Modern Pool Decks

Pools add a lot of enjoyment to your yard during the warmer months of the year. Even when you aren’t swimming, the pool deck area gives you options for entertaining, grilling, sunbathing, or simply enjoying your surroundings. There are many ways you can create a pool deck, but many of the more traditional materials have drawbacks. Stone and concrete are subject to frost heaves in freeze/thaw cycles, while most hard surfaces heat up underfoot, making them uncomfortable on a hot summer’s day.

Modern pool decks are beginning to be crafted out of sustainable, modified softwoods to solve these issues. Modified wood is not only sustainable, but incredibly durable as well, withstanding not only the sun and water from the pool area, but whatever the climate brings as well. Best of all, wood pool decks can be created in any shape or size, with several types of matching accessories such as fencing, walkways, and shade areas.

Hardwood Flooring

The number one requested item on the lists of most would-be homebuyers is hardwood flooring. Hardwood floors instantly increase the value of the home they are installed in with their looks, style, and long-wearing durability. There are numerous hardwood floors on the market today, which means that you can find a wood floor for every room of your home.

Choose a rustic, handscraped wood for your family room, or an exotic wood for your kitchen. If you’re looking at real hardwood vs. engineered hardwood flooring, keep in mind that both will increase the value of your home. However, engineered hardwoods can be installed below grade in finished basements, allowing you to incorporate the beauty of hardwood into more areas of the home.

Outdoor Deck

Another component on the list of many would-be homebuyers is a real wood deck. While there are many low-maintenance decking materials on the market today, including composites, wood decks still get the biggest return on investment, at around 71.5% according to Remodeling Magazine’s Cost vs. Value report.

Adding a deck to any property instantly enhances not only the curb appeal, but the landscaping, and enjoyment of the yard as well. Decks help to create an outdoor living space that many people find very attractive in a home. Wood decks have a beauty and versatility to them as well that you won’t find in substitute materials. Wood doesn’t heat up the way that composites do, and with the different species and stains available, wood decks allow you to find a style and color that will complement your home’s exterior regardless of its architectural type.

Wall Paneling

There are a number of ways that you can finish the walls of a home. Using real wood, either in a cottage, beadboard application, or in a more traditional shiplap installation adds texture and interest to the home in a way that paint alone just can’t do. Wall paneling can be used in several different ways on your interiors, including:

Installed as a wainscot to chair rail height
Installed as a taller wainscot in a mudroom or entryway to shoulder height with built in coat racks
Covering the walls floor to ceiling on one or all walls of a room in a natural wood finish
Covering the walls floor to ceiling on one or all walls of a room painted in the color of your choice
Installed as a kitchen backsplash

Newer types of wood on the market today mean that you can achieve any of these looks in a way that will also complement your style. For example, you can find weathered wood with a lot of variety in color that’s perfect for a backsplash in a rustic modern kitchen, or you can find smooth hardwood planks that you can paint and install in a ship lap installation as an accent wall in your bedroom. The possibilities are nearly endless, and any of them are a natural way of increasing the visual appeal of your home interiors.

Wood Cabinetry

While the trend of the last several years has been to use white kitchen cabinets, usually made of melamine or Thermofoil, times are changing and wood cabinets are on the rise again. This means creating a kitchen designed around the beauty of real wood cabinets in a range of different species and finishes. Using decorative plywood for cabinets, doors, and drawer fronts allows you to mix different wood species within one design. For example, use a dark wood on the lower cabinets and a lighter wood for the uppers. This creates a design with a lot more depth to it than the previous white on white cabinetry that’s been seen recently. Wood cabinets can complement any design style from contemporary to traditional, and have a long-lasting appeal meaning that they are unlikely to go out of style any time soon.

Dress Up Your Home with Wood

These five home design ideas using wood are only the beginning of what’s possible. Make natural wood your first choice of material for your next project to gain the many benefits it brings.

Matt Lee