Millboard Decking Kitchen Porch Project
This project came to me from a previous client – a garden I built for them before we left for Australia. After we left, they had extensive work carried out on their home and the builders left the rear entrance steps in a bit of a mess. The tread risers were incorrect and the step was far too high for all but the tallest person, plus the treads were very narrow.
So we dismantled it all and took a fresh look at the opportunity before us. We had enough room to make a decent-sized landing outside the door, a space for wellies and drying the dog. There was also some room for a simple bench seat.
The product I suggested, Millboard, is neither a timber nor a composite but a resin-based product. This has all the attributes of wood – the look and feel to some degree – but none of the downsides, such as getting slippery and rotting. The grain effect is very real due to the fact that it is moulded from real timber.
It will continue to look great in years to come with little maintenance and that alone is worth the extra cost of the material. The boards come in variety of finishes and colours, and they are 176 mm x 32 mm x 3.6 m long.
The outcome of this project means that my client now has room to move as they step out from their kitchen. The steps are neat and even and, above all, safe.
Decking Steps from Garage Millboard Project
For over 10 years, one of my pre-Australia clients had lived with poor-quality step construction. They contacted me when I returned and asked me to look at the situation. A bad connection between the back door of the house and the garage back door meant that they had to hop down one step then back up to the other step. This was an accident waiting to happen.
I came up with a plan to use Millboard, a resin-based product that has all the attributes of wood but none of the downsides. Due to its non-slip properties and its finish, it worked well in the location and with the design of the house which had a mock Tudor façade. I chose to use the Millboard Charred which has taken inspiration from the Japanese charring treatment of Cedar called Shou Sugi Ban which preserves wood for 80 years or more. This look fitted the house perfectly.
Once installed the step risers were even and there was room to enter and exit without falling up or down the step. There was a simple step to enter the garage with room to move at the top, all completed in 4 days.
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