Are you considering a new deck as part of landscaping your garden? Are you unsure whether to choose timber or composite decking? Would you like to know the pros and cons of each type of decking material and which is best for your needs?
Over the past 30+ years, we’ve installed literally hundreds of decks for our clients when landscaping their gardens. So we know a lot about the materials we use and their relative strengths and weaknesses. We’d like to share this knowledge with you, so you can take an unbiased look at decking materials.
Once you’ve read this article, you should feel fully informed and capable of making a confident choice for your new deck. Or better understand why your landscape designer has recommended one material over the other.
What do you want in a deck?
Ultimately most people want a beautiful, hard-wearing deck that lasts for decades. One that preferably requires minimal maintenance. And one that retains its good looks for as long as possible.
There may be other issues on your mind when it comes to your deck depending on where you live, such as:
- Fire rating
- Termites, rot etc
- Mould & mildew
- Sustainability
- How comfortable the deck will be to live with
Some of these issues are not always top of mind when it comes to decking materials but they are definitely worth considering before you make your choice. The last thing you want to end up saying to yourself is “I wish I’d built my deck out of ……..”.
Timber vs composite – the two most popular decking choices
If you take a quick look at the decking market, it’s pretty easy to see that these days there are essentially two main choices for your deck – timber and composite materials.
This composite deck was used for a holiday home in Somers on the Mornington Peninsula using Dekkarators decking.
Timber is the original decking material and is still a popular choice for many people. But composite materials, which are made of a combination of timber fibres and plastics fused together, are growing in popularity.
At a wonderful project in Hawthorn, we used a Cumaru timber decking material.
Cumaru is a very hardy timber with consistent colouring.
The client was aware this timber would require oiling periodically to keep the timber in peak condition.
Choosing between the two comes down to a combination of factors – mostly either practical, aesthetic or both.
Popular decking timbers vs popular composite decking
It’s really important to make sure when comparing your options that you looker deep than just comparing ANY timber to ANY composite. Each timber has its own strengths and weaknesses and there is a wide range of different attributes between each of the different brands/types of composites as they are often made from different materials using different processes.
Here are four of the most popular decking timbers with their relative attributes.
Spotted gum – a strong, highly-durable native Australian timber. It has a wavy grain and spotted appearance giving it plenty of natural character. Renowned for bleeding less tanins than other hardwoods.
Merbau – a long term favourite for decking, this South-East Asian hardwood is renowned for its strength and durability. Merbau has a distinctive grain pattern and its rich colour ages better than other timbers.
Blackbutt – another popular native hardwood, Blackbutt is very resilient and often chosen for decking in bushfire prone areas. It comes in a wide variety of popular shades from honey-blonde to mid-brown.
Ironbark – featuring a very tight grain, Ironbark is a strong, stable decking timber with natural resistance to insects and weather. It comes in colours ranging from light-grey to light-chocolate as well as browns and reds.
And to compare, here are four very popular composite decking materials.
Deckorators – ultra-durable and lightweight, this composite decking has one of the highest strength-to-weight ratios. Featuring a stain and fade resistant finish it is highly stable and won’t sag, chalk or crack.
Newtechwood – one of the most natural looking composite timbers on the market. Highly resistant to rot, decay and termite infestations, its capped decking boards are ultra-low maintenance and highly resistant to stains.
Millboard – another ‘natural’ looking composite timber, Millboard has a moulded woodgrain finish. It is lightweight with a hidden screw fixing system. UV stable and resistant to weathering, rot and pests.
Modwood – an Australian-made composite decking board that will not rot, warp, split or splinter. It is low maintenance with a long wearing timber-like finish that offers good anti-slip properties.
To find out more about your preferred decking timber or composite we suggest you visit the Bowens decking page which has much more detail about them - Bowens Decking Products
Appearance of your deck
Timber has an authentic natural look, with the grain, knots and irregularities of the wood being part of its charm. Many composite materials are made to mimic the look of timber but they don’t tend to have the same complexity of character that real timber has and tend to look fake to the trained eye.
Whichever material you choose, all decks start out looking fresh and new at first. But over time their appearance will change, even composite decks.
Traditional timber decks will turn from their natural colours to a silver-grey look over time. If you love this look then your maintenance work on your deck will be minimal. But some people like to try and retain the original look of their deck. Regular oiling of your timber deck can help maintain its original appearance. If your timber deck does deteriorate over time, you can always sand it back to its original state and then oil, stain or even paint it.
Composite decks will change appearance over time but many cannot be sanded back in the same way as timber. But they do require only minimal maintenance, with just occasional resealing to keep them looking good.
Installation of decking boards
Traditionally nails or screws were used to fix the decking boards to the joists. This method is still used today for some decks.
However composite decking boards cannot be nailed due to their density. But most can be screwed in place. However these days many composite decking boards are installed using clever hidden clip systems which gives a more modern look. These systems hide the screws, creating a very clean look that is very appealing today.
It was more common in the past to install decking boards with wide gaps between them but these days it is more common to have the decking boards installed much closer to each other, for a cleaner more modern look. (Beware however not to butt them up tightly against each other as both timber and composites can expand and contract with the weather. With no gaps, water can become trapped on the deck, boards can warp and twist and fixing screws can snap.)
