Category: gardens

5 Innovative Ways to Use Composite Decking in Your Garden

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In recent years, composite decking has become a popular choice for outdoor spaces due to its durability, low maintenance, and aesthetic appeal. When it comes to garden design, composite decking offers endless possibilities to elevate the look and functionality of your outdoor oasis. Here are five innovative ways to utilise composite decking in your garden:

1. Multi-Level Decking

Create visual interest and define different areas within your garden by incorporating multi-level composite decking. This design not only adds dimension to your outdoor space but also allows you to designate specific zones for dining, lounging, or gardening. You can use different colors or patterns of composite decking to delineate each level, adding a stylish touch to your garden.

2. Vertical Gardening Walls

Take your garden to new heights by installing vertical gardening walls made of composite decking. These walls can serve as both a decorative element and a functional space for growing herbs, flowers, or even small vegetables. Vertical gardening walls not only maximize space in smaller gardens but also add a modern and eco-friendly touch to your outdoor area.

3. Built-In Seating

Incorporate built-in seating into your composite decking design to create a cozy and inviting atmosphere in your garden. Whether it’s a curved bench surrounding a fire pit or integrated seating along the edges of your deck, this feature provides a seamless and practical seating solution for outdoor gatherings. Add cushions and throw pillows to enhance comfort and style.

4. Outdoor Kitchen Island

Transform your garden into an entertainment hub by installing an outdoor kitchen island on your composite decking. This addition allows you to cook, dine, and socialize outdoors with ease. Choose weather-resistant composite decking for the base of the island and complement it with a durable countertop, built-in grill, sink, and storage options. An outdoor kitchen island is a luxurious yet functional upgrade for any garden.

5. Lighting Effects

Enhance the ambiance of your garden during the evening hours by incorporating lighting effects into your composite decking. LED lights installed along the edges or within the decking boards can create a warm and inviting glow, perfect for hosting outdoor parties or simply relaxing under the stars. Consider solar-powered lights for an eco-friendly lighting solution that illuminates your garden while reducing energy consumption.In conclusion, composite decking offers endless opportunities for creativity and innovation in garden design.

By exploring these five innovative ways to use composite decking in your garden, you can transform your outdoor space into a stylish, functional, and inviting retreat that you’ll enjoy for years to come. Let your imagination run wild and make the most of this versatile material to elevate your garden to the next level!

Do I Need Special Fixings for My Deck?

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When it comes to building a deck, there are many important factors to consider. From selecting the right materials to planning the layout, every decision plays a crucial role in the overall integrity and longevity of your outdoor structure. One often overlooked aspect is the choice of fixings used during construction. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore why special fixings are necessary for your deck and discuss the different options available to ensure a sturdy and durable end result.

The Importance of Corrosion Resistance

Outdoor structures like decks are constantly exposed to various weather conditions, including rain, snow, and humidity. Over time, these elements can cause regular metal fixings to corrode and weaken, compromising the structural integrity of your deck. That’s where special fixings come into play.

Stainless Steel Fixings: The Ultimate Choice

Stainless steel fixings are highly recommended for decking projects due to their exceptional resistance to corrosion. Unlike other metals, stainless steel does not react with oxygen in the air, making it rust-resistant even in harsh outdoor environments. This not only ensures that your deck remains aesthetically pleasing but also guarantees its long-term durability.

Galvanised or Coated Carbon Steel Fixings: A Viable Alternative

If stainless steel fixings are not readily available or fall outside your budget range, you have another option: hot-dipped galvanised or high-quality coated carbon steel fixings. These types of fixings undergo a protective treatment that significantly reduces their susceptibility to corrosion. While they may not offer the same level of rust resistance as stainless steel, they still provide adequate durability for most decking projects.

The Advantages of Screws over Nails

When it comes to fastening your deck boards, screws offer several advantages over nails. It’s important to choose screws that are specifically designed for outdoor use and made from corrosion-resistant materials such as stainless steel or galvanised steel. Here’s why screws are the preferred choice:

Secure Fastening

Unlike nails, screws provide a secure and reliable fastening method for your deck boards. Their threaded design allows them to grip the wood more effectively, reducing the risk of loose or squeaky boards over time. This ensures that your deck remains stable and safe for years to come.

Easy Removal for Maintenance

Another benefit of using screws is their ease of removal. When it comes time to perform maintenance on your deck, such as replacing a damaged board or accessing the space beneath the deck, screws can be easily removed without causing excessive damage. This accessibility is particularly important for long-term deck maintenance and repairs.

Choosing the Right Size and Type of Fixings

To ensure proper installation and optimal performance of your deck, it’s essential to choose fixings that are suitable in size and type for your specific project.

