Garden Flooring

Garden Flooring: Decking Boards & Decking Kits

Who says flooring has to stop at your back door? You spend time to get your interior design just the way you like it, now you can carry on the design in your backyard. The addition of decking can easily transform that unused spot of your garden into a fun, usable space.

Why Decking Works as an Extension of Your Home

Throw decking in the same category as your home flooring. The same considerations can apply. Nominate a person to consider foot traffic. Will it withstand the weather? How much maintenance do you want to provide?

Good decking design will create a visual connection between your kitchen/living and your garden. A raised deck around your garden table. A quiet corner decked with garden seating. Wood features in the garden are not random or out of place. They connect and enhance the house.

Decking Boards

The most flexible option means you are using the subframe and nothing else but the decking boards. You get to design and layout all of the decking.

The most cost efficient option are softwood boards. They are literally wood treated with preservatives that are made to last. They are not the most pleasing option but with upkeep, they can be functional.

**Hardwood boards** are a big initial investment, but save money in the long run as they do not deteriorate, do not require yearly treatments (and tend to have an aesthetically pleasing fading to grey) to protect them.

**Composite boards** are definitely lower maintenance as they are splinter-free and warp/rot resistant with a 20-25 year guarantee for most. They do cost more and do not have the natural look when compared to wood.

## Decking Kits

A good option when a subframe is not in place, or you do not want to buy the components separately, is a decking kit. A decking kit is an all-in-one kit for a given area that comes with decking boards, joists and fixings, and guides.

Decking kits are great for decks with a simple and even layout, like a dining deck or a garden deck base. Oddly shaped gardens or gardens with significant elevation changes may require a custom frame and individual boards due to the limitations of a decking kit.

## A Few Things Worth Knowing Before You Start

- Decking boards are less important than the ground they are built on. An unlevel ground base will cause even the best decking wood to shift.

- For wood decking, to avoid rotting from the ground, ventilation is a must.

- While composite boards are lower maintenance, they do require a washing to deter the growth of moss and algae.

## Bringing It Together

You may as well plan your outdoor flooring at the same time as your indoor flooring if you're thinking about the indoor flooring already. Coordinating the color and tone of an interior wood floor and an outdoor deck or aligning the view from a kitchen through an outdoor deck can combine two spaces and create the illusion that they are one area.

Feel free to check out the various decking boards and kits we have. If you are interested in some suggestions that would work for your garden, as well as consider how outdoor decking may work with your indoor flooring, feel free to contact us.