Concrete Decking - reduce your garden maintenance

From a design point of view decking in a gardens / landscapes provides a link between hard landscaping ie paving, walls ect and the soft landscaping elements, planting and turf.

The disadvantages of traditional decking is that it is high maintenance, it is slippy and can be very dangerous when installed in the wrong position (shade) and is a haven for vermin especially rats.

In recent years new products have emerged onto the market to combat some of these negative points most noticeably PVC decking. Although the PVC decking does combat some of the negative points of wooden decking (primarily the fact that it does not need to be treated with wood preservative on a yearly basis) it is very expensive to install and it is still a haven for vermin to nest under. In recent years my company Avant Gardens & Driveways have constructed a number of landscapes and we have used imprinted concrete to create decking areas. The advantages to using imprinted concrete as a decking substitute are: It is not slippy as we include an anti slip agent in the sealer that is applied to the concrete. There is no understructure, rather a sub-base so there is nowhere for vermin to nest. It is very cost effective and costs much less than PVC decking. Minimal amount of maintenance (re-seal every 3 to 5 yrs) No weeds It is very strong, durable and can withstand large weights (hot tubs ect) Lots of colours and wood patterns to choose from so can be rustic or modern in style.