WPC terrace: ideas for a successful design

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A WPC terrace is a good alternative to wood when building a terrace. The composite material WPC has convincing advantages, but also some disadvantages. Above all, there are many ideas for a WPC terrace to make it solid, beautiful and cosy at the same time. This guide presents some of them to you.

A few words about the extraordinary material WPC

Before talking about ideas for a successful design for a WPC terrace, the basics are important: What actually is WPC? The abbreviation stands for Wood-Plastic-Composites and thus for a composite material that combines wood and plastic. A related composite material is Bamboo-Plastic-Composites (BPC), which combines bamboo and plastic. The composite material WPC is resistant to insects and fungal attack. It repels moisture, does not splinter and remains non-slip even when wet. In addition, it resists wind and weather without the need for a protective coating. However, WPC appears less natural than wood and tends to have a greyish tinge. WPC for terrace construction is available in the form of WPC planks and WPC tiles

The 1st step in the creation of your WPC decking ideas: Solid and hollow planks

WPC planks are divided into solid and hollow planks, which already bear their respective characteristics in their names. The hollow core plank is lighter and often somewhat cheaper than the solid plank. On the other hand, the solid plank is more resilient and also suitable for wet areas. For example, it can be used in the edge area of a swimming pool. With planks and tiles, you can create many ideas for your WPC terrace. Which advantages and disadvantages of the solid or hollow plank you consider to be of high importance is up to your personal preferences.

Better safe than sorry: When does WPC break?

Any material can break if it is subjected to too much stress. WPC decking is no exception. High-quality WPC products, however, can withstand all the stresses typical for the use of a terrace. How resilient they are in the long term depends on the type of WPC product. An example of a particularly durable and break-resistant product is the TitanWood planks and tiles made of WPC. The physical strength of these products exceeds the requirements of the European standard by 2.5 times. This is possible due to special additives in the material.

Definitely important to know: Are WPC planks scratch-resistant?

You cannot completely rule out the possibility of scratches occurring with a WPC floorboard. But the same applies as with break resistance. In some cases, there are clear differences in quality between different WPC planks and high-quality products are more scratch-resistant than those of less convincing quality. And what applies to the WPC plank also applies to the WPC tile.

Which substructure is suitable for WPC decking?

One of the most important components of most WPC decking is a solid substructure. For its construction, you can resort to various methods. Here is an example of one of them:

• You first mark out the area of the WPC terrace, planning a slope of two percent away from the building. When building a WPC terrace with solid planks, the slope can be an advantage, but is not absolutely necessary. Hollow planks, on the other hand, should always be installed with a slope.
• Then build the foundation on which the substructure will be fixed. To do this, you dig a sufficiently deep pit and then compact the soil with a vibratory plate.
• Fill the pit with several layers of gravel, each up to ten centimetres thick. Each layer is compacted with the vibratory plate. On top of the gravel is a layer of chippings about four centimetres wide and a weed fleece.
• On this foundation, lay several rows of kerbstones onto which the support pads and the profiles of the substructure are later screwed. After that, you can lay the floorboards and place the finishing strips.

Materials such as wood, WPC or aluminium are suitable as profiles for the substructure. If you choose wood, you should choose a very resistant type of wood. Otherwise, you might find that the substructure has become dilapidated when the durable structure made of WPC is still completely intact..

Of course, there are even more ideas for the substructure of a WPC terrace. Click tiles, which you can lay floating on a concrete foundation or stone slabs, make it particularly easy for you. The subfloor should be completely leveled for this. A layer of foil and protective mats can also be useful.

The foils protect the tiles from too much moisture. On the other hand, the protective mats ensure that the foil does not tear due to the tiles. Last but not least, you can bed WPC tiles on stilts. You can adjust them individually in height to build the slope of the terrace.

Our tip: With click tiles, you can implement ideas for beautiful WPC terraces easily and quickly, even in rented properties. If you move out at some point, the terrace can be removed just as quickly.

WPC terrace: ideas for the right shape

When it comes to terrace shapes, the rectangle is one of the most common variants. Of course, such a geometric shape is appealing, but there are many more ideas for WPC decking. A simple but attractive variant is the L-shape. In addition to corners and edges, you can also plan curves for your terrace. In this way, you can implement free-form shapes in your WPC terrace ideas that completely break away from geometric figures such as rectangles or squares.

