How to Build a Bamboo Catwalk
A catwalk is an extension of the floor of a house, built out from a cat flap and into a backyard. You can enclose a catwalk if you like, but as cats do like to roam free, it is probably best to leave the end open. You can use bamboo to make a catwalk. Bamboo is an extremely durable and eco-friendly substance to use for your floor and should last for many years. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Weather treated, interlocking bamboo boards
- Four to six long ground nails
- Tape measure
- Table saw or handsaw
- Tapping block
- Hammer
- Staple gun and staples
- Wire fencing
Instructions
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Find out if your plans are compliant with your neighborhood compliance codes.
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Examine where you plan to build the catwalk. If it is overgrown, clear the area away. Make sure the area is dry; if the area is damp and you build the catwalk, the planks might rot. Check to see that the area is firm enough to support the bamboo planks that will form the catwalk. Then decide what length your catwalk will be.
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Measure the bamboo boards so that they fit the area you have chosen to build the catwalk. Add one-sixteenth inch to compensate for any bamboo you will lose while you are sawing, and then cut the boards to size.
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Lay the first board from right outside the location of the cat flap and make sure it is one with the tongue. Take a board with a groove and fit it into the tongue of the first board. Then take the tapping block and place it against the second board. Use the hammer to knock the tapping block against the second board to slot it into the first board. You use the tapping block rather than knocking the board itself, to protect it from damage. Continue doing this for as wide and as long as you want the catwalk. Nail the boards adjacent to the house into the ground to anchor them.
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5
Unroll the wire fencing making sure it remains curved. Measure the wire so that it is long enough to run along the length of the catwalk. Cut the wire fencing according to your measurements and staple it to the bamboo planks, every 6 inches.
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Tips & Warnings
If you are going to fit the catwalk over cement, hold on to the trimmings from cutting the boards. You can use these to lift the boards from the cement in order to stop water from becoming trapped. Measure the trimmings so that they are at least one-half inch when measured vertically. If the catwalk is fitted directly onto the ground you can anchor it with some nails.
Don’t knock the tapping block too forcefully, knock often and softly.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit David De Lossy/Valueline/Getty Images
