© Exeter Landscapes ⋅ decking exeter ⋅ topsham ⋅ sidmouth ⋅ exmouth ⋅ devon
You’ve decided to add a deck to your garden design exeter. Hardwood decking is luxurious and warm underfoot. Decking is extremely versatile. Create a seating area or create pathways to link garden areas. Add ambient lighting and party into the night. Exeter Landscapes guide for stunning decking exeter.
Its time to choose your decking materials. Decking has come a long way in recent years. In terms of quality. Products and available finishes and colours. For luxury choose hardwood. Softwood, great value for larger projects. Composite decking, long-lasting and low maintenance product.
Softwood decking is a great value. With a quality natural finish. It’s easy to install. Great for a traditional garden design exeter. Or contemporary garden design exeter. We recommend q-deck softwood for decking exeter.
Q-deck products ⋅ decking · exeter · sidmouth · topsham · exmouth
Q-Deck can be used in the construction of our softwood decks. It’s a premier decking product. Manufactured from slow-growing quality timber. For peace of mind. Each board is pre-treated with the latest generation of wood preservative. Including a built-in water-repellent. Preventing decay and insect attack. It’s extremely durable and long-lasting. Q-deck currently comes with a 15-year warranty against decay.
Hardwood decking · exeter · sidmouth · topsham · exmouth
Rich in colour. Hard-wearing and long-lasting. Hardwood decking oozes luxury. Available in a variety of timbers and finishes. Balau hardwood decking is our timber of choice for decking Exeter. Slightly harder to install than softwood decking. And requires slightly more maintenance over time.
Composite decking has come a long way in recent years. It doesn’t look or feel like plastic anymore. Available in a variety of finishes and colours. Its colour won’t fade over time. It won’t split or rot. Looking great, year after year. It’s a low maintenance product. Easily cleaned. And doesn’t need yearly oiling! Composite decking is environmentally friendly. Composite decking is manufactured from recycled waste wood residue. Combined with recycled plastic. Such as shampoo bottles.
Maybe consider installing Millboard decking Exmouth. Millboard is a premier product. Available in a variety of natural styles and finishes. Millboard composite decking gives you the real look and feel of natural timber. Removing the need for time-consuming maintenance. Millboard has great anti-slip properties. Due to its composition, won’t rot or warp over time. Millboard decking is fixed to a durable base from underneath. Removing the need for unsightly screws.
COMPOSITE DECKING PRODUCTS · TOPSHAM · SIDMOUTH
Millboard composite decking ⋅ realistic decking ⋅ variety of finishes ⋅ colours ⋅ exmouth
Smartboard Composite decking ⋅ q-deck ⋅ realistic decking ⋅ exeter
Twinson composite decking ⋅ q-deck ⋅ variety of colours ⋅ exmouth
Coloured softwood decking exeter ⋅ faux oak decking ⋅ softwood decking
FINISHES ⋅ SOFTWOOD ⋅ HARDWOOD ⋅ DECKING · TOPSHAM
Smooth decking boards ⋅ contemporary ‘boardwalk’ feel
Grooved decking boards ⋅ anti-slip properties
Enhanced grip decking ⋅ grooves with anti-slip strips
Softwood decking ⋅ natural ⋅ pre-treated shades
Composite decking ⋅ traditional ⋅ faux timber ⋅ coloured
Add definition and safety to your decking Exmouth. Add a contemporary balustrade. Create an enclosed space for outdoor entertaining. Giving your deck that contemporary look & feel. For ‘low-level’ decks, up to 600mm from the ground. Balustrade height ⋅ 900mm. For ‘high’ for low-level decks, over 600mm. Balustrade height ⋅ 1100mm.