How would you like to install? - Tricks for terrace construction

The way the tiles are laid also influences the look of the WPC terrace - there are more than enough ideas for attractive laying patterns. For example, lay WPC tiles edge to edge to form rows. You can place grooved tiles so that their grooves all point in one direction. Alternatively, lay the tiles so that you position their grooves alternately vertically and horizontally.

You can also always stagger the next row by half a plank length (half-lay). WPC planks can also be placed edge to edge so that the installation pattern looks like the parallel lines of a notebook. With the so-called English bond, on the other hand, the planks are staggered by half their length - just like with the half bond.

Tip: Grooved planks are only one of several possible variations. Alternatively, there are, for example, WPC planks with a smooth surface and planks with a French or saw-grey surface.

With a WPC terrace, ideas on how to change the visual impression of the terrace surface can be valuable. Do you have a short and narrow garden? Lay the WPC planks of your terrace lengthwise so that the terrace looks longer and stretches the garden in the eye of the beholder.

Matching colours for your WPC terrace: surprisingly simple ideas

What about the colours? As a rule of thumb, fewer ideas can be implemented for the floor of a WPC terrace than for terraces made of real wood. The range of colours of the WPC planks and WPC tiles available on the market sometimes "only" extends from light grey to brown and anthracite to black. A brown similar to natural wood makes your terrace look particularly cosy. Light colours make your terrace look larger. Darker colours are often very striking and appear modern in a cooler way.

A tip: On an already dark backyard, a dark terrace can quickly look far too dark. Here you should implement your WPC terrace ideas with light, friendly colours.

It is relatively difficult to change the colour of WPC boards or WPC tiles by painting them. This is because paint does not adhere well to the surface. Many manufacturers therefore advise against attempting to change the colour. However, it is possible to refresh the existing colour.

WPC terraces: Ideas for the favoured style

Terraces should match the respective living and garden style. Here you can implement many ideas with WPC terraces. A WPC terrace in Scandinavian style is just as doable as a Mediterranean or Asian style or modern minimalism. You can design the individual styles with matching furniture, plants and colours. An example of this is the country house style. Because of its natural look, people tend to associate it with real wood. But that should by no means prevent you from implementing it with a WPC floor for the terrace. For the country house style, choose light colours rather than dark ones. Use peonies, vetches or cornflowers for planting. Herbs such as thyme or savory also go well. Baskets, zinc tubs or terracotta pots are suitable as planters and wickerwork can serve as a screen. It can also be used to cover bare brickwork in backyards.

Make yourself comfortable on the WPC terrace: our ideas

Your WPC terrace should always be a place of well-being that complements your living space with an outdoor room in the warm season. Perhaps you already have ideas for the WPC terrace that you would like to implement? But don't just focus on aesthetics. Your terrace is a living space that should suit you, your preferences and your circumstances. Do you have small children? Then maybe you should build a play ground on the terrace. Do you like to cook? Set up an outdoor kitchen on your covered WPC terrace. Plan the necessary power lines for this right from the start. Your terrace can become a cosy reading room, a small cinema room, a wellness oasis with a hammock or a meeting space for getting together with good friends. And there is the right furniture for every use. Let us inspire you!

Automatically thinking of the right lighting: brilliant WPC terrace ideas

As soon as it gets dark, good lighting contributes to the feel-good atmosphere on your terrace. For suitable light, there are recessed, wall and free-standing luminaires as well as individual spotlights with which you can accentuate certain areas of your terrace. Many people prefer a light that is not too cool for the terrace because it usually has a cosier effect. The unit for the colour temperature of light is kelvin. Warm, white light has a value of about 3000 Kelvin (cold light: from about 5000 Kelvin). Perhaps you can implement ideas for a charming alternation of direct and indirect lighting on your WPC terrace? This often has a particularly attractive effect.

Tip: Before building the WPC terrace, decide where and how you want to install the light on the terrace. Then you can integrate the appropriate cabling into the substructure right from the start.

What does high quality WPC cost? - Proven quality ensures professional results

The price for six high-quality WPC tiles (30×30 centimetres) is approximately between 60 and 75 euros. This can be used to build about 0.54 square metres of terrace. Less expensive, but less durable are tiles made of acacia wood. More expensive than WPC tiles, on the other hand, are tiles made of treated wood such as thermo-ash. Hollow-chamber WPC planks are available for just under seven euros and solid planks for about ten euros per metre. The lowest price for solid planks is roughly the same as for planks made of real larch wood, which is, however, less robust. All prices are from planeo.de (as of July 2022).

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