Gardens
can be an ideal retreat in the summertime. When you’re not cutting grass,
weeding or trimming bushes they give you the opportunity to extend your
relaxation space outside. To properly enjoy it and love spending time out there
can take some design and planning.
What’s the deal with gardens
anyway?
Until
the 19th century, only the rich nobility had maintained gardens. The land was
traditionally used for farming so being able to use an area for decoration with
a lawn was the equivalent of parking a Ferarri on your drive. The commoners
were much less fortunate, needing their land for growing vegetables. As time
has passed, property owners have been keen to show off their well-maintained
lawns as a subtle broadcast of their excess land. The invention of the
lawnmower made a tidy lawn even more accessible and a well trimmed, flower
trimmed area of grass became the ultimate statement.
People
are now moving away from grass and flowers, choosing to create more useable
space for eating and entertaining.
There
are lots of ways to create your perfect outdoor space; concrete, pressed
concrete, patio stones, crazy paving, block paving, decking or composite decking. Each requires different skills to install and have
different costs. But taking all factors into consideration Composite Decking
Boards are the best option. Here’s why:
1. You will probably leave
your home before you need to change your deck.
Composite
decking is very durable and comes with extensive warranties – often as long as
15 years for residential installations. In addition, the expected life
expectancy of composite decking is between 20-30 years. What you won't need to
do is invest in the costly and time consuming annual cleaning, sanding,
staining and waxing required for maintaining timber decks. Similarly, with
concrete installations, the question is when not if the cracks will start to
appear. Concrete is especially susceptible to weather changes and
settling. Unlike composite decking,
making repairs to timber, concrete or patio slabs can be almost impossible to
maintain surface and colour consistency so any repairs will always be noticeable.
If any damage occurs to your composite boards, you can simply replace the board
with a replacement of the same colour.
2. Responsibility for the
environment.
Considering
the environment is becoming a major factor for consumers, from car emissions to
recyclable packaging. Composite decking is manufactured from a mixture of
recycled wood, recycled plastic and various additives (colours and bonding
agents). This process proves to have no impact on deforestation and every deck
produced prevents some plastic ending up in a landfill.
3. Composite boards can
stand up to animals.
Young
children especially love being outdoors. Learning about the world and
environment by crawling around and investigating all the things we would often
like them to not be investigating is a great stimulation. The implications of
owning pets should be considered with decking. However well they are trained it
is inevitable that your dog will use the decking as a toilet at some point. The
non-porous nature of composite boards means that urine won’t soak in and leave
smelly patches. This is a common problem with timber and concrete. A quick
spray with water will have it removed from composite boards. Gardens also
invite wild animals that are also relieving themselves on our lawns and
decking. Knowing this can be simply washed off without worrying about little
hands and feet creeping through the residue is reassuring.
Aside
from their toilet habits, dogs are inherently messy and if you have a lawn area
in addition to a deck you are likely to be challenged by muddy paw prints.
Composite boards are much more resistant to moisture than timber boards. A full
clean with a pressure washer every time you are planning to entertain in the
garden is therefore not necessary. A simple wipe with a mop and water is all
you need to make it pass the rigorous inspections of your guests.
4. Safety is a consideration
when in the garden.
A
composite decking installation is generally safer than timber and reduces the
risk of accidents. This is especially true where children and animals are
concerned. Composite boards have no exposed fixtures, resulting in a clean and
seamless finish. There is no potential for loose screws to pop up above the board which
can be a hazard for little feet, big feet and paws. Splinters can be a nasty
surprise and are an unavoidable feature of timber boards. When it rains, the wood fibres get wet and
expand as water is absorbed. They then contract as the water dries out. This
constant wet/dry process causes the timber boards to crack, warp and splinter.
Especially around screw holes where the wood can be more exposed to the
elements. This is unavoidable with timber, even with regular sanding, sealing
and coating with a UV protective substance.
Vets have reported a number of cases of broken limbs caused by the
timber decks. If you have a dog who is a ‘chaser’ and bolts at the sight of a
cat, squirrel or random shadow they can easily lose their balance on a damp
timber board. Careering directly into a wall, table or off the edge of the deck
is often accompanied by an expensive vet bill.
Composite boards are designed to have anti-slip properties allowing your
pet a fair chase. Good news for your dog, but maybe not so much for the
neighbour’s cat!
5. It’s important that a
garden installation matches the surroundings.
Everybody’s
idea of colour coordination is different and it’s important that you can choose
a product that will suit your surroundings and personality. There is an array
of colours to choose from with composite boards. You can ensure you get exactly
the finish that will complement your space. What’s more, the anti-fade
formulation of composite boards means you can be confident the colour you love
at the time of installation will not change throughout the years as you are
enjoying your deck. But how can you
choose the best colour for your own garden? Sample packs are generally
available on request so you can see exactly what you will be getting before you
commit.
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