BALUSTRADES ⋅ DECKING EXMOUTH · SIDMOUTH
Glass balustrade ⋅ contemporary garden design exeter · Sidmouth · Topsham
Stainless steel wire ⋅ contemporary garden design exeter · Sidmouth · Topsham
Slatted timber fencing ⋅ hardwood ⋅ softwood ⋅ decking exmouth · Sidmouth · Topsham
Solid timber balustrade ⋅ traditional garden design exeter · Sidmouth · Topsham
RETAINING WALLS ⋅ DECKING EXMOUTH · SIDMOUTH · TOPSHAM
Painted rendered block walls ⋅ contemporary garden design exeter · Sidmouth · Topsham
Sleeper retaining walls ⋅ traditional garden design exeter · Sidmouth · Topsham
Natural hedging ⋅ copper beech hedging ⋅ yew hedging
GARDEN DESIGN IDEAS ⋅ INSPIRATION
Entertain well into the night by adding garden lighting. Add total control. Install a wise box. Garden lighting is broken down into discrete zones. Each zone controlled remotely by a handy keypad.
Recessed led lights ⋅ decking exmouth · Sidmouth · Topsham
Coloured led strips ⋅ decking exeter · Sidmouth · Topsham
Led up lighters ⋅ decking exmouth · Sidmouth · Topsham
For safety. Steps should be as comfortable as possible. Treads should be as wide as possible. Never less than 280mm. Ideally between 300mm – 450mm. To avoid a trip hazard. Risers should be around 75mm. Consider adding a handrail for safety. For long flights of stairs. Add a landing between a series of steps.
Always check local planning regulations. Remember to keep your deck in proportion to your garden. A deck can’t cover more than 50% of your garden.
You’ve selected a suitable site. Created a design. Chosen your decking materials. You have levelled the area. It’s now time to construct your Decking Exeter. Exeter Landscapes garden design Exeter. Ideas for creating great decking Exeter.
Add a weed barrier under your Decking Exeter. It won’t rot over time. It allows drainage. And more importantly. It will minimize weed growth.
The finished deck height should not compromise the damp proof course (DPC). Leave a 10mm drainage gap between the decking and any wall. When attaching a ledger board to the wall. Create a 10mm gap. Using a 10mm thick spacer/packer. Encouraging ventilation. Enabling the wall and ledger board to dry.
Keep patterns simple and classic. Decking boards can be laid in any direction. Dependant on the design and feel you wish to achieve. As a rule where possible. It’s good practice to place boards at right angles to pedestrian traffic. To reduce the slip hazard. For alternative designs. You can add anti-finishes to your decking boards.
Always add the correct spacing. Between decking boards. Decking is a natural product. It will absorb water. Especially in wet weather. And will expand. Decking will lose water. In hot weather. And will contract. Adding the correct spacing between each decking board. Allows for the expansion and contraction of timber. Throughout the year.
Recommended spacing assumes your decking boards are completely dry. Before installing.
Softwood Decking Exmouth ⋅ decking fascia’s ⋅ 6mm min
Hardwood Decking Sidmouth ⋅ decking fascia’s ⋅ 8mm min
Composite Decking Topsham ⋅ Decking Fascia’s ⋅ 6mm Min
Always use quality decking screws. For hardwood and softwood decking Exmouth. We recommend coated screws. Reducing corrosion and iron staining. Stainless steel screws can also be used for hardwood decking Exmouth. For regular decking boards. Use a 4.5 x 50mm screw size. For thicker boards. Select a screw around 2 1/2 times the thickness of the deck board. Always use two decking screws per board. Attach each screw – 15-20% of its width in from each edge of the board. To prevent hardwood boards splitting. Pre-drill a pilot hole for each screw. Always corrosion-resistant screws for constructing the carcass. Timber lock screws are great for adding extra strength to your decking Exeter.
Whilst constructing your hardwood deck. You might find. Several of your hardwood decking boards are not perfectly straight. Especially compared with softwood decking products. You will need to straighten them. Create several hardwood wedges from offcuts. Get to some help. Using your wedges. Apply a little pressure to bring the boards back in line. And screw in place!
When treating your deck. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions. To the detail. If doubt contacts the manufacturer. When working with new products. Always test on a small area first. Before treating the entire deck.
Remove any build-up of dirt, soil, or leaf litter. This will increase your deck’s drainage. Preventing mold and algae formation. And reducing your timber’s over-all fungal infection. Periodically sweep and hose down your Decking Exeter. Jet wash thoroughly and the end of the season. Mould and algae build-up is a slip hazard. Remove black speckled mold early on. With a kitchen scourer and proprietary deck cleaner.
