Terrace on pedestals: we answer all your questions!
The terrace on pedestals is a way to create a wooden or paving terrace with ease. Fast and economical, this type of terrace has real advantages. However, we are more used to laying terraces on the ground even if this practice requires more work. A matter of tradition? Ignorance of terraces on pedestals? We have decided to answer all your questions about the development of a terrace on pedestals. Follow the leader !
1. What are the advantages of a terrace on pedestals?
Laying a terrace on pedestals, whether it is a wooden terrace or a paving terrace, has many advantages:
Easy to install for DIY novices
- Speed and ease of installation: build your paving terrace in a few hours and your wooden terrace in a day.
- Does not require major tools.
- Does not require joint or glue for the realization of a tiled terrace.
- Does not require regular planing of the bearing surface.
- The pedestals can be placed on a concrete paving or on pre-existing tiles.
- Affordable cost of a terrace on pedestals, which does not require a concrete paving.
- If you want to change the exterior tiling, nothing could be simpler: just remove the pavings laid on your pedestals and lay the new ones. Magic !
- Last advantage, and not least: no drying before using your terrace paving. Once the installation is complete, your terrace can be used without delay. Time for drinks!
An all-terrain terrace that knows how to adapt
- Adapts perfectly to your sloping, uneven or flat ground: the self-levelling studs allow you to catch up on uneven ground. Thanks to its self-leveling base, this adjustable pedestal compensates for up to 5% of unevenness. As for the adjustable pedestals, they allow you to create different heights, with stair steps for example.
- Sits precisely at the height of the access thresholds to the dwelling. Due to the different heights of existing pedestals, you adapt to the millimeter.
- Allows the free flow of rainwater. Thanks to terraces on pedestals, say goodbye to puddles.
- Accelerates the thermal dispersion of solar radiation thanks to the ventilated space, located between the floor and the covering. This allows more walking comfort: your floor is cooler than that of a conventional terrace heated by the sun.
- Makes the expansion of the coating impossible.
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Practical and aesthetic, they last over time
- The space between the floor and the covering is ideal for hiding cables and pipes, which nevertheless remain easily accessible in the event of a breakdown.
- The pedestals are compatible with many materials: natural wood slats, composite wood, porcelain stoneware tiles, ceramic tiles, gratings...
- Very low maintenance: the coating benefits from a better longevity thanks to a humidity which does not stagnate and a terrace which dries more quickly.
- Preserves the condition of your paving terrace. Indeed, tiling on pedestals is less likely to be damaged. Limestone is less likely to settle and weaken your terrace. No risk of cracks.
Resistant to everything!
- The pedestals are chlorine resistant and can be used around a swimming pool.
- A terrace on pedestal is very solid. Suitable for all weathers and all temperatures (from -40°C to +60°C), the terrace pedestals remain stable and support a load of up to one tonne!
In other words, your terrace laid quickly and inexpensively is a long-term investment.
2. What are the disadvantages of a terrace on pedestals?
After this long list of advantages of terrace pedestals, let's discover the few disadvantages you may encounter:
The development of a terrace on pedestals requires stable ground.
For this, you may need to compact the backfilled surfaces with a snow groomer.
The ground level is higher than for a standard terrace.
To prevent your terrace from being raised above your home, don't hesitate to dig up your land beforehand and then backfill it with gravel.
The waterproofing of terraces on pedestals is regulated:
The evacuation of water must be carried out via slopes of 1 centimeter per meter, towards the evacuation holes.
3. Is it resistant?
The pedestals are ultra-resistant. Made of recycled polypropylene, they support a load of up to 1 ton and are rot-proof. In terms of temperature, terrace pedestals are absolutely not afraid of frost or heat. An amplitude of -40°C to +60°C is tested and guaranteed.
So, no worries about installing garden furniture, competition barbecues and other outdoor equipment.
Robust, the terrace pedestals are guaranteed for 10 years, and ensure a long life for your terrace.
4. Laying a terrace on a pedestal: how to do it?
Laying a paving terrace on pedestals is ultra-simple and ultra-fast. For a wooden terrace on pedestals, you will need a little more labor related to the fixing of the joists. However, for the installation of your pedestals, it is always very simple and fast. To find out more about laying a wooden terrace on pedestals, go to our dedicated article. For the installation of a paving terrace on pedestals, it's here.
You don't have to fix your pedestals to the ground, they just need to be placed and will be weighted down by the weight of your covering.
We do not recommend laying terrace pedestals directly on grass or soil. This is because your ground can move and weaken your terrace on pedestals. We therefore advise you to loosen your soil by 15 cm and backfill it to the same height with gravel or at least tamp your soil so that it is very stable and flat.
Cutting blocks is not possible. On the other hand, the fins are breakable to put the pedestal in the center when laying a slab terrace. (This practice aims to reinforce the stability of your tiling beyond a 60 x 60 cm paving)
Mixing two brands of pedestals is not recommended, as the accessories are not compatible with each other. To catch up with different heights, we advise you to opt for the Rinno pedestals which offer the greatest amplitude in terms of pedestal height.
5. How to finish a terrace on pedestals?
The finish is very important for the layout of your terrace on pedestals. Indeed, the finishes will make it possible to perfect the rendering of your terrace and to hide the pedestals.
To finish your paving terrace, several choices are available to you :
- Aluminum profiles, which do not require glue;
- Install the trim support using a paving plate. All you have to do is stick your covering support on this plate.
For the finish of your wooden terrace, cut a board at the height of your terrace and fix this plinth using a screwdriver on your joist.
We hope to have answered all of your questions about terraces on pedestals. If this is not the case, do not hesitate to ask us your question, we will answer you with pleasure!
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