Durability & longevity – how long will your decking last?
Because composite decking products are made using a combination of timber fibres or other materials, with added plastics mixed with resins or glues to bind them together, they are generally considered to be hardier than timber. Many people say they will tend to last longer on average than most timber products.
However, this is not always the case with several timber decking products renowned for being very durable. Many timbers will last decades if they are properly maintained. Life expectancy for some hardwood timber products can range from 15 – 30 years.
If used next to a swimming pool, composite decking is generally more resistant to the effects of the chlorine in pool water than most timbers and so this can be a factor when deciding which to use. However we recommend you check with your supplier on the actual durability of your preferred composite choice before installing near a pool.
Which is more easy to live with?
Generally, a well-maintained timber deck is more easy to live with and walk on than a composite deck, especially over the hotter summer months. Many composite decking products have a high percentage of plastics in them, these can retain heat from the sun more than timber. As a result composite decks can be very hot to walk on in summer, so hot in fact you may not be able to walk on them in bare feet.
Timber naturally regulates temperature better than composite materials and will tend to stay cooler on hot summer days.
If you do not maintain your timber decking well it can crack and cause splinters which can be dangerous to young children. A composite deck however will never splinter.
Resistance to mould, rot, pests etc
Composite decking products are highly resistant to the effects of weather. The plastics, glues and resins in them make them virtually impervious to mould, rot and decay. They are also highly unlikely to be attacked by termites or other pests.
The image shown is of a composite decking used on a project in Malvern.
The charcoal tone was selected to blend in with the house colours.
Choosing a timber deck and then painting it would have been much more maintenance, so this Dekkarator product was the winning choice.
This makes composite decking ideal for installation in very damp places that don’t see a lot of sunlight or if your area is renowned for having insects and other pests.
While some timber products are subject to mould, rot and termites, many have a natural built-in resistance to them. Timbers like Jarrah, Spotted Gum or Merbau are renowned for being termite-resistant. Any timber with a high natural oil content like Teak and Cedar is naturally resistant to rot and mould
Fire ratings for timber vs composite
No timber or even composite decking product can be considered completely fireproof.
If you live in a regional or semi-rural area that is prone to bushfires, fire rating will be a more important issue than if you live in the suburbs.
Fire ratings range from A which means non-combustible through to F which means flammable.
Many timber decking products are rated D, which means they do have a likelihood of burning during an intense fire but can take a long time to get started. Composite decking products are often rated C, which makes them less combustible due to the plastics and resins in them.
Cost of timber decking vs composite
Cost can be an issue when considering which decking product to choose.
Calculating which is more expensive can be complex, depending on the exact timber you are considering vs the exact composite material.
Generally speaking, composite decking materials tend to range in price from $120 to $200 per square metre.
Depending on which timber you use, the price of timber decking can range from $60 to $140 per square metre.
So on average composite tends to be higher in cost than timber. However, you need to also factor in maintenance costs over time as well to come to a more accurate conclusion.
Sustainability & environmental issues
Both composite and timber decking products have arguments for and against from an environmental perspective.
If you are using rare, exotic rainforest timbers like Merbau for your deck, many will argue it is bad for the environment to have these timbers being harvested. Other Australian timbers used for decking can be grown in plantations making them less of an environmental issue.
Composite decking product manufacturers will often argue their products are made using waste from sawmills or even recycled timber fibres making a strong case for their environmental credentials. Many also use recycled plastics as well.
However, environmentalists will argue that the whole of life of a product needs to be considered. Due to their high percentage of plastics, resins and toxic glues, composite decking products will not break down easily after their effective use has ended and could be considered a pollutant to the environment.
However, all timber products will naturally decay back into the earth once their useful life has come to an end.
One alternative you may wish to consider if sustainability is a big issue for you, is bamboo. Bamboo decking is a composite product, so like timber composites, it is durable, long-lasting, mould and insect resistant and looks attractive. However, because it is created without plastics it does not get hot underfoot. Also, as it uses only non-toxic resins and glues, it is considered far more sustainable. It will 100% return to nature after its useful life is over.
Bamboo is also grown and harvested in a more sustainable manner than timber, because it simply regrows from the same root system after it is cut down.
If you'd like to know more about bamboo decking, please click here:
What’s your choice?
As you can see the choice of timber versus composite decking can come down to many factors. There is not a clear winner one way or the other. You might even find bamboo is more to your likely.
Ultimately the choice depends on many factors such as your taste, cost, whether you are in a bushfire or pest-prone area, or if you are installing a deck next to a pool, etc
We hope that this article has helped you make the right decision for you.
If you are having your deck designed for you as part of a landscaping project for your garden, generally your landscape designer or architect will take into account all the above factors as they apply to your personal needs. They will therefore tend to have a preference for one or the other between timber and composite and they will make that choice in their design recommendations.
Now you’ve read this article you should be in a much better position to understand their recommendation and be able to make an informed choice to either agree with them or perhaps disagree.
If you’d like to have a further, deeper discussion with one of our designers about your plans for decking and landscaping in general, please feel free to book a design consultation with us. It is completely free and without obligation and will allow you to ask many questions of a landscaping professional that could just help you clarify your plans and direction.
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