Screw Length

When selecting screws for your decking boards, a general rule of thumb is to choose ones that are 2.5 times the thickness of the boards you are using. This ensures that the screw penetrates deep enough into the joists or support beams, providing maximum stability.

Bolts and Joist Hangers

In addition to deck boards, other components of your deck may require special fixings as well. Bolts are commonly used for securing posts to footings or attaching beams to posts. Joist hangers play a crucial role in connecting joists to beams securely. Both bolts and joist hangers should be made from rust-resistant metals like stainless steel or galvanised steel to maintain structural integrity.

Concealed Deck Clips

For those seeking a seamless look with no visible fasteners on their decking surface, concealed deck clips are an excellent option. These innovative fixings allow you to install deck boards without any visible screws or nails on the surface, creating a clean and polished appearance while still maintaining the necessary strength and stability.

Conclusion

In conclusion, using special fixings for your deck is essential to ensure its long-term durability and structural integrity. Stainless steel fixings are the ultimate choice due to their exceptional resistance to corrosion. However, if stainless steel is not an option, hot-dipped galvanised or high-quality coated carbon steel fixings can provide satisfactory results. Additionally, screws offer advantages over nails in terms of secure fastening and ease of removal for maintenance purposes. By selecting the right size and type of fixings for your specific project, you can create a beautiful and long-lasting deck that will bring joy and relaxation to your outdoor space for years to come.

Upgrade Your Garden With These Easy DIYs

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Around this time of year, it can be easy to forget about your garden. Here at eDecks, we think they need love all year round. So, roll up your sleeves and get those tools out, it’s time for some quick and effective garden DIY!

Shelf planters

Credit: Civil Engineering Studies on Pinterest

It can be difficult to find space on small balconies but these shelf planters allow more green in a tight space, making it feel more open. Plants can be especially important in cities where there isn’t as much greenery. Here at eDecks, we have a wide range of reject decking, so these shelves can be made at a low cost and without any environmental impact. All you need are some wood screws, a drill and a saw to cut the pieces to your desired size. This simple DIY will only take a few hours but it will leave you with a beautiful addition to any garden space – big or small!

Floating containers

Credit: Country Living Magazine on Pinterest

This garden DIY is, again, perfect for gardens of any size and make your fencing kinder to the eye. If you have ever grown strawberries you will know how they love to grow as far as they can and take over shared planters but with these small containers, they will stay a manageable size. Similarly, with the shelf planters, these boxes can be made from our wide selection of cheap reject wood and follow the same instructions: get some screws, a drill and a saw to cut the pieces to your desired size – and if you don’t want to use screws, waterproof glue works just as well!

Decorative gravel area

Credit: Amagard on Pinterest

Creating a zen area is important for gardens of any space, and it may not even require any building! At eDecks, we have a wide range of gravel and aggregates of many colours and textures. All you need for this simple DIY is two different colour gravels, some low maintenance plants and, optionally, some hardwood decking or fencing to bring the area together. Everyone’s idea of zen is completely different, so if minimalist isn’t your idea of perfect – don’t worry, our next DIY will be right up your street!

Raised vegetable bed

Credit: DIY network on Pinterest

Raised planter beds can be expensive, so making them yourself seems like the smartest option. We carry a range of discount sleepers, that are easy to cut and nail together and have a beautiful rustic look that looks fantastic in any garden, but this oak can be painted any colour! We recommend special sleeper nails for this wood since it is so thick, but the results will be worth it.

DIY jobs can seem intimidating but they are worth having a go! And with such low prices here at eDecks, the costs just make sense, creating things for yourself is much more rewarding.

Looking for the best deals on wood DIY supplies?

Check out our amazing deals here on the eDecks website!

We also offer plenty of support and expert advice for most DIY projects – and any products we sell online. Contact eDecks here for personalised advice for your project today.

At eDecks you can not only expect a good deal but also:

Superfast FREE delivery on orders over £150*

48 hour delivery on many products

Handy FREE installation guides (and even instructional videos!)

*Free delivery applies to most of the UK, but some areas may incur a charge, unfortunately – please check the eDecks website for more details.

Need Wood DIY Inspiration? Look No Further

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Here at eDecks, we love a wood DIY project. Our staff have come up with some fantastic ideas that are sure to get you inspired!

Check out eDecks.co.uk for all your DIY needs!

Sleepers bench

Our sales supervisor Chris has shared a great idea for our oak sleepers – All you need for this project is some of our oak sleepers and steel pins, it could even be completed over a weekend! Often these structures are set into the ground using concrete so they are more stable and aren’t stolen, but if you want the freedom to move yours around the oak is strong enough to stand alone.

