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If you’ve ever tackled a decking project before, you may have already found that decking projects large and small can often leave you with a board or two here or there. Let’s be honest – the easiest thing to do with these is generally to store them in the shed – then just forget about them!
Even our own DIY experts at Savoy Timber have found that to be the case now and again, so we’ve come up with a few ideas of our own to use up those leftover decking boards, and other bits and bobs you might find stored in your shed. So, dust off those old decking boards, grab some fixings, a few tools, gloves, and get building!
We’ll kick off with the easiest project on the list: a paver or stone plant table. Nothing complicated involved for this one; all you need are a few pavers and an unused piece of decking.
Simply select a thick, straight decking board from your existing collection and gather six loose patio stones or pavers. You can adjust the height based on the number of loose pavers you have laying around.
Next, you’ll need to decide how long you want the plant table. If you have heavy planters to set on top, you might consider making the table shorter to support the weight, so that the board doesn’t start bowing in the middle.
Once you’ve decided on the length of the table, now you can cut it to size, if it needs to be adjusted. Then, stack the pavers three high on each side to use as the legs for your plant table and finally set the board on top of the pavers.
Lastly, decorate with plants, and that’s the job done!
Pets tend to need water and food when enjoying time out in the garden,
especially in the hotter summer months. Here’s where your handiness can help – with this simple solution you can create a raised pet feeder from decking boards and old table legs.
Start by choosing a straight and flat decking board that’s wide and long enough tohold the number of pet bowls you want. Then, set the bowl face-up on the board and draw an outline around it. This gives you a useful guide to cut out the holes using an appropriate tool and safety kit. Fix table legs either with glue, screws, or if they are new the fixings provided. Viola!
Now, your pet doesn’t have to drink off the ground which can be especially helpful for older dogs and cats.
If you find yourself with a particularly large amount of decking boards left over, you might find this is a perfect project for them. There are plenty of ways you can use those decking boards… one of them is to create decorative privacy walls.
The first method includes setting support posts, and then simply building a vertical deck. You can do this by deciding how big of a vertical deck you would like doesn’t need to be exactly the same size as the decking boards but that makes it easier.
Another decorative privacy wall idea would be to set leftover decking in the ground without support posts — creating a floating wall. We’ve seen this using either a deep trench with boards at least a few feet filled with concrete about half way or more — then topped with gravel.
Or you could do the same process but not dig as deep and simply space your upright decking boards with pre-cut pieces of timber. Then fill the whole trench with concrete and use a trawl to rake even with your other surfaces.
Floating walls are becoming a popular option for tiered gardens where one neighbour overlooks the other because it is the perfect blend privacy with design to shelter the garden.
When thinking about what else to do with your leftover decking boards, sometimes the simplest solutions are the most effective. Do you have areas of your garden that are always muddy or soggy? Or do you have any areas that need a cut-through or path?
Simply cut a few boards to the size you need and dig a small amount around them set them level with the existing ground and cover them. If your deck is slightly higher than you planned or the ground below has been eroded away, you can use extra decking boards to build a step. Building a step will help improve safety on your new deck and will use up leftover materials.
These are a popular choice for all types of scrap wood and decking board remnant projects, mainly because you can mix and match boards of different sizes.
There are a wide range of planter boxes you can make including floating planters fixed to your fence, tabletop or planters, mini-planters, under window flower boxes, long planters, or very tall planters.
If you have already built enough flower planters from unused decking boards and scrap wood — why not try your hand at building a birdhouse?
But, we digress… the point is there is a lot you can do with leftover decking boards if you have a little bit of handiness and creativity!
If you’ve used up the last of your leftover decking, and you’re on the hunt for brand-new boards to renovate your existing deck – or even build a whole new one – you can find exactly what you need right here at Savoy Timber. We’ve got a massive range of easy decking kits, and if you need a helping hand or advice, you can always pop by any of our stores in Blackpool, Wigan or Preston, where one of our members of staff will be happy to help!
