7 Short tips for the installation of wood outdoors

Keep in mind these recommendations for outdoor wood installation if you are going to renovate any space in your garden or terrace with this material.

We provide you with a short list of the basic installation principles for the different wooden elements that are usually put outWe think you will find it very useful if you plan to carry out any of these works soon.

Following these basic installation principles will help to prolong the life of the wooden components such as outdoor flooring, pergolas, porches, wooden planters, wooden decorative elements, beams, outdoor woodwork and outdoor wooden furniture.

Treatment

When selecting the wood you are going to use outdoors, it is advisable to choose a wood that has been previously treated in an autoclave with risk 3 or 4. This type of treatment avoids water retention to a high degree.

On-site treatment after cutting.

If you cut or machine autoclave-treated wood 3 and 4 without contact with the ground, you must cover unprotected surfaces (cuts) with a supplementary treatment.

Indications for wood that is buried or in contact with water.

Autoclave-treated wood of risk 4 that will be buried or in permanent contact with the ground must not be cut or mechanized.

Use of wood as exterior flooring

Outdoor flooring; to encourage better water evacuation and ventilation of the terrace, it is needed:

  • a minimum slope of 1.5 % towards the outside of the flooring and in the direction of the slats;
  • a gap of 1 cm at the edges of the parquet to save the dilations.
  • a permanent separation between the slats;
  • allow air circulation under the terrace (ventilation).
  • it is necessary to use an anti-termite film in areas with termites.

Fences or lattices with wood

Fences / Panels or Lattices: All posts must be capped to prevent moisture absorption by the end or stop. All panels must be fixed between two posts.

Buried posts: A bed of gravel should be placed in the hole to facilitate drainage and drying.

Swimming pool structure with natural wood

Wooden swimming pools: in wooden half-embedded or buried swimming pools it is necessary:

  • to place a layer or alveolar protection canvas. 
  • use an anti-termite film in termite areas. 
  • fill with crushed aggregate of 0/3 or 0/6 and after compacting, the pool will not deform over time. 
  • place a drain in the bottom, at the outer edge of the pool. 
  • install a decompression well to be able to see and extract the water around the pool. 
  • Do not install the pool within 5 meters of the trees.
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