Tag: gardens

Are Grooved Timber Boards Less Slippery than Plain Boards?

When it comes to decking options, one question that often arises is whether grooved timber boards are less slippery than plain boards. It’s a valid concern, especially for those who prioritize safety and want to ensure a secure surface for their outdoor activities. In this blog post, we will delve into the topic of grooved versus plain timber boards and explore the factors that contribute to their slip resistance. By the end, you’ll have a clearer understanding of which option might be best suited for your decking needs.

The Purpose of Grooved Timber Boards

Before we dive into the slipperiness aspect, let’s first understand why grooved timber boards exist in the first place. Grooves or channels are typically added to decking boards for improved drainage purposes. These indentations allow rainwater to flow off the surface more easily, reducing the risk of standing water and potential rotting or decay over time. Consequently, if you live in an area with high rainfall or have concerns about moisture accumulation on your deck, grooved boards can be beneficial.

Considerations for Slip Resistance

While many assume that grooved timber boards provide better traction due to their textured surface, it’s important to note that slip resistance is influenced by various factors beyond just the presence of grooves. Let’s explore some key considerations:

1. Material Choice

The type of timber used for your decking plays a significant role in its slipperiness. Some hardwood species naturally possess higher levels of grip due to their texture and grain pattern. For example, teak and ipe are known for their excellent slip-resistant properties even without any additional surface treatment.

2. Moisture Content

Moisture content on your deck can greatly impact its slipperiness. Both plain and grooved timber boards can become slippery when wet, as water acts as a lubricant between shoes and the wood surface. Regular cleaning and maintenance are essential to prevent the buildup of algae, moss, or any other substances that can make your deck slippery.

3. Surface Texture

The texture of the timber boards, whether grooved or plain, contributes to their slip resistance. Grooves can provide additional grip by creating more contact points between shoes and the deck’s surface. However, it’s worth noting that dirt and debris could accumulate within the grooves over time, potentially reducing their effectiveness. On the other hand, plain boards may have a smoother surface but can still offer sufficient traction depending on the type of timber used.

4. Maintenance Practices

Proper maintenance is key to ensuring slip resistance regardless of the type of decking you choose. Regularly cleaning your deck with appropriate solutions and removing any potential hazards like leaves or ice will help maintain its grip over time.

Aesthetics versus Slip Resistance

When deciding between grooved and plain timber boards, it’s crucial to consider your priorities. If you live in an area prone to rain or simply want better drainage for your deck, grooved boards may be a practical choice for you. However, if slip resistance is your primary concern and moisture accumulation isn’t an issue, choosing a high-quality timber species with a natural grip might be equally safe and visually pleasing.

Conclusion: Finding the Perfect Balance

In conclusion, while grooved timber boards are often chosen for improved drainage capabilities rather than their slip resistance alone, they can still contribute positively to overall safety when combined with other factors like material choice and proper maintenance practices. Ultimately, finding the perfect balance between aesthetics and functionality is key when it comes to selecting decking options that suit both your personal preferences and safety requirements.

So whether you opt for grooved or plain timber boards on your deck, remember to prioritize regular maintenance, consider the specific environmental conditions of your area, and select a reliable supplier who offers high-quality materials. By doing so, you can create a beautiful and safe outdoor space where you can confidently enjoy countless memorable moments.

ONDULINE® CLASSIC Roofing Sheets For Aesthetic Fence Coverings

With its excellent durability, ONDULINE® CLASSIC is made from 50% recycled cellulosic fibres, which are derived from wood, giving the panels their mechanical strength that make them well suited as an aesthetic fence covering for existing fences and gates.

Can be installed on fully boarded fence panels or with support battens.

ONDULINE® CLASSIC is the market leading bituminous corrugated roofing sheet, that has traditionally been used to cover the roofs of timber buildings, such as sheds, stables, agricultural and garden building. It’s now even more versatile with it being tried and tested as a fence covering for those seeking a stylish and robust finish.

ONDULINE® CLASSIC Roofing sheets for an aesthetic fence covering.

