An outdoor space that is well-furnished not only acts as a natural extension of one’s home, but it also adds character to the entire abode. And what better way to further add character to your home than with a wooden decking for your balcony that radiates endearing charm? It is no wonder The Floor Gallery is seeing a growing number of homeowners looking to build that outdoor haven with wood decking.

However, as solid wood decking is an option that requires closer maintenance and care, composite wood decking has become an increasingly popular and stylish alternative. We’ve gathered a few of our composite balcony decking projects, which we hope will inspire. Have a look:

Project #1: The Azure at Ocean Drive, Sentosa

Given the location, this balcony would bear the brunt of Singapore’s tropical weather – especially the heat! To avoid “hot dancing” on the deck, the unit’s owners chose Eco Wood Composite Decking.

This wood plastic composite decking choice uses, as its name suggests, eco-friendly wood and has a unique and patented composition of 2/3 wood flour and 1/3 polyethylene. What this means is that it has less plastic than conventional composite boards, making the heat under bare feet equivalent to that of solid wood and more comfortable to walk on. This WPC decking is indeed one “cool” deck. And the lovely wood texture adds an oasis feel to the balcony too, especially with the breath-taking view!

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Want to find out more about our decking options? Get in touch with our decking specialists HERE.
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Project #2: Condominium at Gerald Drive

Where there is water on floor surfaces, slipperiness and safety is often an issue. However, with the use of The Floor Gallery’s Eco Fusion Wood Decking at a condominium at Gerald Drive, residents can feel safe playing around the pool deck.

This outdoor composite decking material has slip-resistant properties and, unlike regular solid wood decking, it is also splinter-free! Its durable qualities also make it great for long-term use, especially when the pool deck expects many visitors daily to test its strength. It is perfect for active children who love playing with water outdoors. To top it off, this outdoor decking also uses eco-friendly wood.

Project #3: Waterfront Isle Condominium

 If you do not fancy wood grain patterns because it clashes with your home design (but still want to enjoy the feel of wood under your feet), the grooved composite wood might just be the right fit. Just look at that beautiful balcony flooring! With subtle gaps between the boards of only 5mm, this groove-design deck from a condominium unit at the Waterfront Isle looks smooth and seamless. The homeowners of this unit now have a balcony exuding an earthy, cosy and homely feel, but with a contemporary touch.

As one of the options available under TFG’s Eco Wood Composite Decking range, this composite balcony decking has all the wonderful properties mentioned in The Azure project above, and more! An additional feature of this special deck is that you can sand it down in future without affecting the groove design! Along with all the other benefits of Eco Wood Composite Decking, you may have just found the most innovative decking for your balcony.

Ready to Deck?

The Floor Gallery offers two types of eco-friendly wood decking for balconies or outdoor decks: Eco Wood Composite Decking (as seen in Project #1 and #3), and Eco Fusion Deck (as illustrated in Project#2).

With more than 10 designs and colours to choose from both composite decking varieties, homeowners will be spoilt for choice. For that classic brown wood, the Auburn Brown Embossed design will do the trick. But, if you’re looking for lighter colours to brighten up the space, you might like the Gentle Grey Eco Fusion Deck. On the other hand, darker options to consider are Coffee Brown and Robust Grey.

Aesthetics aside, our WPC decking choices are accredited with Green Label Singapore, amongst many other quality certification labels. With great confidence, we also provide warranties for insect and fungus infestations, so that you can enjoy your balcony or outdoor deck with a peace of mind.

Feeling inspired? Please feel free to browse through our full selection of decking for balconies here. Should you have any queries, do not hesitate to contact us. We look forward to decking with you!

The post Design Your Dream Balcony with Composite Decking appeared first on The Floor Gallery.

