Wooden Decking Compared

How Does Wooden Decking Compare to Other Types of Decking?

Wooden decking is an incredibly popular home renovation and is a great way to add comfort, beauty, and glamour to your home without spending a lot of your money. Not only does wooden decking provide a functional and versatile outdoor living space for the entire family, it also acts as a safe play area for children, a social area for family and friends, or just as a relaxing hideaway. Wooden decking is not only safe and useful, it is also extremely pleasing to the eye; this explains the reasons behind the growing popularity of this form of decking.

There are many woods used for decking and two of the most popular are cedar and redwood. For people who are prepared to pay more for top quality, hardwood decking is an option. 

Wooden decking is something that, if maintained properly, can last you and your home for a lifetime. However, there are alternatives. Is wooden decking the best choice for your home or are there other decking materials that are better? This question can only be answered by thoroughly comparing wooden decking against the most popular composite deck materials.

Wooden Decking vs. Composite Deck Materials

Besides wood, the other popular option is that of composite deck materials, which are made out of recycled materials that are then combined with wood waste. Most composite decking materials are, in fact, made from a blend of wood industry by-products, such as wood fibers and sawdust, and some form of plastic, such as polyethylene or PVC. These composite deck materials look like wood, and can come in an assortment of colors. Although they work fantastically for decking, they will typically not be suitable for handrails unless they are reinforced substantially.

Composite decking materials have an advantage in that they have an engineered resistance to rot and insects, and are also able to avoid cracking, splitting, or weathering like other natural woods. The cost of these forms of decks are often more expensive than one such as pine, in some cases even twice the cost; however, a homeowner stands to save thousands on maintenance costs over the deck’s lifespan. The leading drawback of composite decking at the present time  is that stains can be a major problem. Molds and mildew are also common enemies of composite decking.

Wooden decking requires a lot of maintenance, such as sanding, resealing or painting, in order to maintain the desired look and strength over time. Before buying wooden decking ask yourself if you will be prepared to do this regularly. Wooden decking should be sealed or re-stained at least every couple of years, in order to help maintain its look, as well as prevent rot. Treated wood does retains its resistance properties, although it will eventually rot.

Also, over the course of time wood weathers and loses moisture. By using stains and sealers you can help to stabilize this moisture loss and maintain the look of the wood. In untreated wood, stains and sealers can also help to prevent decay.

Timber Decking Suppliers

Decking Deals is the UK’s leading supplier and installer of timber decking systems. They are helpful, not only when they are hired to install the timber decking themselves, but also in the case of those do-it-yourselfers. They can supply the timber for people to make their own deck, or they can design and install a decking solution that will be tailor-made to fit the customers’ needs.

Boral Timber is another leading company in the selling and installing of timber decking. They offer a wide range of Australian native timber flooring products, thus providing an excellent choice of color and texture for the customer and ensuring that they find the right solution for themselves.

Arbordeck is another timber decking option, and their system includes boards, joists, a choice of balustrade styles, fittings, and a range of finishes. Besides their high quality flooring, they also offer Aggredeck, their own style of an innovative anti-slip board; and Trex, which is an ultra hardwearing and environmentally friendly wood polymer deck and railing system.

Quality Decking is another leading UK timber decking provider that offers tips, strategies, and comments, as well as the timber itself at an affordable price. They have a decking photo gallery that allows you to browse through pictures of other customers’ decking projects to help ou come up with ideas.

They offer books on decking, links to other resources relating to timber decking etc, as well as a detailed summary on how to take care of your deck after it is built.