Summertime is the nicest period to stay outdoors, enjoying evenings with friends and barbecues. And it is normal that during spring, people who can enjoy a home with an outdoor area, want to start fixing it.
Often people think that wood is not a suitable material for outside, but properly treated it is perfect for decorating with style terraces, porches, walkways and gazebos, as well as for floor covering.
Decking, in fact, is perfect for paving outdoor areas, provided that suitable wood species, resistant and durable are chosen
Here’s what to do before laying decking to ensure optimum performance:
• The decking must be stored in a dry and covered place, so as to preserve the size of the material and its original colour.
• It is important that the slats are treated before laying on all 4 sides with protective oil so as to saturate the heads but especially the face which will be turned towards the ground and that will not be treated anymore.
• The installation must take place on a suitable substrate, with suitable slopes and drains located in order to avoid standing water.
As for the actual installation of the decking, the advice is always to turn to professional installers. In general, however, the strips can be laid :
• On joists of the same species of wood parquet, on other types of wood or other materials such as aluminium profiles or galvanized iron
• Or on adjustable feet where to fix the topside.
The strips, when dry after the first passage of oil, are routed through clips that fasten to the notches of the wood or by visible screws, recommended method with woody species less stable, creating in each case a gap of 3 / 4 mm between the boards, so that the water can flow without problems in the ground.
The boards must be laid and oiled once again. It is necessary to wait 48 hours before walking on the floor.
Once placed and exposed to light, the wooden floor from outside will naturally tend to oxidize and to conform, moreover the variation of the colour and some characteristics of the wood itself will be directly proportional to elements that affect the location.
To maintain the beauty of outdoor decking, it is important to perform some simple maintenance operations at the end of the winter season:
• First of all, it will be necessary to wash the floor with a floor polisher with a special cleanser that will remove any mold and dirt
• Subsequently, it will be important to restore the decking with a passage of oil over the entire surface in order to give shine and the original colour to the parquet.
Definitely, the choice of outdoor decking is not risky as people often think. Just a few simple steps have to be followed, in order to have the parquet always beautiful. Remember to choose quality materials and have the installation performed by qualified personnel.
