Sun damage is caused by heat from the sun. Some building
materials deal better with heat than others. The picture below provides
you with an excellent example of a wood stairway that is starting to
suffer from sun damage.
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Extreme Climates And Wood Sun Damage
I've seen lumber crack, split, shrink and even separate from the
building, because of the heat from the sun. I've watched certain parts
of a brand-new home, suffer and eventually fail, because of the weather.
What's worse than the sun is the combination of the heat and the cold.
In the night temperatures can drop below freezing and then during the
hotter parts of the day, can be well over 100°. This will cause lumber
to expand and contract. Every single day, until it starts to develop
cracks.
It isn't long before the small cracks turn into larger ones and then
split. I've seen the ends of wood beams split and actually curl, if
these splits continue, they can actually weaken the beam and cause it to
fail.
Sun Damage And Maintenance
If you live in an area where temperatures during the day are often above
90°, for long periods, you will need to provide some type of protection
for the building materials. Make sure that you paint and make the
necessary repairs, when needed.
A few years ago I was in Arizona, where there was a stairway that was
practically falling apart, because it wasn't maintained. This set of
stairs was exposed to the sun, all day long and nobody cared.
I'm going to share a little secret with you, when I say that nobody
cared, I guarantee you, that the property owner did. If that property
owner didn't, I guarantee you that the next one did. It's a lot easier
to buy 5 gallons of paint and hire a painter, to maintain a set sun
damaged stairs. Than it is to remove and replace a set of stairs and
then buy the paint and hire the painter, anyway.
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