A properly sloped vinyl deck with no punchers will last a long time but if the water starts to pool on the deck this is the sign that something is wrong; ether the slope has changed as the ground has shifted under the deck or there is a leak. Many decks do not have a sufficient slope for the water to run off, once they have the combination of a pool and a small leak, this is the beginning of the  end.

Rotting the sheeting under the vinyl and creating a sag which is now a pool of water that grows bigger each year. There are many accidental punctures throughout the vinyl on a deck which do nothing at first but as the water manages to flow, into the supporting framing and plywood sheeting, the vinyl now on top of the plywood with the water in between prevents the water from evaporating, holding the moisture in to the wood and accelerating the rotting process. The vinyl, which protected the wooden framing from moisture, is now the moisture proof barrier witch will guarantee the disintegration of the deck.

Don’t drop steak knives on your vinyl deck! Things like your barbecue utensils and pointy high-heel shoes should be kept away and that old patio chair with the missing leg-end cap will just make another hole every time somebody sits in it. The hole may not even be visible but once the water gets it cannot get out.

I hope what I have said here will start many people thinking about things I will never do on my vinyl deck

Murray