Home Improvement

Garden Decks are perfect for adding class to your garden by transforming your out-door sanctuary into a lovely place to eat, drink and unwind. Decking is also a great way to make practical use of slopes in garden by creating different levels and steps. Some even go a step beyond just landscaping and use decking to cover up unwanted surfaces making them a very practical choice for troubleshooting garden imperfections. Garden timber decks are constructed using a wide range of materials like western red cedar, lumber, composite material, teak, mahogany, and other hardwoods as well as recycled planks. Each type of decking has a slightly different look and recommended use to it.

Here are 3 popular styles of garden decking compared:

Ipe Decking – Ipe decking originates from South America and is a very popular choice for decking on a budget without compromising on the look. Considered be the one of the hardest woods in the world (strength is three times harder than oak) it is recommended for all types of gardens and extremely popular for patios. Dark brownish olive to dark olive in appearance its interlocked installation means it makes a great candidate wood for a do it yourself project. Continue reading ‘3 Styles Of Garden Decking Compared’ »

Just like any other ‘design’, landscape design too is the artsy aspect of landscaping. More than the technicalities of landscaping, landscape design tends to concentrate more on the favorable merging of colors, textures, forms and lines of the design. Though traditional landscape designers used to plot out the positions of plants and other landscape features with the use of a pad and paper, nowadays there are freely available landscape software’s that do the task with no labor on the designers part whatsoever. Though the term landscape design is almost synonymous with garden design, many landscape designers tend to do a landscape architects job as well. This is because in many States, landscape architects require a license while landscape designers don’t.

A landscape design; may it be designed by a professional or an armature, must always be on par with certain universal designing principals without tackling the job head on. There are various elements of designing a landscape that must be paid attention to initially. For example one must first identify the genre of landscape that they wish to create within the given premises and how it is going to be utilized. Once this is plotted out, it is important when designing to keep in mind that all this is subject to certain budgetary restrictions. In order to keep to this, less costly materials and easy to maintain plants can be utilized if the need should arise. But most importantly it should be taken in to account that the location of the landscape should have a suitable climate for flora and fauna with easy water supply. Continue reading ‘Landscape Design’ »

Cumaru wood is one of the finest quality exotic hardwoods available. It is naturally durable, and harder than pine, cedar and redwood. It is also much stronger than most composite decking products. Due to Cumaru’s strength, it is naturally resistant to rot, decay and damage from wood boring insects like termites. It has a flame spread rating of Class A, the same as concrete or steel. Cumaru wood offers a lifespan well over 40 years without preservatives. It is available in either partially air dried or kiln dried lumber. These methods allow it to be used for all different types of projects. Air dried Cumaru is intended for outdoor use. It is best used on decks, docks, outdoor furniture, and framing because air dried lumber will shrink inside. Kiln dried Cumaru is best if used indoor on flooring and trim because it will expand outside.

Cumaru is known to be the most superior decking materials available. Its versatility makes it a great choice for both commercial and residential decking. Cumaru makes the most beautiful longest lasting decks in the world. It is extremely dense and rich in color and appearance. Its density helps make Cumaru remain smooth and splinter free. It doesn’t absorb water, twist, splinter, or bow like softer woods. Its color varies from a golden tan to reddish brown with some dark grain accents throughout the wood. It has an irregular, slightly interlocked grain which is coarse and wavy in texture. Unlike most exotics, Cumaru endures very little color change due to sun light. Its color will slightly mute over time into a more consistent color. The application of a deck oil finish will help maintain its natural color, but is completely optional. It has excellent weathering characteristics and can stand up to the most brutal climates. Over time, Cumaru will naturally change to a beautiful silver-gray patina. Cumaru is pretty much maintenance free. If you choose to finish your Cumaru, Ipe Oil™ is one recommendation. Other possible finishes include Messmers UV Plus Finish, Sitkens Deck Finish, CWF Flood Finish, and Penafin.

Continue reading ‘Cumaru Wood For Decking Projects’ »

Now that summer is over, people are starting to take advantage of the cooler weather by getting their long-awaited home improvement projects started. A great DIY home improvement project to start is to install a deck made of ipe decking. However, because ipe, like many other hardwoods behaves differently in different climates it’s important to know how to install ipe decking in the middle of the Fall Season.

The following advice is very important to know and will make your ipe wood decking installation straightforward and trouble-free. This guide to installing a deck in the fall will help you save both money and time. The end result will be that when you’re done building an ipe deck, you will have peace of mind with the knowledge that a new deck will be durable and amazing looking for many seasons to come.

Continue reading ‘Build a Deck in The Fall With Ipe Decking’ »

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