Replacing a loft bed when you're ready for a replacement
So your wooden garden bed is finally worn out and needs to be replaced. Or maybe you're ready to increase the size of your loft bed so you have more room to grow. Either way, you've decided it's time to "trade in" to a better garden bed. What would you replace your loft bed with?
Replacing a loft bed
How often you need to replace your loft bed really depends on its material. However, the climatic conditions in which the bed is located also have a huge impact. A wooden bed that is lit by the sun all year round is much faster than the weather in the shade. Of course, the type of wood matters. It also matters whether the wood it's used in is regularly damp, although any wood will weaken sooner or later between heat and humidity.
The University of Massachusetts Department of Architecture and Construction Technology has an interesting article on how much people believe about wood is actually a myth. For one thing, kiln-dried wood still contains a lot of moisture when purchased. They say the problems we see in wood - peeling paint, rot, warping, cracks and shrinkage - are all due to water in the wood, which was present when we bought it, or absorbed into the environment it was in. of water. When you're buying wood from the store, you'll see a label that states its moisture content - but this only tells you how much moisture it was when it was shaped and prepared, not its current moisture content. It might have been shipped from the west coast, or it might have built up a lot outside and absorbed a lot of moisture before it got to your hands.
Another myth is that cedar and redwood are rot-resistant. Now. .. we know what you're thinking! It's a common statement and rarely asked questions. But that's an exaggeration, and it's a real disappointment for anyone who spends a lot of money on cedar or redwood only to find that their outdoor garden bed or deck doesn't last as long as they thought. Almost any type of untreated sapwood is not resistant to rot. Heartwood is more durable, but also more expensive, and largely impossible to obtain since nearly all of the old growth forest has been cleared. When you use common woods that are considered more durable, such as cedar, rosewood, white oak, and locust, you still need a waterproofing treatment.
This brings up another problem...most organic gardeners don't want to use treated wood because they are so concerned that chemicals will seep into their soil. As we all know, truly organic, non-toxic gardening starts with a non-toxic garden bed [link to the latest article on the subject here].
Better loft bed materials
Of course, there is always something like galvanized steel or HDPE plastic to form a garden bed. But these have drawbacks. While they last longer than wood, they don't always have the look a gardener wants. They don't fit the landscape and can't be customized (especially steel).
Most people will consider these options and then move on to a better raised bed material. Searches often show that concrete is considered the choice of a lifetime. Stone, concrete and other masonry products can be used indefinitely. The Chicago Tribune claims that concrete block materials can last for 100 years, which is actually a far cry from the truth. So when you're talking about replacing a raised garden bed and needing to upgrade to a more permanent solution, don't take the concrete off the tabletop.
Durable GreenBed Loft Kit Solutions
DurableGreenBed kits are manufactured in a way that takes advantage of and protects the natural life of concrete and cement. These beds combine cement, an ingredient in concrete, with mineralized wood chips, which means the proteins and sugars in the wood have been burned off. This creates a composite mineralized wood cement material that is lighter than concrete alone but very much like artificial stone.
Durable GreenBeds can last for decades. We can safely say 25+ years, but it might actually be longer than that.
Replacing a loft bed
How often you need to replace your loft bed really depends on its material. However, the climatic conditions in which the bed is located also have a huge impact. A wooden bed that is lit by the sun all year round is much faster than the weather in the shade. Of course, the type of wood matters. It also matters whether the wood it's used in is regularly damp, although any wood will weaken sooner or later between heat and humidity.
The University of Massachusetts Department of Architecture and Construction Technology has an interesting article on how much people believe about wood is actually a myth. For one thing, kiln-dried wood still contains a lot of moisture when purchased. They say the problems we see in wood - peeling paint, rot, warping, cracks and shrinkage - are all due to water in the wood, which was present when we bought it, or absorbed into the environment it was in. of water. When you're buying wood from the store, you'll see a label that states its moisture content - but this only tells you how much moisture it was when it was shaped and prepared, not its current moisture content. It might have been shipped from the west coast, or it might have built up a lot outside and absorbed a lot of moisture before it got to your hands.
Another myth is that cedar and redwood are rot-resistant. Now. .. we know what you're thinking! It's a common statement and rarely asked questions. But that's an exaggeration, and it's a real disappointment for anyone who spends a lot of money on cedar or redwood only to find that their outdoor garden bed or deck doesn't last as long as they thought. Almost any type of untreated sapwood is not resistant to rot. Heartwood is more durable, but also more expensive, and largely impossible to obtain since nearly all of the old growth forest has been cleared. When you use common woods that are considered more durable, such as cedar, rosewood, white oak, and locust, you still need a waterproofing treatment.
This brings up another problem...most organic gardeners don't want to use treated wood because they are so concerned that chemicals will seep into their soil. As we all know, truly organic, non-toxic gardening starts with a non-toxic garden bed [link to the latest article on the subject here].
Better loft bed materials
Of course, there is always something like galvanized steel or HDPE plastic to form a garden bed. But these have drawbacks. While they last longer than wood, they don't always have the look a gardener wants. They don't fit the landscape and can't be customized (especially steel).
Most people will consider these options and then move on to a better raised bed material. Searches often show that concrete is considered the choice of a lifetime. Stone, concrete and other masonry products can be used indefinitely. The Chicago Tribune claims that concrete block materials can last for 100 years, which is actually a far cry from the truth. So when you're talking about replacing a raised garden bed and needing to upgrade to a more permanent solution, don't take the concrete off the tabletop.
Durable GreenBed Loft Kit Solutions
DurableGreenBed kits are manufactured in a way that takes advantage of and protects the natural life of concrete and cement. These beds combine cement, an ingredient in concrete, with mineralized wood chips, which means the proteins and sugars in the wood have been burned off. This creates a composite mineralized wood cement material that is lighter than concrete alone but very much like artificial stone.
Durable GreenBeds can last for decades. We can safely say 25+ years, but it might actually be longer than that.