Gripsure features on ITV’s Love Your Garden with Alan Titchmarsh

Posted on 9 August 2017 in Gripsure News

We are delighted that Gripsure decking has helped to create a sensory garden that featured on ITV’s Love Your Garden with Alan Titchmarsh.

The garden was created by Alan and the Love Your Garden team for an inspirational girl, Isabelle Cooper, who has severely limited vision. The four-year-old has a rare degenerative eye disease called LCA – Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis, and will one day go completely blind.

Before the ITV show, the family’s back garden was a rectangle of lawn surrounded by uneven, slippery paving that made it a difficult place for Isabelle to play. The Love Your Garden team transformed it into a safe haven for Isabelle, with plants and flowers that smell, sound, feel and even taste great.

The Love Your Garden production team chose Gripsure Contemporary profile for the new garden. This timber decking was customised with green anti-slip inserts that perfectly complemented the design. The non-slip decking was used to create a walkway leading up to the play area. This has helped to create a safe environment for Isabelle to have fun outdoors all year round.

View Gripsure Contemporary

Modern and stylish, Gripsure Contemporary is a softwood deck board with a smooth finish and two anti-slip strips.

View

Gripsure Managing Director Mike Nicholson said: “When Love Your Garden approached us to ask if we could supply decking for this garden, we were more than happy to help. I am a big fan of the show and when we heard about the family’s situation and what Alan and the team were aiming to achieve with the garden we knew Gripsure decking would work really well with their plans. We are aware that Isabelle has not been able to play outside as much as her family would like, so we hope that providing non-slip decking will go a little way to helping her spend more time outdoors.

“We were all glued to our screens when the show went out on 9th August and were really impressed with the transformation. All of us at Gripsure would like to send our very best wishes to Isabelle and her family. We hope you have many, many happy days together in your beautiful new garden.”

Which type of wood is best for timber decking?

Posted on 4 August 2017 in Decking Tips

The most common material used for decking is a pressure-treated softwood as it is readily available and cost-effective. Builders’ merchants will generally stock at least one softwood decking board with some now stocking an anti-slip version as well. While softwood is the most common option there are alternatives on the market, which may be better for your project.

Hardwood

The main advantage that hardwood holds over softwood is its longevity. While most softwood timber decking boards have up to a 15-year in service life expectancy, hardwoods such as Yellow Balau can be expected to last for up to 50 years, and in some cases longer. They are far more durable and hard-wearing than softwood products, so consequently come at a larger cost.

Hardwood timber is generally considered higher quality than softwood. It’s more colourful and natural timber appearance makes it very popular for decking. The cost of hardwood varies significantly depending on the species, profile size and timber certification you are looking for, but as a very rough rule of thumb, you will be looking at around three or four times the price of softwood.

Requiring minimal maintenance and well suited to a wide variety of projects, hardwood decking is an investment to seriously consider for your decking.

ThermoWood

ThermoWood is available in a variety of timbers, including ThermoPine (softwood), ThermoIroko and ThermoAsh (hardwoods). The process of creating ThermoWood involves heating the timber in a low oxygen environment to alter its chemical structure and increase its durability. This is particularly effective for softwoods and can be a more environmentally friendly way to increase the life expectancy than using a chemical treatment.

The thermal process also increases the stability of a decking board. Invisible fixing systems can be used on the ends and sides of the board as the board will expand and contract less than normal. The biggest downside of using a heat treatment is its effect on the strength of the board. Some estimates suggest thermal treating reduces the overall strength of the board by 30%. The price of ThermoWoods varies depending on the species and sizes, but the costs are often comparable or slightly higher than hardwoods.

Accoya^®

Accoya^® is produced from fast-growing and sustainably sourced timber which undergoes a chemical process to modify the timber completely. The resulting timber is incredibly stable and comes with a life expectancy of 50 years when installed above contact with the ground and an amazing 25 years when installed in freshwater or in direct contact with the ground. In addition, the timber is virtually rot proof so can be used in virtually any environment. Currently, Accoya is available in a limited selection of lengths and comes in at a high market price, however for the investment you get a phenomenally stable and long lasting timber.

Medite^® Tricoya^®

Medite Tricoya is produced using wood fibres that have undergone the same chemical treatment as Accoya. This creates a panel product which is extremely stable and durable with a 60-year expected life cycle. As with Accoya, Medite can be in water contact with very few negative effects. The biggest downside of using the wood fibre is that the panels are susceptible to abrasion when walked on. Anti-slip coatings are recommended to give you an incredibly safe and hard-wearing product fit for a wide range of environments. Panels can be machined to smaller lengths or supplied as full panels to suit the area you are working with. This makes Medite truly is a flexible option when considering decking. As with Accoya, the cost of Medite will be towards the top end of the spectrum.

As you can hopefully see there are plenty of options to consider when deciding which timber to choose for your decking. You will need to consider the budget, site considerations such as wet or shaded areas and the appearance of the timber you are looking for.