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When it comes to improving your home and garden, a great deck outdoors can be one of the best aspects of your home.
Whether you already have a wooden deck in your garden and are tired of the maintenance or are considering adding a deck but want materials that aren’t going to need a lot of restoration work every winter, composite decking is a great, low-maintenance alternative to wood that you might want to consider.
Over the past few years, composite decking has become more and more popular with plenty of different varieties to choose from that you can easily customise.
They have lots of benefits including the fact that there is no need to repaint it each year, you will avoid termites, and you can keep your deck looking brand new for longer.
Consider Your Budget
If you are on a budget, then composite decking is a great idea. You can get composite decking boards for just a few dollars each, and it’s not too expensive to find a variation in colour and design that is going to fit perfectly with the aesthetic of your home and garden.
When choosing your budget, consider how big you want the deck to be and the cost of installation. To keep costs down, a simple material and pattern will offer a great low-maintenance option without costing a huge amount.
Safety
Another consideration to make when choosing your decking is the safety. One of the trickiest things about composite decking is that even the best boards can be quite slippery when they are wet, which can be a hazard depending on the texture that you choose.
Be careful of rainy days if you go with a smooth texture. While smooth decking boards are usually cheaper, they are the slipperiest when wet.
If you are planning to install your decking close to a pool, then it’s best to spend a little more on decking boards with some texture.
Sunshine
If you live in a warm climate or are planning to use your decking all summer long, then it’s important to bear in mind that dark, dense composite decking materials are going to get very hot in the sun.
It’s best to avoid a dark colour if you like being outdoors and barefoot since that’s going to get painful.
A good way to choose the right colour for your decking is to get some samples of different colours and put them outside in the sun to test them out before deciding which one you prefer.
Fasteners
You can get hidden or visible fasteners for your decking. Hidden fastener systems are usually more expensive, and you can probably expect to pay around an extra 30% compared to fasteners that are visible. If it’s not that important to you, then they both do the same job just as well.
Once you’ve decided on the basics for your decking, it’s time to think about any extras that you might want like decking lights, posts and railings, and decorative trims.
It’s also a good idea to check any building codes to ensure that your decking meets the requirements.
