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Raised bed liner

g.kingg.king Posts: 46
edited May 2022 in Tools and techniques
I have a little project where I am creating some raised flower beds using decking boards on their side. I want to protect the decking boards against the damp in the soil, but am struggling to find a decent and value for money product.
Having searched amazon for the likes of "raised bed liner" or "pond liner", I am concerned that there are a lot of negative reviews for most of the products.

The purpose of the liner is purely to protect the decking board wood, so it shouldn't be porous (eg weed barrier material IS porous). the intention is to staple the material to the inside / soil facing face of the boards. I am not intending on lining the ground.
I have painted the boards with fence paint for extra protection.

By my calculation, the total area to cover will be just under 4 sq meter.
(I have 4 boards measuring 4.8m x 0.15m)
Ideally looking for a roll of material that is 5-10 meters long.
I am hoping that I can find something suitable for under £20.   

Any advice , or better still links to suitable products?
Or maybe I just don't need to go through with all this effort and should take a simpler approach?

Thanks :smile:

Posts

  • zugeniezugenie Posts: 703
    If you are purely wanting to protect the boards you could use compost bags, assuming you also need to fill the beds it would technically be free :)
  • g.kingg.king Posts: 46
    zugenie said:
    If you are purely wanting to protect the boards you could use compost bags, assuming you also need to fill the beds it would technically be free :)
    That would work, but I have had a bulk delivery of topsoil in one of those commercial sized bags and I only have a few old compost bags.

    Maybe something like the plastic material that is used to wrap new mattresses? But where could I procure such material from?
  • StephenSouthwestStephenSouthwest Posts: 443
    I'm confused - why can't you use the bulk bag?
  • g.kingg.king Posts: 46
    It's not the same material as GC bought compost - its one of those large bags that builders merchants use and deliver by lorry with a mini crane / grab on.

    Anyway, I have solved my question - DPM (Damp Proof Membrane) should be ideal for what I need. Have ordered from Screwfix for collection and cost just under £10.

    https://www.screwfix.com/p/capital-valley-plastics-ltd-damp-proof-membrane-black-1000ga-3-x-4m/50464 if anyone else is after similar.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 50,180
    edited May 2022
    Most pondliner is more than adequate. Don't use Amazon - go to the sites directly. A basic pond liner of the size you need isn't expensive. Bradshaws, Pondkeeper etc.

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • KeenOnGreenKeenOnGreen Posts: 1,756
    You can buy thick plastic sheeting from B&Q or similar.  Much cheaper than pond liner. It’s what we used on our beds.  

    The big builders dumpy bags break down quite quickly under certain circumstances, and are a bit porous, so not suitable.  
  • WhiterotWhiterot Posts: 32
    I use ex supermarket advertising banners. If you pop into to your local supermarket they may just have some old ones that they throw away. 
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