Wood flooring is one of the closest materials you can get from Nature. The rustic feel, musky smell, and the unique grain of each piece of plank brings about a nostalgic feel to the living space. Wood flooring styles naturally exudes a touch of timeless elegance and it is no wonder that it remains the choice of many home owners. It is almost always found in buildings of characters, such as palaces and manors that date back to historical times. For example, the State Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia that has arguably the most beautiful wood floors.

Contrary to common beliefs, wood can be a great eco-friendly choice for all living and company working spaces too. By using wood sourced from sustainable forests (FSC / PEFC certified) and using only adhesives that emit little or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs), wood flooring can be an eco-friendly choice.

For your next design project or home renovation idea, come take a look at some of the beautiful wood flooring style projects that The Floor Gallery has been a part of…

Project #1: HDB Flooring

The owners of this unit chose American Walnut to dress up the floor of their living room. The warm-tone wood flooring style complements the unit well as it provides contrast to the white walls of the premises. The natural varying tones of the wood’s light shade breaks the uniformity of the flooring, brings out the character of the family home, and gives a warm cosy feel to the home. In addition to its aesthetics, this solid wood flooring’s eco-friendly and non-toxic features made it a great flooring choice for the whole family, including the little corner of their furry companion.

Project #2: Condominium Flooring

This apartment in Cote D’zaur Condominium in Marine Parade is covered by FloorTop wood flooring. Also known as engineered wood flooring, it is made by compressing multiple layers of 100% real textured hardwood. With its unique construction, this wood flooring style is more durable, dimensionally stable and less susceptible to warping. In this home, FloorTop engineered wood, along with its natural wood grains, blends perfectly with the Scandinavian-like white walls of the apartment.

Installation of FloorTop engineered wood flooring is also faster and easier. Unlike traditional wood flooring, the original floor does not have to be hacked. FloorTop wood flooring can be overlaid onto the existing floor. There is also no need to sand and varnish on site as the floors are pre-finished at the factory. This cuts down the installation time from weeks to just a day or two!

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Interested to find out more about FloorTop wood flooring for your property? Feel free to contact our decking specialists HERE!
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Project #3: Editlounge Pte Ltd’s Outdoor Decking

Generally all wood can be used for outdoors. The wood used will have to be kept dry and regularly maintained to prevent wood rot. However, there are some wood species that have a higher resistance to decay than others and these are the wood species that are commonly used for outdoor decking. One of the wood species would be Chengal. It is study, durable and naturally resistant to termites. In addition, Chengal has a relatively low shrinkage ratio, (only inferior to Teak) which makes it excellent for applications where it undergoes periodic changes in moisture.

Editlounge Pte Ltd, a post-production and media management company, installed chengal wood decking at the balcony of its Cendex Centre office. Instead of laying a deck over the entire balcony, the chengal wood decking was interspersed with some grey pebbles and tiles. This breaks the monotony of the decked space and gives it a calming “Zen” feel. This project shows that one can definitely create stylish wonders in an outdoor space. All it takes is a little creativity!

Types of Wood Flooring

At The Floor Gallery, we have a wide range of wood flooring styles to suit your needs. For traditional solid wood flooring design, consider Canadian Cherry, a red-colored hardwood hailing from Canada and the United States. Alternatively, take a look at European Birch, a lovely brown hardwood popular among Singaporean homeowners. If you love something a little darker, Tasmania Oak is a grey-colored wood that blends well with contemporary, white interiors. We have more than 20 types of hardwood to choose from, check them out here.

Canadian Cherry	European Birch	Tasmania Oak

If, however, you fancy FloorTop engineered wood style, check out the lovely designs under Spirit M. Select ETM001 for that cool, black minimalist look or ETM003 for a warm cottage feel.

ETM001	ETM003

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At The Floor Gallery, be spoilt for choice as there is a wide variety of flooring solutions. From indoor flooring to outdoor decking, from wood lookalike to real wood floors, and many more! Whether you’re in need of some fresh home ideas or just want to view our flooring range, feel free to contact our friendly consultants HERE today.
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The post Wood Flooring Never Goes Out Of Style appeared first on The Floor Gallery.

