Fresh approaches to distinguished deck design

Developments in decking technology and materials over the last decade have opened up a world of possibility for anyone designing a deck.

Back in the 1990s, most garden decks in the UK looked fairly similar, tending to be square or rectangular, constructed from standard hardwood decking boards, with few features to distinguish one person’s deck from another.

Designing a deck today is limited only by your imagination, and the range of options available to you can be someone bamboozling if you’re not sure what is possible. To help you simplify that process, here is a quick look at the creative options available to you in two key aspects of your deck design.

Directional board designs

Decking was popular in the UK for some time before we started to see experiments in the directional layout of decking boards.

Today, it is commonplace to see boards change direction at critical points to break up the space, and patterns such as Herringbone, tile, and picture frame are often used to give a deck a strong style.

Each year at the ideal home show, unique deck designs are exhibited that demonstrate just how far it is possible to go to give your deck a unique identity.

Almost any theme or motif can be incorporated into your deck using multi-directonal board layouts – and even more so when you consider varying the colours of your boards.

Colouring and staining your deck

Staining has always been a great way to keep your deck looking its best, but you can also use colour creatively to enhance the design of your deck.

Regular cleaning and treating will help any wooden deck to retain its natural colour, but you might want to mix and match the colours you use to stain your deck to match an adjacent part of your home, or to differentiate different areas of your deck.

Deck staining can also be an effective way to add a sense of dimension to your deck if, for example, you stain the vertical sections of a stepped area in a different colour to the horizontal sections.

After your deck has been in place for a number of months, you will be able to identify areas that are particularly prone to discolouration due to exposure to the elements. Staining those areas darker shades can help to keep your deck looking great, even when the weather is bad.