Scaffold boards are a fantastic resource when taking on a new challenge. From new furniture to decking out your garden.
The versatility of these planks vastly extends their intended use as a strong, raised working platform. The boards lend themselves perfectly to various projects from shelving and tables to flower beds or decking. They are low cost compared to other lumber on the market and also with a little love, very aesthetically pleasing.
Using reclaimed board as opposed to new “un-banned” ones comes with various pros and cons. They are usually cheaper and the wear and tear can often add character to your build that brand new board wouldn’t. That being said they will usually require more work when prepping the wood. Being careful not to plane any in-ground stones or dirt and understanding where they have been sourced is also important. This is to ensure they don’t harbour any harmful chemicals that might have been spilt on them during their working life.
Once you have sourced some good quality boards – the possibilities are endless.
Garden Decking.
Scaffold boards create a great long lasting and cost effective alternative to the decking boards you can get from your local hardware store. The cost may look similar to normal decking but when you counter in the width of a scaffold board – you are actually cutting your overall cost in half!
Garden Planters/Veg Boxes
Strength is a key point of any scaffold board, whether they are reclaimed or new. So using them to hold back large amounts of heavy soil only seems right. Their width helps reduce the number of boards needed to ensure good height and as long as you protect them they will last for years!
Table
Whether you are after an elegant show piece table or a rustic industrial one – you can achieve both by using scaffold boards. The first dining table I made was using scaffolding and I was really pleased with how it turned out. With very little planning the boards fitted perfectly together to a point you count even see the join.
Ottoman
Using Scaffold boards for items like an ottoman I think give the piece a real farmhouse look. The grain and chunkiness just work well together. Be warned however creating a 2ft by 4ft ottoman out of scaffold boards creates a piece of furniture not easily moved by one person! But big enough for your little ones to find that perfect hide and seek spot!
Bath caddy
A real simple one, and a trend that took off last year – a bath caddy or board. Even without the grooved cut into it, a scaffold board is ready made for this! With a little extra love… a couple holes here and there. You can end up with a great Christmas or birthday gift for any one that loves a long soak!
These are just a very small sample of ideas for using scaffolding for your up and coming project.
Recycling/repurposing any item, including scaffold boards helps the environment in one way or another. Whether it saves it from being burnt on a bomb fire.. Or chucked in a skip for processing.
But why did the boards not make the cut in the first place? – check out my other blog "What you should look out for in Scaffold boards" this give you some great insight on why scaffold companies may reject or discard some boards.
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