Home Style//Collaborative Post
When thinking about making improvements to our gardens and outside spaces, often the flooring and ground work can be overlooked, but it can be the one factor that truly brings the garden together, makes it look complete and adds much needed comfort, light and texture. Having the right flooring for you depends on your needs, the kind of garden you have and what appeals to you visually.
When you have children and pets, it's well worth looking into the different options thoroughly to make sure they will be safe, easy to clean and stand the test of time. It's worth considering how much time you are likely to spend cleaning, sweeping, hosing it down and with options like decking possibly needing treatment to keep them at their best. Think how much you want to spend roughly and also remember to factor in installation costs if it's something you can't do yourself.
Here are some garden flooring options that are perfect for families, with a little information to help you make the right decision for your garden this summer.
Traditional Paving & Brick
Paving your garden can be a great choice, with hard wearing stone that will last for years to come, needing little to no maintenance though the year except for regular sweeps and a clean up with a pressure washer once in a while making it look as good as new. The downside for families with smaller children is that being a hard surface you may need to pop down garden rugs or play mats while they play and the joins could be a trip hazard if not laid well. It's well worth considering a professional installer, with companies like Marshalls being able to connect you with an accredited installer and provide high quality paving.
If you have pets, paving is easy to keep fresh through the year and clean up any mess they may leave behind. Paving your garden can completely transform your space, making it look neat and tidy for years to come. You could even just choose to have one smaller patio area for dining on and brighten up the spaces with potted plants for a splash of colour.
Wooden & Composite Decking
Decking is a great choice for really making your garden makeover stand out. With a choice of real wood or composite decking, you can have raised areas to add interest to your garden or simply a decked patio area. Traditional wood decking can be prone to rot if not treated carefully each year, so if you're not one to keep up with odd jobs then the more modern approach of composite flooring (much like the vinyl flooring inside our homes) may be for you.
This option gives the beautiful look and feel of wood but without the risk of splintering and rot that you face with real hard wood. Decking is a great way of making your garden feel more comfortable, you could even incorporate storage underneath for garden furniture and toys. It's also worth noting that unlike traditional wood, most composite versions are fire proof making it a great choice for families and it's something that won't look out of date any time soon.
Grass & Artificial grass
With kids, having soft safe grass to play on is a preference of many parents, but it's not without its downfalls. Regular mowing is required to keep your lawn looking nice and it's hard to know if it's clean for play or see any bugs and sharp objects in the grass. Real grass does look stunning though when looked after and ideally with the right space garden, we'd all have a grassed area alongside a couple of these other options to separate spaces and make our gardens look their best. Artificial grass is hugely popular right now, a great choice for families as you can easily see whats there and hose down when needed, but also great for allergy sufferers this time of year.
The best thing about artificial grass is that it doesn't need much maintenance aside from cleaning, there's no mowing required and once you've had it installed, you're good to go enjoying your garden straight away. Once again, it's worth finding a reputable installer to make sure it's down safely and neatly, as well as looking for a good quality faux grass that won't fade or need replacing any time soon. As with all things, the more you pay the better it will be and also the most realistic, so work to your budget and make sure you get the best for your outside areas. Artificial grass is a great choice for gardens that are lacking space but crying out for some low maintenance colour.
Choosing your perfect garden flooring pretty much comes down to what you like, how much you have to spend, what your outside space is like and what you will be using it for, so give it some good consideration and planning before you start shopping.
What will you go for in your garden?
