6 Top Wood Deck Skirting Ideas
Building a wood deck utilizes your outdoor space to create an entertainment area where you can relax, cook, or enjoy spending time with friends and family. The space underneath the deck, however, can appear sparse and ugly, ruining the curb appeal of your home. You can improve its look with wood deck skirting that runs around the perimeter of the deck to cover the under-deck area.
Wood deck skirting can consist of many different materials and designs. You can use paneling, boards, or even plants to create a wall between the underside of your deck and the outside world, with some options allowing you to still utilize that space. Learn more about the different types of skirting available in modern deck design, from faux stone to wood decking in Fishers, IN.
1. Wood Lattice
One way to build an inexpensive deck skirt includes wooden lattice. Latticework looks like a criss-cross pattern with space between each intersection, usually shaped like diamonds. With wood lattices, you can still see beneath your deck, but you the overall effect is of a neat privacy screen that hides the under-deck area with a wooden design that matches your deck.
You can paint or stain latticework, but you want to make sure you seal it against the elements properly. Benefits of latticework include a low price point and the ability to keep wild animals from making a home below your deck.
2. Solid Panels
To create a more solid skirting below your deck, you can use solid panels of wood, composite, or vinyl boards. Laid right up against each other, this type of skirting provides a wall that keeps pests from getting under your deck. Like latticework, you can paint or stain these panels or choose panels in your ideal color or colors before installing them.
3. Faux Stone
For a more impressive form of under-deck coverage, faux stone comes in various colors and styles that allow you to create the theme you want for your outdoor spaces. You can choose from false brick, riverstone, or pebble patterned panels that cost significantly less than real stone while giving the same decorative benefits.
Dress up your wood deck skirting by combining panels of faux stones with wood or vinyl panels to create an intriguing visual contrast.
4. Decorative Paneling
Decorative paneling usually consists of polymer or composite materials and comes in various patterns that, while giving a lattice-like impression, don’t resemble that specific style. You can choose panels that look like pallet boards, waves, or other patterns. You can even cut these decorative panels down to any size and lend them seamlessly together.
Like other types of deck skirting, decorative paneling comes in different colors, or you can paint and texture them to your preferences.
5. Stairs Skirting
If your elevated decks are only a short distance from the ground, you can skip deck skirts and instead surround your deck with stairs all the way around. Not only will this cover the underside of your deck, but it increases accessibility to your outdoor spaces. You’ll more easily entertain friends and family and create an area that feels open to all.
6. Shrubbery and Plants
If you’d prefer to steer clear of wood, composite, or vinyl boards, or you don’t like the idea of a wall or stairs around the edge of your deck, you can also use plant life to cover the underside.
Plant flowers or shrubs around the edge of the deck and create a natural barrier between visitors’ eyes and the space beneath your deck’s floor. You can alternate vine-like plants and flowers to create a more colorful and intriguing space and even use easy-to-install short fences to separate your plants from the rest of your yard.
Turn the Under-deck Area into a Functional Space
Depending on the height of your deck, wood deck skirting may not cover the space beneath its floor. Even with the addition of wood deck skirting, you can use that space for other purposes.
Use Under-deck Space for Storage
You can use the space beneath your deck for storage of appropriately-sized items. For example, if you only have a foot or so beneath your deck, you could put your weed eater, closed camp or lawn chairs, or gardening tools underneath. Higher decks might serve as the perfect place to store your grill or lawn mower.
Depending on the height of your under-deck area, you could wall part or all of it in and add doors to create an actual shed beneath. This helps you avoid having to purchase a whole separate shed and pay for its installation, saving you money while serving you well with a whole new storage area.
Add Dramatic Decor
If you have enough outdoor storage, you can turn the area underneath your deck into a decorative wonderland. Even shallow spaces can serve as an intriguing area for a rock garden, allowing you to dress up the area without having to worry about covering it up. Go a step further by placing solar-powered fairy lights beneath the deck, adding not only beautiful decoration to the space but possibly helping to light up your deck from below.
Create a Two-level Outdoor Entertainment Space
For decks that have enough room beneath them to stand upright, you could create another gathering space under the floor. Installing a concrete floor or separate deck beneath gives you a new surface to entertain on, perfect for larger gatherings. You could also designate the spaces for separate forms of outdoor entertainment, such as setting up a hang-out spot on the lower level and cooking out and eating on the upper level.
Discover New Deck Skirting Ideas for Your Home in Fishers, IN
Whether you’d like to install a storage shed beneath your deck or simply want to cover up the unsightly empty space with wood deck skirting, our artisans can help. When you’re ready to check out our expert wood deck designs or want to add skirting to your current deck, contact Artisan Outdoor Craftsman in Fishers, IN, by calling (317) 648-1137.
