Building a Concrete Patio in Your Backyard

If you want to enjoy the outdoor spaces of your house, then building a concrete patio would serve the purpose very well. If care is taken to construct the patio without any flaws, then such a place can be used to great advantage and help the family in having a great time.

In today's world where there is a very high demand for the casual style of living, a backyard patio is an extremely valuable feature of the house. You can build your patio in such a manner that it blends with the ambience of your house and stands out as a place to relax, unwind and de-stress yourselves. If you are the partying kind, then this will be the perfect place for you to entertain your friends and family. Having intimate barbecues is also possible in the backyard patio and if you adorn it with comfortable chairs and tables, it will be the place where the majority of the family is heading towards most of the time.

The material for a modern patio that will give you least trouble along with presenting an aesthetic appearance is decorative concrete. This looks very similar to actual stone and the designs that are available in this material can even better the look provided by natural stone, flagstone, bricks, slate etc. There used to be a time when people preferred stone patios but today the scenario has changed due to factors like cost and minimal usage of stone which makes the use of decorative concrete much more feasible and beautiful. The greatest advantage with decorative concrete is that it will give a very natural look to the patio and you will feel entirely at home because of this material.

Another reason for the popularity of concrete patio is that installation is relatively simple as concrete can be easily molded into the shape that you desire. In addition, the gigantic proportions of concrete works as well as single stone blocks that are laid for constructing the patio. With concrete, you also have the option of a huge variety of shades and the flexibility of having stunning textures and surface designs that make the whole patio very artistic.

All you need to remember is that the thickness of your concrete slab should not be less than 4 inches. Before you plan to build the patio, the backyard has to be readied so that pouring the concrete onto the ground will not present any problems. Since concrete needs a base, the ground should be dug up to 6 inches and filled with crushed stone or gravel. After this, further strength has to be imparted to the base with the help of iron that is placed in the form of rocks below the gravel. Once the concrete is poured, it will take four or five days for it to be completely set and fulfill its function as a patio.

Adam Peters is the author of more resources published online. For additional information on wood deck rails have a look at his web http://www.deck-porch-railings.com/wood-deck-railings.html
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Why Ipe Wood Decking? – Get The Best In Tropical Hardwood

Ipe wood decking brings you the best tropical hardwood you can have for a beautiful long lasting deck. This is the best wood for decking that you will find anywhere in the world and is one of the reasons that most homeowners in California prefer to use it when building decks. The dense wood that Ipe uses in its decking has excellent durability properties and performs well in all environments, regardless of extremes of weather. Once you see the selections of Ipe wood decking, you will be automatically sold on the product and nothing else will do.

Ipe decking is rated very highly for being resistant to rot and decay. Ipe wood decking has also been rigorously tested and has a high fire resistance rating without needing any additional treatment. With Ipe decking, California residents enjoy the look and feel of real wood on the decks of their homes and the lasting natural beauty that it brings. You can get the Ipe boards in lengths of 6 feet to 20 feet, although if you need planks longer than that for your decking, you can place a special order for them.

With Ipe wood decking, you get the magnificent look of tropical hardwood. There are natural variations of color throughout the wood of Ipe decking and very few knots. You can stain this wood, but when they install Ipe decking, California residents like to leave it natural. Under the California sunshine, Ipe wood turns a beautiful silver color when you let it age naturally. The same thing applies to the aging process of the wood in any location.

Just as with composite decking, when you install Ipe wood decking, you will have little or no maintenance. The tropical wood of Ipe decking will not splinter and is resistant to shrinkage, cupping and twisting. In order to fasten the Ipe decking, California experts recommend using stainless steel screws. This is because when the Ipe wood is screwed to the frame, the screws will not work loose or pop up. Since the stainless steel is resistant to corrosion, you will never have to worry about rust developing around the heads of the screws on the decking.

Ipe wood decking is one of the strongest materials you can choose as your decking material. It is able to withstand heavy loads and will keep its natural beauty year after year. At various times of the year, Ipe retailers have sales events in California and other locations. You can also get great prices on Ipe wood decking when you check online. In addition to having an elegant deck, you can realize exceptional savings.

To find out more about Decking visit Peter's Website The Decking Guide and find out about IPE Decking and more, including Wood Decking, Composite Decking, Trex Decking and Pool Decking.

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Building a Patio or Deck

This time of year with the changing of seasons it is one of the best times to build an outdoor patio or add a deck to your home. Spring is the perfect weather for being outside with a major project at hand. You won't have to worry about being too hot or too cold. You can just enjoy the work and make a nice outdoor living space to relax on during the summer when months are too hot to do much of any thing. You can just enjoy the outdoors with a comfortable hammock or a beautiful set of Teak outdoor furnishings what ever you prefer.

Measuring the space available for the patio should be one the first things that you do. You will want to make sure you purchase enough materials the first time so that you do not have to run back to the store every five minutes for one more piece of wood or one extra patio paver.

Measure twice before you began to purchase your material. If you are using patio pavers you want to know the measurements of one that you plan to use because they come in so many different sizes and styles.

Once you have all the materials, you will want to mark out the measurements of the patio. You want to make sure the spot you have chosen is completely level. You do not want any wobbly stones to create any safety hazards. I like to place black paper down if I am going to use the patio pavers. This will prevent any grass from growing up through the pavers causing a problem with weeds. If you are planning to build a deck there is a lot more work to be done. You will have to set your post in cement or on cement blocks making sure the heights of all you poles match up to create a level platform. While you are building the frame you will want to continue to check to make sure that everything is still correctly positioned before you add the final deck boards.

The size of the patio or deck you will be building will help you decide on what kind of furniture you wish to purchase. You will want to allow for plenty of room for moving around the furniture so that you are not constantly dealing with moving pieces around. There are many different pieces of outdoor furniture that can accommodate just about any deck or patio. You might just want enough room for a small set or enough to have room for the entire family. There is something to please everyone.

Whether you are seeking a nice set of outdoor garden furniture or some new bedroom furniture you should come see us at FarAway Furniture.

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