Bamboo Decking: The Long-Lasting, Beautiful Solution for Your Garden Project

Home Improvement, Outdoor /
Woman relaxing in chair on outdoor bamboo decking among trees

Would you rather be in your garden or yard than inside the house?

Do you wish your kids would get out in the fresh air more?

If you’re lucky enough to have some outdoor space, why not get creative to make the best use of it?

Adding a deck to your outdoor space is a super simple, practical way to encourage the whole family to spend more time outside. A solid deck gives you a wealth of possibilities to add interest and functionality to your garden. How about…

  • A funky kitchen area complete with a barbecue or pizza oven for the budding chef?
  • An elegant al fresco dining area to wow your friends and family?
  • A lush chill-out zone with lounge seating and…. a hot tub?
  • Somewhere cool to play a game with the kids or sip a margarita at the end of the day?

If you don’t already have a deck, or you’re looking to replace your existing deck, why not consider bamboo decking?

Let’s take a look at the practicalities of using bamboo decking and then compare it to some of the other products on offer.

In This Article
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    Types of Bamboo Decking

    Laminated Bamboo

    Otherwise known as solid bamboo. Planks are made by laminating solid lengths of bamboo together. Multiple thin strips of bamboo are glued together and then subjected to high pressure to form decking that’s super strong.

    You can see some examples of vertically laminated bamboo decking on Bamboo Home's inventory of BamDeck bamboo decking.

    Fused or Engineered Bamboo

    This decking is often known as Dasso or Moso as these are the two companies that lead the world’s manufacture of this type of decking board. Made by heating to remove much of the sugar contained in bamboo’s structure, fused bamboo is said to be stronger and more resistant to insects and decay than laminated bamboo.

    Composite Bamboo

    If you like the idea of eco-friendly decking, then the idea of using composites may not immediately appeal. But I did find WPC composite decking that’s made out of bamboo waste fibers and recycled plastic bottles. It’s strong and long-lasting and has added water resistance.

    Is Bamboo a Good Material for Decking?

    Let’s take a look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of using bamboo to construct your decking…

    Advantages

    • Choice: folks are latching on to how cool bamboo is, meaning there’s more choice than ever before.
    • Affordable: bamboo decking is often cheaper than the alternatives.
    • Strong: bamboo has a higher tensile strength than steel.
    • Lightweight: being lighter than most woods, bamboo is easy to transport and work with.
    • Long-lasting: if properly maintained, a bamboo deck can last up to 25 years.
    • Easy to maintain: you don’t need to do much to keep your bamboo deck in good condition. We’ll look at how to do that in a later section.
    • Eco-friendly: take a look at some of the reasons we love bamboo.

    Disadvantages

    • It won’t last forever: as a natural product, it’s inevitable that bamboo won’t last forever. But, if you look after it, it will still last for ages.
    • You’ll need to look after it: your bamboo decking will need some regular cleaning and maintenance to keep it in good condition (see the Maintenance section below).

    Installation

    Installing your new deck needn’t be a complicated affair. Follow a few essential steps to ensure your deck stays stable and hard-wearing for years to come…

    1. Prepare the area: make sure the surface underneath the deck is flat to avoid waterlogging. Use a root barrier to stop weeds from growing under your deck.
    2. Flashing: if joining your deck to your house or another structure, use good-quality flashing. This will stop water from seeping between the deck and the house and causing mold, dampness, or rot. Or leave a gap of around 20mm between the structures.
    3. Use a slope: if water sits on your deck for any length of time it may cause cracking. Install your deck with a slight slope of 1 – 2% (sloping away from other structures) to avoid this issue.

    There are lots of amazing resources around to show you how to install your deck. We recommend following the instructions from your manufacturer where possible.

    Here’s a neat film that shows the basics of how to install your bamboo deck…