To remove food stains. Such as ketchup, wine, soup, fruit juice and cola, coffee. Clean the deck with a pressure washer. Combined, if necessary, with a mild cleaning product. For stubborn stains. Scrub well with diluted bleach. And rinse well. Apply Net-trol. To replenish the faded colour.
Rejuvenate your tired decking Exeter. Apply Net-trol by Owatrol. Wood cleaner and colour restorer.
To remove old decking oil. Apply aquanett by owatrol. Add net-trol. To neutralise the treated areas. Apply your new decking oil. Such as textrol . If your decking is extremely dirty and stained. Use prep deck stripper/cleaner by owatrol. In place of aquanette.
Leave hardwood decking to weather and season. for at least 6-8 weeks. clean thoroughly with net-trol by owatrol. wood cleaner and colour restorer. oil deck with deks olje d1 by owatrol. repeat this process after 12 months. oiling your decking with textrol by owatrol. in place of olje d1.
Apply after laying your decking Exeter. Protects decks from excessive moisture during its first year. Slows down the ‘greying’ of timber. Due to UV light. Prepares deck for recoating with textrol.
Great wood preserver. Apply to any crosscut Timber. Timber cut along the grain. Use two coats.
Water-based product. Permanent waterproofing product. Use on new and weather decking Exeter.
Pigmented decking oil. Seven shades are available. Use on weathered woods only. Leave new decks for 12 months. Before applying. Creates a full protective coating. Great finish.
Removes black stains from decking Exeter. Caused by iron and water. Will rejuvenate a ‘greyed’ deck.
Reduces tannin bleed on new decking. Tannins will stain paving and timber areas around your decking Exeter.
Here is our guide to decking trends in 2022. What new ideas for your decking and garden design projects.
Composite decking is gaining in popularity. Composite decking synthetic man-made products. It cuts like wood. It’s extremely durable and rots free. It’s resistant to mould and insect attacks. It’s available in a variety of shades and colours. Some contemporary some more traditional. Such as faux timber.
Composite decking products include cladding, timber for creating curves and bullnose steps and coping. Cladding can be effectively used to create raised beds, boxing in your decking frame or create steps and balustrades. It can also be used to update or hide tired structures in your gardens. Outbuildings or old sleeper beds. And to finish steps and stairs. Creating a cladded riser.
Composite decking can be used to create a contemporary or traditional raised bed. Construct a frame out of cheap softwood sleepers or stack some 4 x 4” fence posts. Clad the outside of your timber with your composite decking. Add a bullnose decking board to clad the top of the raised bed.
Bullnose is pieces of composite decking that have a bullnose finish to one of the edges of the decking. They can be used as coping on raised beds or cladding projects. They are also great for finishing off steps. They have the same thickness are regular decking boards and appearance.
As mentioned. Composite decking cuts in a similar fashion to normal traditional timber. It can’t however be planned. Routed. Sanded, shaped or filled. Any cuts will have an unfinished look. And need to be painted with special paint. Boards are pretty consistent in size, width and thickness. The ends of decking boards can be rough where the composite deck has been extruded. And can benefit from trimming with the chop saw.
Carcassing for the deck’s frame can be constructed out of traditional tanalised timber or from a composite frame. The composite frames is a bit more expensive. Then the traditional timber. Use 400mm centres for your frame. A construct out of 4 x 2” or 5 x2” timber.
It’s a good idea to try at least to get a good level and add a weed membrane. Once the frame is constructed. Go around with the level and check your heights. Chock up any low areas with timber offcuts. Bash down any high points with a sledgehammer. As have a good walk around the frame. Looking for movement. And chocks under any areas of the deck that reflex.
Composite decks can be constructed with a hidden screw system. The screws pull through the board and are hidden. This does make a slight problem if you want to remove the board. It’s best to secure the decking or cladding with a few screws. Once you are happy with the deck. Secure with the retaining screws.
