THE JOY OF DECKS

Sunday, April 28, 2019

THE JOY OF DECKS

Whilst I’ve been busy herding cats, the other half has been sweating his balls off in the garden replacing the wooden deck which has now reached the end of its shelf life.

Past its best

Wood is good but only for about 5-10 years even after regular treatments. Imagine your decking was a human face. After a continual bombardment of sun, wind and rain, it’s going to need more than just a slap of moisturiser to fix. Sadly there’s no such thing as botox for timber but you can give a decked area a complete facelift with new planking.

Treat the timber beforehand and lay it out to keep flat

Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, some bright spark has invented composite decking putting an end to the laborious chore of decking maintenance. We spotted some SAIGE long-life decking at Christchurch Timber when ordering our replacement planks and it’s definitely something to consider if you want a quiet Cuprinol-less life.

Composite decking - what a marvellous invention!

Composite decking boards are low maintenance, splinter free, anti-slip and the SAIGE boards are also made from recycled materials (wood & plastic) so have good environmental credentials. They have an expected lifespan of over 25 years and come in different colours.

I was quite impressed by their appearance as they didn’t look too plasticky and I imagine the charcoal coloured boards would look very smart in a garden. Composite decking is not cheap to buy but just think of all the time, hassle and Cuprinol you’d save over a 25 year period. Next time our decking needs replacing, these may be on my shopping list.

Of course, replacing a complete decked area in the space of a long bank holiday weekend is a ball breaking task but the other half is tackling it with gusto as it means he won’t have to clean out the litter tray or spend the day picking up cat hairs with a lint roller.