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Snow Salting and Sanding: Essential Techniques for Safe Winter Surfaces

RDK Landscaping

Winter weather often brings icy conditions that can make walkways, driveways, and roads hazardous. Snow salting and sanding are crucial methods for improving traction and ensuring safety during the winter months. Whether you’re managing a commercial property, a residential area, or a public space, understanding the proper techniques for salting and sanding can help prevent accidents and keep surfaces safe. Here’s a comprehensive guide to snow salting and sanding.

Understanding Snow Salting and Sanding
Snow salting: This involves spreading salt or other de-icing agents on surfaces to lower the freezing point of water, which helps melt ice and prevent new ice from forming.

Sanding: Sand is applied to provide traction on icy surfaces, making it easier to walk or drive without slipping.

Choosing the Right Salt

Rock salt: This is the most common and cost-effective de-icing agent. It works well in moderate cold conditions and is suitable for most surfaces.

Calcium chloride: Effective at lower temperatures than rock salt, calcium chloride is ideal for extremely cold conditions. It also works faster but is more expensive.

Magnesium chloride: This is another alternative that works well in cold temperatures and is less corrosive to surfaces and vehicles.

Applying Salt Effectively

Pre-treatment: Apply salt before a storm to prevent snow and ice from bonding to the surface.

This is especially useful for anticipating snowfall and reducing ice buildup.
Post-treatment: After snow removal, apply salt to remaining patches of ice and areas where snow might refreeze. This helps in maintaining clear and safe surfaces.

Application rate: Use approximately 1 pound of salt per 100 square feet for effective melting. Avoid over-salting, as excessive use can damage surfaces and harm the environment.

Sanding for Traction

When to sand: Apply sand after salting or when ice is too thick for salt alone to be effective. Sand provides immediate traction and reduces slipperiness.

Application method: Spread sand evenly over icy surfaces. Use a sand spreader for large areas or scatter it manually for smaller spaces. Ensure the sand is clean and free from debris.

Safety Considerations

Avoid overuse: Excessive salt and sand can damage pavement, vegetation, and local waterways. Use these materials judiciously to minimize environmental impact.
Protective gear: When applying salt or sand, wear gloves, boots, and protective clothing to avoid skin irritation and to stay warm.

Environmental Impact and Alternatives

Eco-friendly options: Consider using eco-friendly deicers and sand alternatives. Products like beet juice, cheese brine, or sand with additives can be less harmful to the environment. Proper disposal: Dispose of leftover salt and sand properly. Avoid dumping it in areas where i can wash into storm drains or waterways.

Post-Winter Maintenance

Clean-up: After the winter season, clean up any residual salt and sand. This helps prevent long- term damage to surfaces and minimizes environmental impact.

Evaluate and plan: Assess how well you’re salting and sanding strategies worked throughout the season. Make adjustments to improve effectiveness for future winters.

Effective snow salting and sanding are key to maintaining safe and accessible surfaces during winter. By choosing the right materials, applying them correctly, and considering environmental impacts, you can manage winter hazards and keep your property safe throughout the season.

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Experts in tree removal, stump  demolition, stump removal, tree trimming, tree mulching, tree pruning and emergency tree removal  in Buffalo, NY

Read our Reviews!!

Todd Wilhelm
Todd Wilhelm
2024-10-01
Had sod installed at my house in Amherst. Job done very quickly and well. Highly recommended. Will be using them again for spring 2025 project.
Md Mia
Md Mia
2024-09-27
RDK Tree Service removed a large maple by the power lines. It was definitely not a easy job. They did the job safely and did it rather quickly. I will definitely recommend them for your tree services.
Bike Lover
Bike Lover
2024-09-27
Residing in Buffalo NY, and needed to remove a large tree in the backyard and front yard. The crew did a fantastic job with removing it along with the stump. We are so impressed. Thank you RDK!
selvachandran saravanan
selvachandran saravanan
2024-09-25
Did a job here in my rental property in Amherst of removing two 60-70ft pine trees with stump removal and prepped an area for parking. RDK Landscaping is the one you should go to with your tree and landscaping/hardscaping needs. They are just the best overall!!
jackary Rootis
jackary Rootis
2024-09-24
I highly recommend them. Great crew, Super easy to work with. They’re doing a great job out here in East Amherst. Not only did I use them, but my neighbor and their son did as well and we couldn’t be happier.
DIANE Abram: Toot-Toot Daycare
DIANE Abram: Toot-Toot Daycare
2024-09-21
I hope these pictures speak for itself. I had called couple of companies to my property in Northampton, Buffalo, but only RDK Landscaping had come out so quick to give a quote for a project we started and couldn’t finish. They were so quick, efficient and had completed the project in about 2 days. They did a beautiful job, and answered all my questions throughout the entire process. I am so very thrilled about the results and could not recommend more! They are doing wonderful projects.
Dan Duggan
Dan Duggan
2024-09-19
RDK Landscaping did an amazing job! We had 8 dead ash trees at our property in Clarence that needed to be taken down given their proximity to the house and garage, in addition to two trees close to the power lines. I was very impressed with how quickly Roy and his team responded, came out to the property and got the job done. I would highly recommend them!
Andres Martinez
Andres Martinez
2024-09-14
Everybody at RDK Landscaping was a pleasure to deal with, we had a big project with them to clear up some really overgrown gardens beds around our garage, they went above and beyond making our space useable again. Once the project was complete they made sure to clean everything up and even cleared some weeds we had on our driveway that we hadn’t even mention to them. Can’t recommend them enough and will be calling them first for any future landscaping projects.
Esther Guess
Esther Guess
2024-09-12
The guys were quick and effective at getting all that ivy down. Great work!

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