Trendy, noble and resistant, the terrasse bois is the new star of your balconies and gardens. If you have fallen for its natural appearance, many questions may arise before proceeding to the purchase and installation of your wooden deck. Slabs or planks? Natural or composite wood? What type of wood, what type of installation? Response elements.
If the first big reason seems related to the warm and aesthetic aspect of wood – a coating that adapts to all types of terraces and exteriors – the ease of installation of the wooden terrace, the many possibilities of shapes that it offers as well as its limited maintenance are all advantages that can convince to install a wooden terrace. But before you take the plunge, you have to decide on two or three things.
What kind of wood?
Choosing the right type of wood for your patio is the first decision to make. Your choice should be based on three elements:
- The budget of your wooden terrace
- Its aesthetic appearance
- Its resistance needs depending on the climate
For small budgets, leave aside exotic woods to focus on simple but resistant woods such as Spruce and Pine, reputed to be more economical.
The color of your wooden deck can also be a feature to take into account when choosing your wood species. There are as many colors available as there are wood, also know that you will be able to have several color renditions for the same species thanks to the saturation process.
As for the resistance of the wooden deck, consider choosing a species adapted or treated to adapt to the climate of your region. The autoclave treatments classified from 1 to 4, make your wooden deck boards rot-proof and resistant to the vagaries of the weather.
Natural wood or composite wood?
For lovers of wooden decks who would like to put aside the maintenance obligations (a good cleaning per year, and a lick of stain from time to time) the composite wood deck is an option not to be ruled out. Unlike a wooden massive terrace, the composite decking is manufactured from wood particles mixed with a resin. A composition which allows it greater resistance over time (the blade will not turn gray unlike some wood species) and almost non-existent maintenance for an appearance very close to natural wood.
However, be careful when choosing your boards, the rendering of so-called “first generation” composite wood boards may be less fine than that of more recent generation boards. On the downside, composite wood has great heat conductivity, a small downside that may make you prefer natural wood for hot regions or swimming pool contours. Finally, its budget, for certain products can be high, close to exotic woods.
Blades or slabs?
For the installation of your wooden terrace, once the type of wood has been chosen, you will have to opt either for boards or for slabs or grating.
The wooden boards are long planks, similar to parquet strips and which rest on the joists of the terrace.
The slabs or wooden slats are placed on a geotextile fabric or a bed of sand, without structure, directly on the ground. These will therefore be usable if your wooden terrace does not need to be built, but directly installed. Slabs are ideal for covering an existing terrace, however, they are not available in all species.
The author, Dr. David K Simson is a trained radiation oncologist specializing in advanced radiation techniques such as intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT), volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) / Rapid Arc, stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT), stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). He is also experienced in interstitial, intracavitary, and intraluminal brachytherapy.