Available in a range of colours: black, red, grey, brown and green. Easily fixed with ONDULINE® SCREW fixings No additional accessories required…
View our installation guide here

Garden: The Perfect Easter Egg Hunt Hiding Places

The Easter Bunny will soon be gracing us with his presence, and so to get you well prepared, today we are giving you plenty of ideas of where to hide all of those glorious chocolate eggs in your garden ready for the best Easter Egg Hunt your children could wish for.

easter rabbit

Planters: Our Planters start at just £10.39 and are an excellent place to hide your child’s favourite Easter egg! Of course, they are also an excellent product to grow colourful flowers, plants and herbs all year round. You can read more about our full range of Planters here.

planters

Sheds: If you fancy more of a challenge, then how about building your very own shed? This way you can create the size and design to exactly your requirements and just think of the hiding place possibilities for those Easter eggs – or even the Easter Bunny depending on the size of your shed. You can find eDecks’ guide to building your own shed online here.

shed

Water Butts: Now these probably wouldn’t be the best hiding place when full of water, but once you have finished hiding those treats, water butts are perfect for collecting and storing rainwater. We offer two different sizes to suit your needs and offer a whole variety of accessories including stands upon which to put them.

water butt

Composters: Our wooden compost bins are a garden essential and are available in small, medium and large. They are manufactured from pressure treated timber and can hold a whole range of things, whether it be compost, eggs, or even as a storage unit for your gardening bits and bobs.

compost bin

Pergolas/Arches/Arbours: Our wide range of pergolas, arches and arbours provide a numerous amount of hiding places, as well as offering a peaceful haven within your garden to sit and relax and enjoy your garden, especially in the upcoming Spring and Summer months. You can read our recent blogpost on these online here.

arbour

Log Stores: If you are lucky enough to have a cosy log fire in your home, then you may want to consider our Log Stores. They are available in three different sizes and keep your logs dry, organised, tidy and free from damp. Our log stores are made from pressure treated timber which helps protect against fungal and insect decay. They make excellent hiding places too – whether for an Easter Egg Hunt or simply for yourself when the kids are driving you mad!

log store

Aggregates: If you want to make your Egg Hunt slightly more challenging, then how about burying them under some of our stunning aggregates and gravels? They come in all colours, textures, sizes and shapes and you can read more about them in our Aggregates and Gravels blog post online here.

aggregates

Log Roll: Whilst hiding gifts and treats amongst your flowers, how about adding a log roll to your flowerbed? They are available to buy in different sizes and keep compost, flowers and plants neatly in order without spilling out onto your grass or paving area. They come ready FSC treated and wire backed ready to lay down in just minutes!

log roll

These are just a few examples of excellent Easter Egg Hunt hiding places, but we have many, many more online at eDecks. We hope you have a very enjoyable Easter weekend and we thank you for being our customer, whether new or old!

Love from Everyone at eDecks xxx

Our Easter opening times for placing orders are:

Good Friday 8am-5pm

Saturday 31st March 8am-4pm

Easter Monday CLOSED

Tuesday 3rd April 8am-5pm

Planters: Adorn Your Garden with Flowers, Plants & Herbs

With Spring hopefully not too far away now, it is the perfect time to start planning some outdoor blooms to create your very own outdoor oasis, whatever your personal taste. Here at eDecks, we not only sell the usual tools and materials you may find from other DIY companies, but a wide range of planters to fit all gardens of all shapes and sizes.

Our Elite Hexagonal Planter is available in Medium (£31.19) and Large (£41.59) and is a heavy duty planter which has been create using smooth timbers. Our planters are pressure treated against rot and are delivered to you pre-assembled, therefore perfect for starting the job this weekend! Our heavy duty planters are also available in an Elite Square shape (£36.39) which you will be able to fill with your favourite flowers or even herbs and plants.

hexagonal etc

This simple yet sophisticated Wooden Garden Planter Box (£51.99) is slightly raised and has been handcrafted by skilled craftsmen. Using only solid, durable materials that have been carefully selected to stand all outdoor weather conditions as well as being pressure treated to prevent rot and decay, this Wooden Garden Planter Box will be a delightful vision whilst relaxing in your garden.

wooden garden planter box

The Bella Rosa Planter (£29.99) is an elegant trellis and trough planter which is ideal for small spaces in your garden or yard. The trellis makes it perfect for climbing plants, growing plants or herbs and it is made from FSC mixed source timber and pressure treated green for a longer life. The base of the planter has small feet so that the trough is slightly raised and it is to be self-assembled but comes with full instructions and a hardware pack. This is also available as the Rosa Planter (£48.79) which is a larger version of this pretty garden feature.

bella rosa planterrosa planter

The Elite Planter Nest (£72.79) consists of one large and one medium planter, which are heavy duty planters made from selected smooth timbers. The material used to create these neat yet stylish planters is pressure treated to prevent rot and decay giving you a perfect base to add some colourful flowers to your garden.

elite planter nest

The Corner Planter (£45) is the option to go for when you are wanting more of a garden feature to house your plants, flowers and herbs. This fabulous planter allows you to plant several levels of flowers, plants or herbs, providing opportunity for a varied display and a greater chance for creativity to add height and depth to your garden planting scheme. The Corner Planter has been manufactured from planed timber which has been pressure treated which will help prolong the life of it.

