| Timber decking is a marvellous way to enhance the aesthetic appeal of any home, garden and building. A natural product in harmony with the environment. Decking lends itself to a tremendous variety of forms and styles - all of which bring added beauty and value to any building or landscape and to your home as well.
Q: How long will my decking last?
A: Fortunately timber decks are highly durable. The reason for their durability lies in the fact that naturally durable timber species or pressure-treated softwoods are used in their construction. Modern preservative treatments mean that the timber, if maintained, should be structurally sound for around 25 years. However, to keep it looking good over such a time, it will need periodic cleaning and any finishes will need occasional refreshing.
Q: Where can I site my deck?
A : Timber decks are easily flexible structures that can be located to suit you, your family and the property you live in. Whether you want to enjoy your deck in a sunny open site, have it as a garden island a combined balcony and veranda, or in an intimate, shady spot - it's up to you. However, in order to get the most benefit from your deck you should provide a serious thought to where you want to locate it. You can consider the following points while deciding on this issue:
- Will the deck get the sun at the time of day when I want to be using it?
- Do I want to be shaded from the sun in high summer?
- Will adjacent trees or buildings block the sun from my deck?
- Will people in those buildings invade my privacy and will those trees drop their leaves on my deck?
- Will I be protected from prevailing winds?
- Can I see and hear my children playing on the deck?
Whether used for relaxing, entertaining, and dining or even as a play space for children decks are superbly versatile and aesthetic extensions to the home.
Q: What sort of maintenance will my timber deck need?
A : An easy to follow programme of regular care and maintenance will surely enhance the long-term appearance and durability of your decking. Need not to mention that all decks will have face value benefits from regular brushing with a stiff broom. Also in our opinion it would be a good idea to wash your deck down with a pressure spray but no more than twice a year. The aim of these cleaning processes is to remove dirt, dead leaves and any slight surface growths. Doing this will also help to reduce slipperiness. Unless they are stained, all timber decks will gradually fade to a pleasant Grey colour and you may be surprised to hear that the preservative used to pressure pre-treat deck timbers and protect them actually slows this process down. You may find it helpful to add a small amount of detergent to the water you use to clean your deck or use one of the specialist timber decking cleaners available.
As your deck timbers weather, small splits are likely to appear on the surface of the boards. These are a response to intermittent wetting and drying of the timber and will have no structural effect whatsoever. Regular application of surface coating and specialist deck finishes will reduce the uptake of moisture and consequent swelling and shrinkage. Any product should be used strictly in accordance with the instructions from the manufacturer. Clear water repellent coatings will need to be reapplied annually but stains should only need to be attended every few years.
A couple of months after installation it is highly advisable to our visitors to check and tighten any screws and bolts that may have become loose.
Please be advised that some types of timber contain a resin that may exude from the surface of the timber in hot weather and might create rings of crusty white powder around knots in the timber. However this resin is not harmful in nature and can be easily removed from the surface of the timber with a stiff brush. There are very less chance that resin will continue to exude after the deck has been through its first summer.
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