1. Weather Resistance

Singapore is famous for its weird weather. You tend to experience extreme hot weather on some days and you can have extreme wet days over a few days period. Will your decking last under this tremendous weather? Hence, choosing a all-weather resistant decking is important. But of course, you can also consider building a cover for your decking so as to eliminate the weather portion in your consideration.

2. Material

There are a few options one can choose to have when it comes to decking. You can either go for either wood, composite or eco composite decking or even outdoor tiles. How to choose then, you might ask. Think of the ease of maintenance and then the appearance you want your decking to be. From there, choose the one that fits the appearance most. Eco Composite Decking would be a good choice due to its stylish design and the ease of maintenance.

3. Maintenance

Maintaining the deck is one important aspect to make sure your balcony decking is long lasting. Some material will require more maintenance compared to others. If you choose wood decking, you have to prepare for periodic maintenance of the decking via revarnishing, coating and painting. If you choose Eco Wood Composite Decking, it is generally maintenance free. You will only need to splash a bit of water to ensure cleanliness of the decking. Do learn more about the different types of decking maintenance before settling on your choice of material.

Do ensure the material involved in the decking are of high quality too. You would not want to have a low quality screws that stain your decking or breaks down after sometime, do you? Hence, it is important to look for credible flooring contractors with credible source.

Size and usage of Deck

You may have a large area for your deck. Do consider if you want to make use of the whole area to create your deck or just partial. Too small decking may not give you the ambience you are looking for while too big space decking may take up a lot of space than it should. Design and plan what goes to where. It helps to determine the size of your deck.

Other than the size, you should also consider the usage of the deck. Is the deck going to have barbeque pits? Is it going to be for my family to sit and relax? It is relatively important as it will affect the type of appearance your decking should look like. If it is to have a barbeque pit, do consider a deck with patterns that can help to cover the dirt and a deck that is easy to clean.

In summary, doing planning for the decks are relatively important process, just as any part of the house. It will affect you in terms of not only cost, but also the ambience of the decking, which will affect the theme of your whole house.

The post Things to Consider Before Buying Decking Products appeared first on The Floor Gallery.

So what are the characteristics of Eco-Wood Composite Decking? Let’s have a look at them.

1. Eco wood composite decking is a highly durable decking compared to the hardest natural decking available. It is resistant to all weather conditions, rain or shine. This is especially helpful in Singapore, where the weather is hot and humid all year round.
2. Being Splinter free, Eco wood composite decking makes it a very safe decking for home owners. Kids tend to be active and run around often. Hence, this flooring is especially safe when there are kids around too.
3. Compared to conventional composite decking, Eco composite decking is one of the first wood composite decking with Green credentials, making it an eco-friendly flooring for the homes.
4. Slip resistance property of this decking is enhanced by its embossed surface. This keeps the decking safe for home owners. Even when it rains and wets the decking, you are ensured that the deck will not be slippery and cause anyone to slip and fall.
5. Eco composite wood decking can be cleaned easily and is easy to maintain too. This helps to save time and cost for home owners.
6. Compared to soft wood decking like pine, eco wood composite decking has a firmer feel like strong hardwood decking. This gives a better and firm feel when you step onto the deck.

By installing Forexia® eco wood composite decking at your home balcony, bay windows, or planter decking, not only you can enjoy high quality decking materials at home, you can also contribute a little to global sustainability.

The post Characteristic of a Good Wood Composite Decking appeared first on The Floor Gallery.

Of course, some home owners have a planter, but chose not to plant anything on their planter bed space. Because plants require a lot of care and attention. Those busy home owners who cannot afford the time to care for their plants, will rather cover up the planter bed with decking instead. This will convert the planter bed into a mini version of a normal balcony deck. In this way, home owners can step out into their ‘mini balcony’ and enjoy the view outside their home too.

Finding a suitable decking for your planter? Feel free to get in touch HERE.