corner planter

Another stylish feature planter is the Herb Wheel Planter (£48.06). This delightful herb wheel is designed to join together with interlocking timber logs to form a hexagonal wheel with six sections in which to cultivate your herbs, or of course this can also be used for flowers and plants. As with all eDecks products, you know you will receive a planter made from a high quality timber.

herb planter

If something more modern is to your taste, then we recommend the Elite Tapered Planter (£49.39). This planter is made from high quality, smooth planed timber that has been pressure treated for a longer life, and crafted into an eye-catching shape that look great by your front door, on the patio or your decking area. The planter is delivered to you fully assembled, complete with a liner so all you need to do is choose what you are going to plant.

elite tapered planter

If you are wanting to update your garden on a budget, we also offer a Small (£10.39) and Large (£17.46) Treated Garden Planter. These are made on a budget using our discount decking timber but are still pressure treated to help protect the wood from rot and decay. They will still be able to add charm to your garden once filled with beautiful Spring and Summer flowers.

small treated planterLarge Treated planter

Last, but certainly not least, we have the stunning Raised Corner Planter (£119.59), which is certainly going to add a feature piece to your very own oasis. At three feet high, the three individual compartments of this planter are easy to tend and can be very productive. Whether you are growing vegetables or decorative plants, sowing and weeding herbs, flowers and salad leaves, it is super simple with this planter. The Raised Corner Planter has been made using pressure treated timber to ensure it is long lasting and resistant to decay and perfectly complements the ergonomic design.

raised corner planter

eDecks offers some of the best deals on Planters around, including all of the installation supplies and tools you may need. Not only do we provide plenty of unbeatable deals but also:

Super-fast FREE delivery on orders over £100*

48 Hour Delivery on many products

Handy FREE installation guides and instructional videos

Weed Membrane: Advantages of Use

Weed control fabrics also known as sheets, covers or weed membrane are an excellent organic and environmentally-sound option for a variety of areas of your garden. It is a practical, easy and clean method weed control and can be very helpful in various situations and is an aid not a remedy. The reason behind it is that any kind of fabric or cover that suppresses weeds by covering them, also keeps fallen leaves and debris from being decomposed and added to the soil.

Weed control fabrics are one of the environmentally friendly alternatives to commercial herbicides. With weed control fabrics, the time limit is the beneficial point, with some fabrics known to last up to ten years. When using weed membrane, remember to remove it after a few years in order to ensure the soil keeps getting nutrition.

Weed membrane is one of the least harmful and most effective measures of protecting your area from weed growth. They can be used to control weeds in areas such as gravel driveways, vegetable gardens, allotments, decking and artificial grass.

Pegs

Here at eDecks, we sell regular Weed Membrane, with two further options of Heavy Duty and Super Heavy Duty depending on your needs and requirements. It is fairly cheap to buy and simple to lay, and you can also order Weed Membrane Pegs and Pins from us to ensure your weed membrane is securely fitted.

Pins

When laying Weed Membrane, it is important to prepare the surface because once it is laid down, you won’t be able to get to it. If you are laying the fabric under decking or a pathway, then it is a matter of removing all plant life from the area and making sure that it is completely flat. A systematic weed-killer will do the job of killing off any existing weeds before you start.

weed killer

If you are creating a planting area where you will be using weed membrane, then you will need to dig the area over well, ensuring you remove all weeds and dig in plenty of organic matter that will release nutrients into the soil. Again, you could use a weed killer rather than weeding by hand, as long as you leave plenty of time for it to take full effect. When digging the area over, remove and sticks and stones that could rip or tear the membrane, firm down the earth and then rake over the area to leave a smooth finish.

Weed membrane comes on a roll, so you will need to finalise the shape and size of the area it is covering before take a pair of sharp scissors to give a neat edging. Roll out the fabric and allow for an inch of overlap where two pieces of fabric will meet. With regards to the edges, cut the membrane to fit the area you are covering and then secure it in place using either landscape staples to pin it in place or decorative rocks and stones.

If you are applying the membrane around existing plants, cut a slit into the fabric from the closest edge and slide it into place around the stem of the plant. If you are adding plants after laying the fabric, set out the plants where you want them positioned, and then for each plant take a sharp knife and cut an X into the fabric, making it just large enough to fit the plant into. Tuck back the flaps and dig a hole using a hand trowel. Put your plant in as normal adding compost as and when required. With weed membrane, you will still need to weed occasionally, but you will be able to pull the weeds easily by hand as they won’t have a chance to get their roots in beyond the top layer.

Weed Membrane

eDecks offers some of the best deals on Weed Membrane around, including all of the installation supplies and tools you may need. Not only do we provide plenty of unbeatable deals but also:

Super-fast FREE delivery on orders over £100*

Handy FREE installation guides.

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

Navigation