There were some beautiful decking areas constructed, both raised and platform decking, which can be viewed in the Gallery. Decking is a feature that can really add value to your home and greatly enhance any outdoor area.

5 Key Points to Consider When Specifying Timber Decking

Every project has its own set of challenges; aesthetics, safety in high slip risk areas, high levels of pedestrian traffic, sustainability, and maintenance…

1. Softens Hard Landscapes: The natural beauty of wood plays a complementary role in today’s highly engineered construction world. The striking silhouettes of glass, concrete, and steel can be softened with the imaginative use of timber and help the site grow old gracefully.
2. Transforming Landscapes: Timber decking can transform a dull space into a warm, inviting, natural-feeling environment. In projects with a timber façade, timber decking can be used to make the space flow from inside to out.
3. Accessibility in High Traffic Areas: Specifying decking in high traffic areas such as attractions, theme parks, zoos, and visitor centers often requires smooth non-slip decking, chosen for high levels of slip resistance, ease of maintenance, accessibility for wheelchair users, the visually impaired, and high levels of visitor traffic.
4. Natural Material: Natural decking has the lowest embodied energy of any mainstream building material and is a managed material to deliver a more sustainable product. The ethos of grow, use, recycle, grow is a clear demonstration of the environmental benefits of using natural material. The more trees that are planted as a result of the product you specify, the more carbon will be absorbed, enhancing the environmental credentials of the project. In Northern Europe, where much of the quality redwood timber is sourced, the annual growth exceeds the annual felling, and growing trees absorb more carbon.
5. Easy to Maintain, Increasing Longevity: Timber decking should be suitably treated for its application (often to BS8417:2011) to ensure the highest possible performance. Choosing the right product for the right application will provide a low-maintenance solution, from smooth easy-to-clean boards for leisure, retail, and office developments to superior anti-slip performance for outdoor pursuits, bridal ways, and footpaths. All decks will benefit from regular brushing with a good stiff broom on a regular basis.

Once a year, we recommend you give your deck a thorough cleaning using a pressure spray or a purpose-made deck cleaning product formulated to remove grease and discoloration. This will remove surface algae, which may make the deck more slippery.