Plants, beside needing a lot of care and attention, also will tend to attract birds and insects. Nature lovers will find them beautiful. However, some home owners find them a pest, and would rather do up a deck in place of plants. This will ensure they have no birds or insects which will accidentally fly into their homes. Of course, it will be easier to clean and maintain too!

With a deck in place of plants, home owners can also step onto the ‘mini deck’ to enjoy the outside view of their homes too. If there are plants in the planter bed, it will be impossible to take a step out onto the planter bed without stepping on the plants.

Planters being converted to a mini deck has been increasingly popular. This is because of the fast paced lifestyle in Singapore nowadays. Everyone is busy with work and has a hectic schedule everyday. Few people, especially young couples, have got time to sit and stare and care for the plants unlike retirees.

The Floor Gallery has 2 types of decking – namely Wood Decking and Eco Composite Decking. Both can be used to do up your mini deck, and they both come in different designs and colours. With a wide range to choose from, home owners can ensure that their mini balcony will be done up nicely and neatly by our floor specialists.

If you’re thinking of converting your planter bed into a mini ‘balcony’, feel free to get in touch with our decking team HERE.

The post Converting your Planter into a Mini Deck appeared first on The Floor Gallery.

Composite boards are just barely needy enough to demand just an occasional cleaning, compared with the stripping, sanding, sealing and regular upkeep pressure-treated deck boards require in order to hold up just as durably under the same conditions. Cutting back maintenance labor that much is no small thing when you take into account what an outdoor hub the average home’s deck has become for outdoor entertainment in fresh-air spaces inspired to mimic a house’s inviting living room atmosphere.

• A Little More About That Low Maintenance

For the sake of pointing out the obvious, composite decking exists as a response to wood decking’s most frequently complained-about drawbacks. First and foremost, since composite decking doesn’t splinter, rot or mold as wood decks are known to eventually, it also doesn’t need to undergo regular staining to seal out pests and the elements and generally keep up its like-new appearance.

That also means no splinters or slivers, which makes slip- and heat-resistant composite decking a perfect fit for families fond of going barefoot.

That isn’t to say composites are absolutely invincible. Remember, composites are comprised, in part, of organic materials. That means some surface staining and mold, but the cleaning it takes to hold those signs of aging back gets no more strenuous than brushing on standard household cleaners now and again. Compare that to how much time and money either you or a professional cleaner will spend power-washing and sanding a wood deck.

• Color

An unfortunate reality of a wood deck is that the rich brand-new coloration and perfectly measured shape won’t last forever. Western softwoods such as red cedar and redwood especially fade eventually into a weathered silver-grey that composite boards all born from batches of mixed materials never adopt.

That’s the beauty of these partially synthetic boards: their uniformly gorgeous color retention in the absence of regular sealing and staining. If you don’t see a stately shade of grey as a sign of dignity but a reminder of your deck’s advancing age and don’t care for the routine of constant staining, composites are the way to go.

• Pests and Rot

Or should we say, utter lack thereof. Without the infusion of pesticides and heavy metals into the pressure-treating process, lumber becomes incredibly inviting to pests at the cost of posing fewer toxic hazards to your family as the wood slowly deteriorates with age, especially children and pets.
It’s an uneasy trade-off that composite decking sidesteps entirely. As noted above, expect some superficial mold and fungi to eventually make a move on the decking’s organic material. Generally, though, the materials and manufacturing process themselves lend composites a natural resistance to pests, rot, mold and fungi.

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Currently, more than 50 manufacturers supply homeowners nationwide with cost-effective, durable composite decking. For each brand, there’s a constant buzz of refinement as research and development teams work to make their products better. Generally speaking, each variety’s own unique finer points aside, wood is wood is wood. Composites benefit from ongoing improvement, testing and revision to make decking that more realistically resembles wood’s natural finish and grains with bright, even colors.

The post The 4 Biggest Benefits of Composite Decking appeared first on The Floor Gallery.

