Five Tips For Keeping Your Decking Cool On Sizzling Summer Days. Decking is becoming increasingly popular among homeowners looking for ways to create outdoor living spaces. These areas act like rooms in your garden, allowing you to enjoy your lifestyle while getting some much-needed fresh air at the same time.
But there’s a problem: decking areas have a nasty habit of getting warm in the summer. Too warm, if you ask some!
Fortunately, there are several things that you can do to keep them fresh. Take a look at the following ideas.
Invest In A Mist Fan
Mist fans are amazing devices – and fun to use even if summers don’t get hot in your neck of the woods. On the outside, they look similar to regular fans. However, when you turn them on, they emit a spray of fine water particles and the action of the fan turns into mist. The mist then evaporates in hot weather, cooling the air coming from the fan. It’s kind of ingenious. It is like having an air conditioning unit but outside.
Because mist fans rely on evaporation, they work best in dry, arid climates. In humid areas, the effect is less pronounced.
Get A Retractable Awning
When it comes to keeping your decking fresh, shade is your friend. By stopping the sun’s light from hitting the deck material, you prevent it from heating up and making your decking area uncomfortably warm. Having a retractable awning also means that you can bask in direct sunlight when it’s not too hot, giving you the best of both worlds.
Invest In A Permanent, Reflective Roof
If you really want to stop your decking from getting too warm, then your best bet is to invest in a permanent, reflective roof. As light comes down from the sun, white or reflective roofs bounce it back into space, preventing it from imparting any energy from your terrace area.
Buy Heat-Proof Furniture
Metal, wooden, and even some plastic outdoor furniture can heat up excessively in direct sunlight, making it uncomfortable for you to sit on. The furniture absorbs energy contained in light, causing the material to heat up so much that it could burn your bottom.
Now, though, a range of manufacturers sell so-called “heat-proof” outdoor chairs and recliners – furniture that will remain cool to the touch, even in direct sunlight.
Install A Ceiling Fan
If you have a roof over your decking, you may be able to install a ceiling fan.
The way that ceiling fans work is very similar to how mist fans work. Both rely on evaporation of one kind or another.
But whereas mist fans rely on the evaporation of water fed through the device itself, ceiling fans rely on your sweat. The cool breeze from ceiling fans interacts with water droplets on the surface of your skin, causing them to evaporate and thereby keeping you cool. Thus, these fans simply speed up the way that nature keeps you cool anyway.
So, how will you keep yourself comfortable while out on your decking this summer?