super surfaces

by Dan DiClerico, Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab Director

The flooring of any outdoor space has a major impact on its look and performance. Here are three alternatives to traditional wood decking.

1.

Easy Upkeep: Composite Composite decking is the low-maintenance way to go. The latest versions are often indistinguishable from real wood, and they never need to be refinished!

GH Lab Pick: TimberTech Azek Landmark Collection, $6.50 per linear foot, timbertech.com versatile design: porcelain

2.

Porcelain works both indoors and outdoors, making it perfect for socalled “transition rooms.” Exterior tiles have a slip-resistant finish.

GH Lab Pick: Crossville Portugal Collection, from $4.50 per square foot, crossvilleinc.com updated classic: concrete

3.

This old-school patio material has gotten an upgrade. Applied in hefty panels as part of a modular system, it creates chic and durable patios and roof-decks.

GH Lab Pick: Belgard Artforms, $30 per square foot, belgard.com

Show off your home ’ s original patina.

DiClerico’s three-story home, built in 1882, has a whopping five original marble fireplaces. “They have a wonderful patina built up over many decades of use,” he says. To make the living room mantel a true focal point, he decided on a mix of framed graphic artwork and a simple statuette.