The Outside Story

You have bought a beautiful house, and everything inside it is exactly the way you have always wanted. You have chosen your furniture, wallpaper or paint, curtains, and decor. But what about the outside of your home? Perhaps you have been blessed with a beautiful garden with an ornamental lawn and flowerbeds. But you still need a place to sit down, relax, and enjoy the view. It’s time to build yourself a patio or a deck.

So what kind of flooring is available for your outdoor veranda? You have several choices:

– Natural stone or rock – This looks good, is resilient, and extremely natural. It will definitely weather extreme heat or cold. The only drawback with using these kinds of materials is that they can be quite expensive to buy and then install.

– Concrete paver – This can look rather boring, if you choose the cheaper kinds. However, you can also find varieties of paver that have a more “natural” look. This is certainly far less expensive than natural stone or rock. You can fit them yourself, but be prepared for a long and somewhat arduous project. You may want to use plain concrete instead, but if you do, it will not look half as good.

– A wooden deck – If you go for wood, check first that it is the kind of wood that is weatherproof and can withstand the climatic conditions of where you live. Extreme heat can cause wood to become faded and cracked, while severe cold and rain can make it go moldy and get warped. For this reason, your deck should be made from resilient varieties such as teak, which have been properly treated to withstand the elements. Also make sure that your deck is properly elevated to keep it away from groundwater, straggly weeds, or any other annoyances. A wooden deck, however, if installed properly, can certainly make your garden look very good, giving it a relaxed, “chalet” feel.

– If you want to install a deck, but you want to do it the “easy” way, how about “decking squares”? These are pieces of wooden decking material that interlock and snap together. You can even fit these on top of an existing patio or veranda.

When choosing the best flooring material, you need to take several factors very much into account:

– Your budget
– Climate
– The overall look of your house. Would the material that you choose look good juxtaposed with your home?
– Time – Do you have the time to fit this yourself? And if not, do you have the means to pay someone else to do it?
– Then there is what you will put on the patio. You may want, for example, to put down an area rug to make the deck or tile flooring feel a bit more homey. If so, remember that you need an outdoor rug made from a resilient, washable material that can withstand the elements. There are many on the market, from bamboo to acrylic. Choose what is best for you.

Add some elegant garden furniture, effective lighting, some outdoor decorations and shrubs, and you will have the ideal patio or deck for you.

Author Bio: Sacha is an expert contributing article author composing on the subject of family home improving. The woman adores utilizing flooring options and stone flooring to bring a fabulous splash of panache in to the place.

Category: Home Management
Keywords: stone flooring,tile flooring,flooring options

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