths or garlands to decorate your house throughout the season. You can add scented pinecones to complement the wonderful smell of fresh trees. 

Building a fence that keeps peace among neighbors is a simple, stress-free project as long as you plan properly. Discuss your intentions with your immediate neighbors. They may be considering a similar project, in which case you might be able to pool your resources and share the costs of a dividing fence.

If your neighbors are not interested, nothing prevents you from building a fence on your own property. Just add a buffer of a few extra inches to be sure that you install all the fence components well and truly on your side. Check the local building regulations with your municipality, especially with respect to minimum and maximum heights, minimum distance between your fence and adjacent homes, model of fence and materials. A permit may well be required.

Next, look at your needs, your home’s surroundings and the neighborhood to help you decide what style of fence you want, how you will install it, and the materials you will use. Is it intended as a purely aesthetic landscaping feature? Are you looking for absolute privacy or to create a ‘psychological’ separation? Will it be used to control access to a pool, protect the children’s play area or prevent your dog from escaping?

Once you have answered these questions, you will be on your way to building a "neighbor-friendly" fence. Using a professional fence contractor, like Long® Fence, to design and install the fence is a good choice too. Too often, "do-it-yourselfers" miss important steps in the process or do not end up with a finished product that is aesthetically pleasing to all.

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