Best Low Budget Floating Deck Ideas for Beautiful Outdoor View
Everyone wants to save money on their budget, even if they are buying decking, in this article we talk about Low Budget Floating Deck Ideas. Buy cheap decking is not always the best solution, because you usually get what you paid for. The cheaper decking material is most of the time inferior with bad quality and you will spend extra money later on maintenance and replacement.
If you only need the deck temporarily, for example for a couple of years, it might be okay to buy some cheap materials. But if you expect your outdoor space to last long – choose a more durable material with a good reputation. There are many different kinds of low-cost but high-quality materials on market today that can make clean and beautiful decks without spending too much money, let’s have a look at some of the options.
One of them is composite decking, which is made from recycled wood and plastic, so it’s even better because you are recycling material that would otherwise be burned or put into a landfill. It costs about $5 – $8 per linear foot (which means approximately $40 – $65 for a 5×5′ deck), depending on the brand, design, and dealer where you buy this product. You can also find it much cheaper if you buy it online.
To maintain your low-budget wooden deck properly it’s recommended to use cedar oil every 2 years (costs around $16 for one quart). If you want to paint your outdoor space choose a semi-transparent stain like the redwood color that will only cost about $20 per 5-gallon bucket. If you want your deck to last forever, think about getting a high-quality composite decking material, for example, Trex or EverGrain, which will cost around $11 – $15 per linear foot including installation and maintenance.
Ipe is another nice option in terms of durability and beauty (the product can be bought from our company). It costs around $9 – $12 per linear foot (approximately $60 – $90 for a 5×5′ area) if we take into account the fact that you need to buy special tools and skills to install such an expensive product yourself (costs add up quickly), but it’s also much cheaper when you hire professionals who know how to work with this type of material.
To keep your new deck looking great and to protect it from termites, water, or sun damage you can apply two coats of waterproof sealant on this material, which will cost about $300 – $400 if we take into account the fact that one gallon of materials covers 100-200 square feet.
Cedar is another great option when it comes to cheap floating deck ideas because it’s known for its resistance to bad weather conditions. It costs under $3 per linear foot pre-finish (around $20 for a 5×5′ area), but if you need more precise calculations you can find out how much cedar costs in your local market by visiting our company site. Cedar is also beautiful, fragrant wood that gives a natural design to your deck.
Recycled rubber is another great option when it comes to low-budget floating deck ideas because it’s durable and looks nice plus it’s eco-friendly. If we take into account the fact that we are talking about a product made from recycled tires (between 60 and 90%) and plastic (3-5%) this material has many advantages: it doesn’t rot as wood does, termites won’t eat it, it’s resistant to UV rays and because of its design this material is comfortable to walk on. It also costs under $3 per linear foot prefinished (approximately $20 for a 5×5′ area).
In addition, recycled rubber can be easily glued together so you don’t have to worry about gaps between planks, which will lead to additional maintenance. When the time comes all you need to do is pull up old material and put down a new one.
The only problem with using rubber as a building material for outdoor flooring or decks is that it smells bad when it burns because of chemicals used during the production process. However, there are several ways how to cover this smell: you could build your deck in a place where no one will see it and you could also apply scented sealants (costs under $10 per gallon for 100-200 square feet) to reduce the smell.
PVC is another great low-budget idea when we talk about recycled rubber because it’s cheap and doesn’t rot as wood does, termites won’t eat it, and is resistant to UV rays. However, such material can be easily damaged by direct sunlight (it deforms) or water, which means that in order to keep the original look you’ll need to paint PVC planks with high-quality sealant every 2 years.
Such a product costs around $2 per linear foot prefinished (around $15 for a 5×5′ area). If you want to spare some money and time you can also go for recycled plastic decking which is also made from high-density polyethylene, and costs around $1 per linear foot prefinished (approximately $6 or more per 5×5′ area).
We can deliver all the materials to your location for free, including prefinished plastic decking boards that only need installation and one coat of waterproof sealant (costs under $50 per gallon for 100-200 square feet). This material is resistant to water intrusion, but is not very durable.
Cement fiberboard is another great low-budget idea when it comes to floating decks because you won’t have to worry about rotting or termite infestation, which means that weather conditions won’t be able to damage this material. It’s also durable and will last up to 30 years without fading or wearing out.
