Retaining planter without DC

[Marley]

Hi,

 

I recently had a bricky make me a planter / retaining wall.

 

My plan was to have it rendered but after reading a bit on this forum, it looks like not having a damp course might make the render stain or fall off over time.

 

Would tiling over the planter also cause issues? 

Thanks,

Ian

 

[Radian]

Not sure what adhesive you would use to hold tiles on when that gets waterlogged.

 

If it were mine I think I'd clad it in deck boards. Probably start by totally wrapping in 1200g black DPM then do vertical 25mm battens every 600mm then screw on deck boards (S/S screws) leaving a 10mm gap to allow air to circulate. If you used 150mm wide planks then you can frame the top with the same planks. Mitre the corners for a really neat finish.

[Marley]

Thanks Radian.

 

I’m trying to get a clean finish if I can so if I can avoid wood I’d like to (although I appreciate there might not be many other options. 
 

If I drilled a series of holes in the bottom to let the water escape (I’m raising the floor in front of it with hardcore) do you think that would work as an outlet to prevent the water logging?

[Radian]

Unless you ca be sure it will drain down through the earth below (assuming it's not solid concrete) then yes bore some drainage holes. You can always try filling with a hose and see how long it takes to drain now.

 

Render at low level is a nightmare to keep looking smart and tiles will be a real challenge to keep stuck on.

 

But you can also get composite or solid plastic deck boards in a variety of finishes. In this case there's no need for battening and spacer gaps as there's no need to ventilate behind. Some very sexy finishes in these although a tad pricey compared with timber. The timber option I described has lasted me for nigh-on 20 years in some planters I made although that was Douglas fir.

 

For a clean finish you could also look at Kedel recycled plastic T&G cladding:

Cuts and screws together like real wood but lasts for 1000's of years unfortunatley.