Composites are durable, tough and manufacturers the world over have gone one extra mile after another to make them often comparably attractive to natural woods, but there’s one claim that comes under some embellishment: the color of composite decking is not exactly “permanent” as professed. Like many other materials, it eventually fades and will incur some degree of mildew.

Staining to either preserve composite decking’s factory color or even change it entirely is possible, but there’s a very well-defined “right” way to go about it for the most appreciable results.

Whatever your color-changing plan of attack may be, whether you mean to stain or paint, you’ll likely need to first perform some mildew removal. Composite decks aren’t the nutrient buffets that many natural-wood structures end up being, but given that composites are partially organic, you’ll need to start with a one-part-bleach to three-parts-water solution liberally applied to the deck’s surface, steps, railings and/or benches. After letting it set in for 20 minutes, scrub all surfaces down with a long-handled brush and finish by rinsing any mildew residue away with the solution itself.

You’ll sand the surface next with a #220 very fine sandpaper to remove the composite’s gloss – if working with a textured composite, then sanding with the wood grain. The last cleaning step is to apply a household detergent solution or specially formulated commercial cleaner to remove the composite decking’s dirt and dust completely, once more finishing with a thorough rinse.

If applying a deck stain, you’ll want to skip the priming stage. If you’ve chosen to paint, we recommend an exterior latex stain-blocking primer for any plastic material. Before beginning the actual painting or staining, know that you’ll be revisiting this process roughly every three to five years from now on to keep up with the elemental and foot-traffic pounding a face-up exposure takes constantly. No paint or stain is invincible.

Finally, apply a semi-gloss or satin finish of latex floor and deck paint. We suggest opting for the upgraded mildew resistance and easier cleaning that comes with a higher-gloss paint. If staining is more your speed, go with a formula tailored specifically for composite decking, usually an acrylic latex solid color deck stain.

As you revisit these steps, remember to stick with avoid oil-based products if you’ve already opted for an exterior latex coat previously. When combined, cracking oil coatings can quickly soil your deck’s appearance.

The post Reviving a Composite Deck with Expert Staining and Painting appeared first on The Floor Gallery.

1) Conventional Composite Decking

For standard composite decking, the varying material content among the different composite decking products in the market may give rise to different standards of quality. One way of identifying and assuring a good quality composite decking product is to look at the manufacturer’s warranty. A good quality composite decking product is relatively better in terms of dimensional stability, weather resistance and slip resistance. As such, compared to solid wood decking, composite decking is a much more suitable material when it comes to designing a balcony or outdoor patio.

2) Wrapped Composite Decking

Considered one of the newer entries in the market, Wrapped Composite Decking comprises of a composite decking with a layer of composite encased around it. As this form of composite decking has only been around in the market for about 3 years, it is pretty difficult to see its pros and cons. Often, composite decking products tend to expand and contract when faced with sudden temperature changes, especially in places with tropical climates, such as Singapore.

However, one thing about wrapped composite decking is that during such sudden temperature changes (cool weather to hot weather), both the inner composite and outer composite expand and contract in tandem. The trapped heat and changing shape of the inner composite material may cause the whole decking to warp and become unstable in the long run. Therefore, as it is a very new composite wood decking option, home owners may want to check the credibility of the manufacturer’s source before purchasing.

3) Eco Composite Wood Decking

The third and last option would be Eco Composite Wood Decking. This innovative decking material has relatively better performance in terms of dimensional stability, durability and overall weather resistance. Due to stringent manufacturing standards and the use of sustainable materials from outstanding manufacturing sources, eco composite wood decking is of higher quality than most conventional wood composite decking and wrapped composite decking material. It is still important for home owners to check with their flooring contractors on the manufacturer source of the composite decking.

With the wide array of composite decking products available in the market, it’d be wise for home owners to carry out more research before deciding on a composite wood decking product for their outdoor balcony, patio or gardens.

