Friday, February 27, 2009

Wood Patio Covers - Making Your Patio A Beautiful Place

By Ned Dagostino

Most people spend a lot of time and money making the inside of their home look great. Now think what that home would look like if the same effort were put into the outside. I'm not talking about general landscaping, but some of the more functional elements. Let's look for a second at what is probably the most underutilized part of many homes...the patio.

A simple patio cover would allow you to get a lot more use out of this area. But if you want to do it right, in a way that will make it look beautiful and increase your home's value, then you want to look into wood patio covers. I don't think we need to tell you how good wood can look, but it can provide a lot of functional benefits also.

A patio cover allows you to do some things you wouldn't normally do. You can sit outside in the shade it provides on hot summer days. You can stay dry while enjoying a warm summer rain or a cool evening shower. The cover will protect you from these elements while, as we stated, increasing the value of your property.

If all this sounds good to you, then you simply need to decide on what kind of patio cover to get. We think that although there are many choices, wood is best because it provides flexibility. You can create a cover that is unique. Wood, when treated, will hold up well in all the elements. And of course wood will always look good.

Just make sure the wood you choose will go with your home's look. Pinewood is a great choice if you want to paint it because it holds the paint well. The drawback with pinewood is that you can't get it with an anti-rotting agent. You can however get treated cedar, cyprus or redwood. If you plan on staining the wood, get one with a long grain. You'll get a continuous design. Knots in the wood will not hinder it.

Now let's get creative. Add decorative accents and designs to your patio cover. It's a little extra work but well worth it because you'll be making your patio cover more stylish, and more valuable. You can use arbors and lattice. These are ornate, intricate and beautiful. Use them in combination to make something truly unique.

When you begin your project, you may be tempted to buy into one of those pre-made patio kits. Know up front that most are made with artificial wood. They are not durable and in fact, in many cases, you'll need to add real wood for support. Why not do it right and use real wood for the whole thing.

Some companies are even marketing wood patio kits for people who like to do things themselves. If you've ever seen a wood floor being placed down, then you'll understand how these kits work. They are made from tiles that interlock. The advantage to this is that they are easy to take apart and clean, and they are even easy to move to another location if that's in your future plans.

But if you want to get the best cover for your patio, a solid wood patio cover is certainly a good way to go. - 16035

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