Leftover Composite Decking Ideas

After you’ve finished installing your decking, you may have some surplus pieces of composite deck boards and cut-offs. As an eco-conscious manufacturer and supplier, we will of course take back boards and provide full refunds, provided they remain in a resalable condition and returned within 28-days of your original delivery. If you have half a pack left over, this may be your preferred option. But if you’re looking at half a dozen cut boards you may be left wondering; just what am I supposed to do with those?

Not to worry, we’ve got some great composite decking ideas for you. Composite cut-offs can make a great addition to your garden, especially as they are made from the same material and so will blend well with your decking colour palette. To help you get started, here are just a few leftover composite decking ideas we have seen based on what other customers have done…

Possibly the most popular of our composite decking accessories, the composite decking planter is a great option to use up some of that surplus composite. Planters come in all shapes and sizes so you can either build one from scratch, composite clad an existing one, or replace existing timber with composite boards.

Not only will your new planters look fantastic, tying in beautifully with your garden design theme, but they will last longer than a wooden planter, being made of more durable, weather-proof material due to the recycled plastic present.

Assuming your fence posts are sturdy, you can use composite deck boards to replace feather board fence panels as an alternative to composite fencing, as either a temporary measure or a permanent replacement. Wooden fence panels warp quite easily, weakening the border. Replace these with composite decking boards and you will dramatically increase the lifespan of your fence. Fences with concrete posts are best suited for this application due to the heavy weight of the deck boards.

Alternatively, if you have a surplus of composite skirting trim, these can be affixed to existing fencing to create slatted style fencing. Adding composite to your fence to make it slatted in this way would give a fresh, modern look to your garden whilst strengthening the fence at the same time.

Expanding on this theme, several of our customers have chosen to build their own composite decking furniture such as benches and integrated seats to complement their new NeoTimber® decking. The perfect alternative to a rotting wooden picnic bench or rusty metal bistro table, composite furniture easily shrugs off the effects of the elements.

Just exactly what design you choose to go with is limited only by your imagination. As you can see, this customer has chosen to build a fully integrated bench and has used a combination of chocolate and teak composite deck boards to build it, to match in with the overall decking design.

If you’re a nature lover, you could construct small habitats for any visiting wildlife to your garden space. One idea is to use the composite offcuts to create a watertight box for a hedgehog to hibernate in. Place it near dry leaves in a well-drained area and you could well find it becoming occupied.

A nest box is another option. Just be sure to only make the hole small enough for small birds (25mm for blue tits and robins) as a larger hole will invite unwanted predators and pests, such as larger birds or rodents, which will deter potential residents.