Finding a suitable composite wood decking for your property? Feel free to get in touch with our decking team HERE.

The post Composite Wood Decking Options in Singapore appeared first on The Floor Gallery.

Wood decking and composite wood decking are two of the most common decking options for balconies in Singapore homes.
With a growing number of apartments with fresh floor plan designs, more home owners are choosing homes with al fresco private spaces for a different, cosier feel.

(Wondering how a balcony wooden decking would look in your home? Get a free consultation)

Adding a wooden deck to your balcony definitely adds to its al fresco vibe. The question is: Which outdoor decking material should you use for your balcony – natural wood decking or composite wood decking? We take a look at the strengths and weaknesses of these two decking options:

1) Wood Decking

It is important for home owners to know that there are different kind of materials available for solid wood decking, such as Chengal Wood, Ironwood, Balau, and Merbau. The most common option installed in balconies across Singapore is Chengal decking, as it is firm, stable, and has a relatively more absorbent coating as compared to other wood decking species. Due to its natural qualities, wood decking gives your balcony in tropical Singapore a true sense of nature. It also provides relatively better protection against heat and UV rays. However, unlike synthetic composite decking, it is necessary to maintain the balcony wood decking on a half yearly or yearly basis.

Want to find out more about Chengal wood decking?

Get in touch with our decking team here →

2) Composite Wood Decking

Composite wood decking is a generally more durable balcony flooring option in Singapore as it is made of man-made resilient material that is resistant to outdoor weather conditions. It is also easier to maintain as compared to wood decking.

However, it is important for home owners to know that composite decking products vary in terms of quality due to their differing manufacturing standards. One should find out about the manufacturing source (and not the marketing source) of the decking product, especially with the huge number of manufacturers around today.

After all, it is what is inside of the composite decking that really matters. Responsible composite wood decking manufacturers will make sure their product is of the highest quality in terms of dimensional stability, so look out for credible accreditation such as the Singapore Green Label and PEFC.

Composite wood decking products come in different structures – some in a honeycomb structure and some in a full solid structure. A seller may tell you that their product’s structure is the most stable. However, what’s most important is to look at the manufacturer’s warranty.

Is the warranty from the distributor or the manufacturer? If it is from the distributor, it may be difficult to claim when there is a need to. Hence, if you are thinking of installing composite decking for your balcony in Singapore, look at the manufacturing source before making a decision on the best balcony decking option.

At the end of the day, regardless of the material you choose , knowing the credibility of the distributor and manufacturing source is the most crucial factor when you are looking for a suitable balcony decking for your home.

Interested in more balcony floor decking options?

Get in touch with our decking specialists here →

The post Balcony Decking in Singapore appeared first on The Floor Gallery.

However, there are some factors to consider when deciding on the best type of balcony decking to choose from and they are:

1. Cost
   This is one of the main factors everyone considers. How much would it cost and do I get a good quality deck with my budget? Of course, the quality of the deck you buy depends on cost. So if you want a quality deck, you’d have to spend more.
2. Different types of Decking
   There are different types of decking in the market and so the type will heavily depend on your needs, budgets and preferences. Also consider the materials the decks are made of. Some decks are made of concrete while others are made of wood. Concrete decks are stronger while timber decks are easier to clean.
3. Size
   Another important factor to consider is size. Make sure to get a deck that will fit your balcony by taking a measurement of the size of your balcony.
4. Safety
   You should put safety into consideration as well, like whether you have kids or not. Make sure the decks you get are made of strong materials. For safety, concrete is usually preferable than any other type of deck option out there. It is more secure than any other type of deck options that you can find in the market.

It is also important that the balcony decking is durable as the deck is constantly exposed to the outdoor weathers. There are many types of good decking suitable for use in the balconies in the market these days, and hence, it is important to choose one that will serve you for the longest time.

The post How to Decide on the Best Balcony Decking appeared first on The Floor Gallery.