Reasons To Use Decking in Commercial Properties
The beauty of real wood can transform an outdoor space, but wood also needs regular maintenance too. It can become slippery when wet and quickly looses its appeal with fading absorbing stains and eventually rotting away. There are many alternative composite decking products that people can easily research before they install it in their commercial settings. A lot of people are using anti-slip decking such as Rubadeck now as it has so many advantages.
The popularity of decking in public spaces and commercial buildings has got very popular over the years. A lot of businesses have created outdoor spaces including restaurants, cafes, bars, pubs, etc and creating features such as decking, space heaters and shelters. Now that people cannot smoke inside in these such places since 2007 an outside area is as important as the inside of the business nowadays. It is an extension of your business.
Many leisure centres, schools, offices and hospitals have also created attractive breakout areas that enhance their buildings. There are a few points though that you need to consider before you install your decking though.
One of the first things you need to think about is which location and what ground will the decking be laid onto. For ground level and elevated decking, the substructure needs to be laid on a free draining area of compacted hardcore so not straight onto grass or soil.
Will the decking cover things like a man hole or another area that will need to be accessed? If so you need to make sure there is a removable panel, so you can access such areas if needed.
If you are having an area used by members of the public, you may need to have proper signage and install additional handrails if there are steps to contend with.
It is very important that your new decking is accessible to all people, whether they are able bodied or in a wheel chair for example. Handrails and wheelchair access will need to be installed. If the decking is not suitable for younger children or elderly this needs to be properly put onto signage.
For decking that is going to have a lot of people using it the deck boards must be anti-slip. Rubadeck is perfect for this and it comes with a guarantee and a range of colours to suit the area it is going to be installed in and no fear of slipping in the wet or icy weather.
Decking in public areas must be able to endure a lot of use. One that doesn’t need a lot of maintenance and repair would be better than say a wooden decking that needs to be constantly repaired and looked after.
Planning permission needs to be considered when choosing your decking. There are a few conditions that may mean you will require it. If your decking is within 20 meters of a road or attached to a listed building you may need planning permission. Always check with your local authorities to see if you need planning permission and all of the conditions.
