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Fencing beds They are performed not only for the purpose of decorating their site. The sides prevent soil from spreading and roots from penetrating weed. Fences are made from many available materials and given the shape of any geometric figure. Most often, the sides are made of boards, but the wood quickly rots in the ground. A factory-made bed made of WPC (wood-polymer composite) has a longer service life and better aesthetic appearance.
Pros and cons of using WPC for garden beds
To understand why a WPC fence is better than a conventional box for a garden bed made of a wooden board, let's look at its main advantage:
- Factory-produced WPC fencing is quickly assembled, like a construction kit. Each side is fixed with special fasteners.
- Beds made from composite will last for many years due to the material’s resistance to the development of fungus and mold. You don’t have to worry about the appearance of rot or damage from harmful insects.
- At the factory, WPC boards go through several stages of processing, which gives it an aesthetic appearance. The surface of the board has a pattern identical to natural wood. If desired, the composite can be painted in any color you like.
- If you make your own WPC box, you can buy it like a regular board.The wood-polymer composite comes in standard lengths - 2.3 and 6 m. The thickness of the composite is 25 mm, and the width of the board is 150 mm.
- WPC for garden beds makes a cheap and environmentally friendly fence. The smooth surface does not require sanding, as is the case with regular wood.
- Compared to wood, composites are more resistant to the aggressive influences of the natural environment. Such fences are very easy to maintain.
Naturally, DPK also has its disadvantages. Be that as it may, wood is used as the basis for the manufacture of composites. If the soil is constantly oversaturated with moisture, then over time it will accumulate inside the material. This will cause mold to appear on the boards. The polymer included in WPC can be destroyed by prolonged exposure to UV rays.
Why fencing made from boards is less effective than fencing made from WPC
Has anyone ever wondered why fencing around garden beds is often made from boards? Yes, because they are the most accessible material. You don’t have to buy boards and spend your savings on them. The remains of such building material are often lying around in the country. Perhaps the boards came free from a landfill or simply from a dismantled shed. Most often, a gardener will not use a new board to fence the garden bed, but will choose something from the trash. As a result, after a couple of years, the sides rot, and fertile soil flows out of the bed through the holes along with water.
Even if the owner was generous and fenced the garden bed with a new board, the box will look perfect only for the first season. In the second year, the most effective protective impregnations will not save the wood from gradual blackening. Over time, the fence will become overgrown with fungus.And all this is due to exposure to the same UV rays and dampness.
The photo shows a clear example of the appearance of a wooden fence that has served for two years.
By giving preference to fences for beds made of WPC, the owner of the site saves himself from the annual painting of wooden boxes. Moreover, every 2-3 years they will have to be made new, and this is a waste of time and your own savings.
Characteristics and popular manufacturers of WPC
The composition of WPC is somewhat reminiscent of chipboard. It is based on waste from the wood industry. Only the binder, the polymer, differs. When sawdust is combined with additives, a polymerization process occurs, resulting in a thick mass with new properties. Next, using the extrusion method, a finished product, WPC, is formed from the molten mass.
The filler does not necessarily consist of fine sawdust only. Any fractions from flour to large wood chips are used. Sometimes a composite of straw or flax is found. Along with polymers, the composition may contain impurities of glass or steel. Color stabilizers give the finished product an aesthetic appearance.
The USA and China are considered the leaders in the production of WPC. On the construction market you can find a product from the domestic manufacturer “Compodek-Plus”. The brands “SW-Decking Ulmus” and “Bruggan” have proven themselves well. Beds made from holzhof WPC from a Czech manufacturer are very popular among domestic summer residents.
In the presented video you can take a closer look at composite fencing:
Assembling a WPC fence for a garden bed with your own hands
The composite is very easy to process, which allows you to make your own fencing for a garden bed. In addition to the WPC itself, you will need hinges.Their design consists of two collapsible elements, when connected, a traditional rotary hinge is obtained. The boards are connected with hinges, which allows the box to be shaped into different geometric shapes. The two hinge elements are connected with stakes. With their help, the box is secured to the ground. The stakes also help to increase the height of fences from several boards.
The easiest way is to fold a factory-made fence. The set contains boards of certain sizes with attached halves of hinges. It is enough to connect them with stakes and install the finished box on the garden bed.
If you decide to make a box for your garden bed yourself, you will need WPC boards. Hinges with pegs can be replaced with wooden posts and metal corners for fastening the corners of the box. In this case, the connections will be non-rotating, and the product can initially be given only one shape.
Let's look at an example of making a fence:
- The WPC board is cut into pieces of the required length, in accordance with the size of the box of the future bed.
- Using factory hinges or homemade posts, a box is fastened from boards. Moreover, at the corners of the product, the posts are made 200 mm higher than the side, and the internal posts are made 500 mm higher. This will allow you to seamlessly expand the bed with several boards. If the height of the side remains unchanged, then you can limit yourself to installing corner posts only.
- The finished box is transferred to the garden bed. Markings are made under the corner posts, the fence is moved to the side and small holes are dug.
Now all that remains is to install the box in its place, plunging the corner posts into the holes and compacting them with soil. If hinges were not used for connection, then the corners of the fence are reinforced using overhead metal corners and self-tapping screws.
The homemade WPC fence is ready. You can add soil and plant your favorite plants.
