How to cover house base concrete?

[andyroo]

Hi,

As you can see from images there is the base cement from our build which is there at pillars and around the deck. I didn't think of it originally but I would have asked to just put the decking around it to cover it up. Alternativley, We could plaster it over.

I'm not too handy, would anyone be able to recommend:

1) If merbow decking, what nails would I need to go through and what drill piece/head to get it done?

2) What plastering or sanding cover would work best? 

3) Any other ideas to maximise the look better to what it is now?

[EricL]

Hello @andyroo 

Thanks for sharing your question about your base cement pillars. If you were going to cover it with Merbau timber, I suggest using Ramset 8 x 50mm Blue Wall Plugs Blue in combination with Zenith 10G x 50mm Galvanised Countersunk Head Timber Screws. My best advice is to keep the Merbau timber at least 5mm off the ground so that water will not get trapped under the timber cover.

You could plaster the bottom, but it will stand out and will be difficult to maintain a level finish. Unless you've done rendering with mortar before, I don't recommend using this method.

One other method that comes to mind is to paint the exposed section in the same colour as your concrete floor. It will hide the gap effectively and make it look like it is part of the concrete floor.

Let me call on our experienced members @Dave-1 and @AlanM52 for their recommendations.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[Dave-1]

Good Afternoon @andyroo 

You could give the concrete base an skirt of merbau but I think painting it the same colour as your driveway would be much more effective. It would blend it in to the eyes nicely.

If you did decide to use merbau to give it an skirt, then you would neeed to cut some of the pieces at an angle to match the concrete floor, doable and would proablly be a nice job to start with. Id go for square ends for the skirt joins if you are not confident of your timber skills.

Dave

[AlanM52]

Hi @andyroo,

I also would do the painting thing.

If you go the timber way I suggest building adhesive with a bead of silicon along the top to keep water/moisture out.

For both the above looks like (hard to tell) you may have to clean up the surface with a cold/masonry chisel and finish with wire brush/cordless drill.

Cheers

[R4addZ]

Hi @andyroo 

+1 for the painting to match the driveway as the future maintenance of the timber option is much more expensive than an occasional coat of paint!