How to Choose (Decking home garden) an Interlocking Wood Decking Tile
Interlocking wood decking tiles or patio pavers are rapidly becoming a very popular product for quickly and easily covering drab concrete patios with an attractive solid wood surface. They have the big advantage that you don’t need to rip up the old concrete and can simply lay them over the top, without any special surface preparation. And the beauty of these convenient patio pavers is that you don’t need to be an expert handyman and you won’t need a special set of power tools to install them. They just click together like a jigsaw puzzle.
However there is now a increasing number of manufacturers offering such products, so making an informed choice between what’s available is becoming more difficult. In this article, we discuss some of the main features of the tiles that you probably should consider before making a final decision on which tile would suit you best in your particular circumstances.
Wood species This is probably one of the most important aspects in choosing a decking tile. Ideally you would choose a wood species with the highest natural durability, but there is the colour aspect to consider as well. Wood species can range tremendously in colour, from light straw through chocolate browns to deep orange red colours. But based on durability considerations alone, then one of the most durable and hard wearing species is undoubtedly Ipe wood from South America. Under this there are then a number of other wood species also from South America and a few from Southeast Asia. Rather than listing all the individual species, we suggest that you check the durability and other characteristics from an authoritative web site such as the USDA Forest Service at http://www2.fpl.fs.fed.us/Menu.ssi . Note that some species, although they may be durable in respect of climatic considerations, may still be subject to insect attack such as termites which could be an important consideration in your particular region.
Other considerations when choosing the wood species of course are whether the wood has been responsibly harvested or comes from managed forests.
Wood thickness Most tiles on the market use wood slats which are approximately 5/8″ (15mm) thick. Some manufacturers supply tiles with 3/4″ thick slats and others with
Tags: Best Composite Decking, Decking Squares, Decking Wood, Red Cedar Decking, Cedar Decking, Spa Decking, Decking Board, Wooden Decking Design