Oak sleeper bench.

Get our oak sleepers from just £54.09 each here – https://www.edecks.co.uk/products/2035/35/95/0/Fresh-Cut-Oak-Sleepers-200mm-x-100mm-x-2400mm

And get the best deals on our steel sleeper pins here – https://www.edecks.co.uk/products/7297/35/95/0/Steel-Sleeper-Pins

Sleepers planter

Sleepers have a plethora of uses, like these planters. They are so easy to make you won’t feel like you’ve done any work! The only thing you need is our sleepers and specialist sleepers screws, cut down the sleepers to the desired size and place them together, drill the screws in at a 45-degree angle and voila, the ideal planter in no time at all. We sell a wide range of Ronseal products if you want to stain the wood.

Sleepers planters stained with Ronseal.

Get our oak sleepers from just £54.09 each here – https://www.edecks.co.uk/products/2035/35/95/0/Fresh-Cut-Oak-Sleepers-200mm-x-100mm-x-2400mm

And our individual sleeper screws are only £1.67 each here – https://www.edecks.co.uk/subdept/1146/0/Sleeper-Fixings

Joist bench and planter

Joist timber is strong, inexpensive and easy to work with. Not only does this wood DIY serve as both a bench and two planters but it looks wonderful too! All you need for this DIY is our treated & graded decking joist and our wood screws. Simply line up the timber in the desired place and drill the screws in. A fantastic addition to your home for a low cost and a little bit of time.

This bench has multiple uses.

Our treated and graded decking joists start at only £4.29 per metre here – https://www.edecks.co.uk/subdept/103/0/Timber-Decking-Joists

Browse our wide range of screws here – https://www.edecks.co.uk/subdept/657/0/Individual-Screws

Scaffolding board bench

Our sales executive Coral came up with the fantastic idea of a scaffolding board bench! We have a supply of reject scaffolding boards from only £24.07 and the legs can be made from old scaffolding pipes to give an industrial look or support beams made from our sleepers to give a more natural look. For the sleepers version, we recommend our steel sleeper pins to ensure the two pieces are connected safely.

The addition of scaffolding pipes gives this bench an industrial twist.

Shop our reject scaffolding boards are available here – https://www.edecks.co.uk/products/19790/251/836/0/Reject-Unbanded-Scaffolding-Board-(3900mm)

And our individual sleeper screws are only £1.67 each here – https://www.edecks.co.uk/subdept/1146/0/Sleeper-Fixings

Looking for the best deals on wood DIY supplies?

Check out our amazing deals on timber here on the eDecks website!

We also offer plenty of support and expert advice for most DIY projects – and any products we sell online. Contact eDecks here for personalised advice for your project today.

At eDecks you can not only expect a good deal but also:

Superfast FREE delivery on orders over £150*

48 hour delivery on many products

Handy FREE installation guides (and even instructional videos!)

*Free delivery applies to most of the UK, but some areas may incur a charge, unfortunately – please check the eDecks website for more details.

Autumn Maintenance Guide

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Well it is that time of year again not quite Christmas but definitely a chill in the air and we already have rock salt stocked and ready to go. The leaves are starting to fall and well, land on your lovely decking that you have enjoyed so much this year.

We have had a lovely summer this year; you will have enjoyed plenty of pool days, BBQ’s and lounging around. We can imagine you are not ready to retire your decking just yet.

Autumn Leaves

Here is an autumn maintenance guide to keep your decking top notch ready for winter and next year’s scorcher (fingers crossed).

Let’s start with the leaves we mentioned yes the reds, oranges and yellow colours do make this season magic (it’s a firm favourite with some)  but do not leave the leafs, they will cause havoc with your decking. They retain moisture once wet, moisture plus cold will lead to ice and Icey leaves can be a major hazard. You can try adding these Anti slip-decking strips for added safety.

Cleaning the leaves up early will also, help in the long run as once they start to break down you will have an extra layer of dirt to contend with. So get the blower or brush out and get them shifted.

Next, you will want to prune any overhanging bushes, trees and shrubs, this not only will help with the life of your decking it will also keep it safe and tidy for you to enjoy for a few more months. In addition, if you are a keen gardener this helps keeps your plants healthy (a tip from our green team in the office)
Once you have cleaned off the leaves and removed any furniture take a good look at the decking, is there any mildew forming, dirt or grime. Get the hose on it and clean it like you mean it. Once it’s done it’s done, maybe even something extra to not only clean but also revive from Ronseal. This item opens the pores of the wood allowing maximum adhesion of coatings for a lasting finish.

Now sit back enjoy your hard work and have a safe autumn admiring your hard work.

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