A deck enhances the beauty of your outdoor space, a place where you sit and relax. So taking care of it is a must, and it should start from underneath. Because weeds are gonna attack the deck after just a few days. Whether a new deck on the outside or maintaining an existing one, you can stop the weeds from attacking by covering the ground with some covering materials like plastic sheets or landscape fabric.
Covering isn’t enough; put something heavy like sand, soil, mulch, or plastic to prevent weeds. But all these options are not good enough; only plentiful things are effective.
While preventing weeds, don’t forget the look and durability. Looks and especially durability matter. Because replacing is troublesome, finding a durable option that increases the beauty of the deck underneath is essential.
Interested in knowing exactly what to put under deck to prevent weeds and keep safe?
Be with me to learn impressive options and tricks.
Contents
What To Put Under Deck To Prevent Weeds
Across many options, some are expensive, and some are affordable. Let’s know both options, so it becomes easy to make the right choice according to your needs and budget.
But you are not done by just choosing the topping option; ground covering is also a matter to consider. First, you have to cover the area with something water drainable and then décor with heavy non-organic topping. Let’s know in detail.
Set the area under the deck to prevent weeds
You just can’t put anything or the best option without setting the place first. Place a plastic sheet or landscape fabric to cover the area. Landscape fabric is preferable, as it prevents sunlight from reaching the ground and growing weeds, is drainable, and doesn’t absorb moisture. So no chances left for the weeds and other bugs to grow under the deck.
Landscape fabric has two surfaces, one is soft, and the other side is rough. So growing by making holes in the landscape fabric is quite difficult. After placing it with a good topping, you are free of worries to replace it in the next ten years.
Things You Should Put Under Deck To Prevent Weeds
Landscape fabric is just the setting; the topping is still left because it’s alone not strong enough to prevent the weeds from growing. After a few tries weeds or other plants will find a way to sneak their roots in the fabric and rip a hole to grow. So putting the right topping is also essential.
What can you put under the deck to prevent weeds?
I am gonna share some incredible options here. Scroll down to learn them.
Gravel is known as a popular and common option to put under the deck. It’s a non-organic material, allows water to drain, and doesn’t absorb water during draining. And the most important thing, it is also affordable. Excited to know about some more affordable options?
Read below to learn them.
Few Rocks Options
Rocks are available in different types, shapes, sizes,s and attractive colors. It depends on your choice and budget with which rock option you wanna go with.
Take a look at some great rock options.
- Natural washed rock is my first choice, as it is free of any small dirt and particles. These rocks are perfectly round in shape, soft-looking, and available in various colors. They come directly from the riverbed after going through a washing process.
- After being crushed to make perfect size, these rocks are popularly known as screened crushed rocks. These rocks are available in colors like grey, white, tan, and reddish-brown. Nothing amazing, but a budget-friendly option to look for. But not free of dirt. Sand and other particle availability are found in these rocks. So, before placing them, clean them.
- Rainbow rock is similar to natural washed rock; just the color is different. Coming with eye-popping rainbow color, it has the power to drag anyone’s attention to your deck. Wanna give your outdoor deck an amazing view? Rainbow rocks should be the choice.
- Pea-sized gravels are known as pea gravels. These gravel have smooth edges, so walking and crawling are easy. Like crushed rocks, pea gravels are also not free of dirt and debris. The good thing is- it doesn’t catch them easily either, and the bad thing is it allows moisture.
- Cute egg rocks are egg-shaped and small in size, just like eggs. These rocks are also smooth and don’t like to collect dirt or debris.
What To Avoid To Put Under Deck To Prevent Weeds
Knowing what to put under a deck isn’t enough. You should also know what to avoid. Who knows if you try to do experiments and without knowing damage to the deck?
So it’s better you know what you must not put under deck.
- Apart from landscape fabric, you can also choose plastic sheeting to cover the under-deck area. But that is not preferable. Plastic sheets aren’t drainable; they collect water that smells very bad and makes the ground a perfect place for mosquitoes and other bugs to live. I don’t think anyone would like to make a safe home for them.
- Soil is highly restricted to be put under the deck. It absorbs moisture and is the best place for weeds and other bugs to grow. And it also makes the garbage under the deck. That is not acceptable. The deck is to increase the beauty of your outdoors, not to ruin it.
- Sand is similar to soil and similarly avoided to put under deck. Sand empowers the weeds to grow from roots and makes a residential place for them. So make sure you never make the mistake of pouring some soil or sand under the deck, not even around it.
- Mulch or wood chips are both forbidden under the deck. Mulch or wood chips are organic, cheap too, but not long-lasting. For the first few years, they looked amazing. But with time, they break down due to water absorption, especially in the rainy season. And as a result, fungi are under the deck. Not only fungi or weeds but also insects, rodents, mold, mildew, and many more. For this reason, you need to refresh them, which is very difficult under a deck.
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Put recycled glass to bring the shiny stars under your deck!
This is my most favorite option. I have stars shining under my deck. The soft edges of tumble glass with amazing colors nail the look. Now, whenever I look under my deck, I feel the sky near my house sparkling under my deck.
If you have enough budget, you can put recycled crushed glass under your deck. It comes in varieties of vibrant colors like purple, green, blues, and many more. This is the most creative deck decoration option you can ever find.
Conclusion
I have shared some options on what to put under the deck to prevent weeds and also what to avoid. If you have read the full article, I hope you already know what to put and what not. Which option seems good to you or what you would like to put under your deck? Let me know through a comment.