Installation is simple as well: you just have to order pieces of cement fiberboard with a tongue & groove design on one side so they could be easily connected together. You won’t need to use fasteners or special glue during installation, which is great because it will save you money and time.
In addition, this material doesn’t require any maintenance at all: water won’t damage it, UV rays can’t deform it and dirt can be easily washed away with a hose.
Concrete floating decks don’t require many expenses either: depending on the size of your decking you’ll need 3-5 cubic yards of concrete mix (costs under $50 per cubic yard) and around 50 square feet of rebar for support (costs under $5). You also have to consider that you’ll need a pump to pour concrete into the form where your deck will be built, but if you don’t have a pump you can always rent one for around $50 a day.
Another low-budget idea is to combine wood and recycled rubber planks on your floating decks, which will cost around $3 per square foot with the rubber part costing under $2 per square foot. In order to connect both materials you’ll need to use some metal connectors, but as we already mentioned previously this won’t be very difficult or expensive.
In addition, if you want to save money on installation services it’s best if you do everything by yourself because professionals won’t cut costs when it comes to building a wooden deck. For instance, they will first apply high-quality sealant and then install prefinished plastic boards, which means that you can do this for less than $200 if you save on sealant and get prefinished plastic boards for free (you’ll only need to pay around $50).
Read More: The Best Floating Deck Ideas You Should Steal Now
Low Budget Floating Deck Ideas
Estimated price: under $300
The lowest-priced floating deck idea is recycled plastic lumber because it’s made from recycled high-density polyethylene which costs around $1/sq. ft. This material doesn’t require any maintenance, however, one drawback is that it can be easily damaged by sunlight or water. You should also consider that it’s hard to find this kind of material in many stores, but online retailers offer great deals when it comes to these products.
Another low budget floating deck idea is pure wood covered with aluminum sheets that are cut into the shape of waves or circles for decoration. If you need a bigger deck, it’s best to buy the materials from an online retailer because they will charge several times more for this kind of material from local stores. In addition, you should always rent tools when working with wood because they are very expensive, and if you don’t want to spend a lot on renting them then purchase your own equipment.
Estimated price: under $500
Even though prefinished recycled plastic lumber is a little bit more expensive than regular decks made from wood, it’s still a low-budget idea if you consider how long this material will last.
It doesn’t require any maintenance and it can be easily installed without spending too much money on tools or services because professionals won’t cut costs when building wooden decks either. All in all, prefinished recycled plastic lumber is the best choice for low-budget floating deck ideas.
Estimated price: under $1,000
This type of low-budget idea offers many benefits such as being highly durable, easy to install, and extremely resistant to harsh weather conditions. For instance, deer won’t damage these decks because they can’t jump on top of them and termites will have a hard time trying to destroy them as well.
In addition, they’re made from high-density polyethylene that’s been reinforced by glass fiber strands, which makes them resistant to impact. In order to connect floating deck boards, you’ll need steel screws and anchors, but they’re not included in the package when you buy prefabricated panels.
Estimated price: under $1,500
If you’ve got some money left after building your dream floating deck, then it’s a great idea to make a garden path with bricks, stones, or concrete pavers. This kind of material is durable and resistant to harsh weather conditions because it can’t be easily damaged by rain or snow. In addition, you won’t need any professional services to install these materials which means that you’ll save big on installation costs.
This low-budget floating deck idea is very popular among people who want their decks to look perfect for many years without spending too much money on maintenance products. However, there are some drawbacks to this type of material as well such as the fact that screws used in the process will rust after a few months and this means that holes may become visible after a while. In addition, you should be careful when building them because termites can easily destroy your deck if they find the right place for their nest.
Estimated price: around: around $2,000
Many of kinds of low-budget ideas are perfect for people who have dogs at home homeowners choose to use recycled plastics animals won’t damage the surface. On top of that, maintenance costs are reduced to a minimum because owners don’t have to pay for special services or products in order to keep their decks clean and shiny.
Homeowners also report that this type of product is very durable which means that it can last longer than other materials before it starts showing signs of wear and tear.
