Boardwalks help protect the ecosystem in dunes, wetlands, and other sensitive areas by keeping foot traffic off the valuable plants. Like other walkways, however, they need to be maintained. The wood, concrete, or even composite structure can degrade over time, and sometimes repairs need to be made. Treating the material for additional durability, cleaning, and inspections should all be completed regularly.

DIY Maintenance versus Professional Maintenance

In many cases, it’s entirely reasonable to maintain a boardwalk or any other wooden structure yourself, and we previously put together a blog with some tips to help you. The advantage to doing the work yourself is that it saves some money. But, proper maintenance takes time. If you’re inexperienced in the work, or if you don’t know what to watch for while inspecting the structure, it can take even more time. If you have plenty of time and know how to inspect the structure, you may want to do at least part of the maintenance.

Hiring Nature Bridges to maintain your boardwalk can be a timesaver for you. We’ll properly inspect all of the boards and hardware, check the connections, and reseal or repaint all of the surfaces. The short-term cost can also save you money in the long run. If you happen to miss something while inspecting, it could lead to major repairs down the road.

Maintaining Boardwalks in Sensitive Areas