Balustrades are back. For the twee turned spindles. Or planks of wood. For a contemporary garden design. Its either glass or steel wire. For a traditional feel is chunky plain timber, Iron or slatted fence.
Glass balustrades always look great. Especially for a raised deck. It looks contemporary and sleek. Great for decks with views or contemporary gardens. The price of glass balustrades has fallen in recent years. With more suppliers getting in on the act. With an array of fixing methods available.
Create the ultimate deck. It will give you a high-end feel. A hardwood deck, and stainless steel tensioned balustrade. Stainless steel posts are a must. Give you a high end engineered nautical feel.
Always go plan with chunky timber for a quality traditional feel. A finished post will always look best. Although cheaper posts. Can be routed. With around over a bit to create a professional finished look. It’s a bit tricker for the ends of the post. You can sand these if not confident. The post can then be stained to look like more expensive hardwood!
It’s possible to buy the whole kit. The post and the spindles. And the handrail. Spindle kits are expensive and time-consuming to construct. If you are going down a thin route buy or rent a nail gun.
A great way to save time and money is to create your own. Balustrade system. Post can be constructed from planned and routed 4 x 4” posts. A would buy my own handrail. Forget the spindles. Add a contemporary twist to a traditional design. Add steel braided wire between the posts. These can either be floating. Anchored at each of the decks. And run through holes drilled in each post. This will save you a lot of money on fixings. Including tensioners. Or fix the wires between each post.
It’s possible to buy all the bits in eBay. Braided stainless steel wire. And all the connectors. It can then be cut to size on site. Using a small angle grinder rather than a hack saw will save you a lot of effort.
Create a timber frame. Any then clade with a contemporary slatted fence. Planned softwood slats look great. And are great value for money. Hardwood is rich and luxurious in grain and appearance.
It’s worth cladding both sides of the balustrade. And it’s worth hiring a nail gun!
Add the wow factor to your decking project. Combine lush foliage with vivid vibrant colours. Combine smooth hardwood decking with a hardwood slatted fence. Soften with tropical planting.
Plants structure ⋅ tree ferns ⋅ shields ferns ⋅ bamboo ⋅ fatsia japonica ⋅ phormiums
Plants for colour ⋅ crocosmia ⋅ irises ⋅ kniphofia ⋅ canna Lillies
Complement your natural timber decking. Add a planting screen. Enclose your decking. Add purple beech hedging. Creating an ‘outdoor room’ for entertaining. Mask unsightly garden features. Add a bamboo screen. Train a climber.
Screening plants⋅ photinia hedge ⋅ purple beech hedging ⋅ black bamboo ⋅ trachelospermum climber ⋅ multi-stemmed silver birch.
PLANTING IDEAS ⋅ INSPIRATIONS
Planting guide ⋅ choosing plants ⋅ how to plant ⋅ aftercare
Planting ideas ⋅ contemporary ⋅ traditional ⋅ tropical ⋅ zen ⋅ white Garden ⋅ bulbs ⋅ hot Colours ⋅ evergreen ⋅ low maintenance.
Timber decking manual ⋅ Patrick Hislop.
The complete guide to decks ⋅ black & decker.
Ortho’s guide to decks & patios ⋅ eric clough.
Building and designing decks ⋅ Scott schuttner.
Pure deck-adence ⋅ tina skinner.
Ultimate plant guide ⋅ garden design ideas ⋅ plants for places ⋅ planting combinations
Decking ⋅ design ideas ⋅ products ⋅ construction ⋅ aftercare
Garden design guide ⋅ garden design themes
Paving guide ⋅ design ⋅ materials ⋅ drainage ⋅ suppliers
More paving ⋅ pointing ⋅ Sealing stone
How to plant ⋅ planting ⋅ watering
Ideas inspirations guide ⋅ includes images of past work
Garden makeover guide ⋅ slatted fencing ⋅ low maintenance gardens
Lawn care guide ⋅ turfing ⋅ soil types ⋅ drainage
Courtyard ⋅ small garden design
Garden clearance guide ⋅ clay soils ⋅ levelling
Artificial grass ⋅ design ⋅ installing ⋅ clean