INSPECT YOUR PATIO FOR ICE AND SNOW DAMAGE

Having just come through one of the biggest snow storms ever, most of the country is digging out and hoping for warmer weather. This has been a very cold winter across much of the United States and with snow and ice comes the possibility for damage to any kind of patio surface.

With snow comes freezing ice and that can do a lot of damage to concrete and any other kind of stone that your patio is made out of. All you have to do is go out driving your car to see and feel the new pot holes that expanding ice have created to realize just how powerful it is.

If you live in one the part of the country that has had a very harsh winter, there might be some damage to your patio that you need to investigate. Your patio might be made of flagstone, slate, brick, tile, or just regular concrete but it doesn't matter: when the temperature gets warmer and spring approaches you will want to get out and take a look. Hopefully your patio will have escaped any damage but it makes sense to survey the situation if it hasn't.

Ice that expands can do all sorts of things including raising some parts of the patio and creating new hazards. It can break off parts of concrete and stone and depending on the damage, you may need to get it repaired before you use the patio. You want your guests and yourself to be safe and you will want to make sure there is nothing protruding from the ground that could cause people to trip.

So, before you get all excited about the new year and all the backyard patio ideas you have, check everything for safety first. The sooner you catch things that need to be repaired, the easier it is to fix them anyway.