With so many decking options available today, ranging from natural wood to composite and aluminium, choosing the right material may seem overwhelming. Finding the right material comes down to four key factors: your budget, the area’s climate, overall aesthetics, and ease of maintenance. Besides these things, you also must consider the pros and cons of each product based on its fine nuances.
This article briefly describes some of the most popular decking options while discussing their pros and cons. We will investigate important factors such as availability, construction flexibility, and even environmental impact.
Three of the most common types of board materials available are treated timber, composite decking, and hardwood decking. While the prospects of buying cheap, non-durable, untreated timber are attractive, for obvious reasons, it is not recommended at all for building decks because it barely lasts for a few months, much less a few years.
If your climate conditions are humid and warm, untreated timber will start rotting before you know it, forcing you to find a new alternative soon. Here’s a look at the best decking materials worth considering.
1) Composite Decking
Wood Plastic Composite (WPC) is a combination of natural materials such as wood flour or rice husks and polymer shaped into decking lumber. This unique combo is still new to the market with the most popular brands being Trex, Eon, and Choicedeck. Other terms used to describe WPC material include composite timber.
Some brands go the extra mile by using only plastic with no food flour added at all. This exclusively-made plastic decking is widely available, but it is not a preferred choice of material for decking projects. It is relatively easy to shape plastic decking into a variety of shapes, sizes, colours, and different textures.
It goes without saying that composites are naturally impervious to rot and insects. They have the added advantage of being maintenance-free throughout their lives. Simply install them and forget about all concerns.
2) Natural Softwood Timber Decking
You can add the right dose of preservative chemicals to real timber that could otherwise be susceptible to decay, fungi, and insects. Treatment of timber is achieved by forcing preservative chemicals deep into the timber using a combination of pressure and vacuum. The choice of timber in most areas of the UK is pine due to its strength, availability, and pores that allow strong chemical solutions to penetrate. The result is the ideal decking material that has all the qualities of real timber, but immune to fungi and rot for many years. Pre-treated redwood pine is easy to prepare and widely available, making it a cost-effective material for many households.
Some tree species grow extra durable wood that is naturally resistant to attack by fungi and insects. Their durability is due to strong chemicals accumulated over the years as the tree grows. Some examples of naturally durable wood are redwood, cedar, and cypress. It is important to note that only the inner layer of the wood (also known as the heartwood) is durable.
The soft outer layers of all wood species are highly susceptible to insects and rot. Heartwood is naturally darker in colour and more durable than sapwood, which is usually tan or white.
While natural wood is the cheapest decking material, it also requires the highest amount of maintenance. It is prone to splitting, twisting, splinters, and worst of all, growing slippery algae that can pose a danger to anyone walking on it.
MP Moran & Sons are concerned that timber products should be available for the future generations, and their use should have a minimum impact upon the environment. As such the company is thoroughly committed to purchasing and providing our customers with timber products that have where possible, been sourced from a sustainably managed forest. Working with the designated suppliers we have undertaken to join the FSC and PEFC chain of custody programmes to guarantee this sustainability commitment to our customers.
3) Hardwood
Enthusiasts of natural wood prefer hardwood decking because it is widely available, strong, lightweight, and has a naturally attractive colour that makes for a beautiful deck. The wood has naturally occurring oils and tannins that are resistant to insects and rot. You can use one more layer of protection by adding sealer and stain to keep the wood free of splinters and cracks.
It goes without saying that even the most naturally resistant wood will eventually turn a soft gray colour without the use of adequate protection.
Tropical hardwood decking such as Ipe are higher-end materials used as a luxury choice. They also last for an incredibly long period of time, with a lifecycle of at least 50 years or more. Ipe is incredibly tough and does not accept clear finishes and stains. It does have one consideration: improper acclimation. Ipe needs to adjust to the conditions outside, failure to do so will increase the chances of separation and splitting over time.
such as Ipe are higher-end materials used as a luxury choice. They also last for an incredibly long period of time, with a lifecycle of at least 50 years or more. Ipe is incredibly tough and does not accept clear finishes and stains. It does have one consideration: improper acclimation. Ipe needs to adjust to the conditions outside, failure to do so will increase the chances of separation and splitting over time.
Once Ipe adjusts to temperatures outside, it starts handling dry climates, humidity, moisture, and any other elemental effects with relative ease. Ipe can become vulnerable if you don’t allow climate acclimation. Unfortunately, when the wood travels from one yard to another, the sudden shift in climate can force the acclimation process to start yet again.
For instance, if the ipe moves from an area with high humidity to an area with low moisture, it starts drying way too fast. This sudden loss of moisture causes the surface to start cracking and separate.
Redwood softwood decking shares many of the same characteristics as hardwood, and it is the obvious choice for natural wood decking material. It is most commonly found in Scandinavian countries. Redwood pine comes from farmed and carefully maintained forests that comply to FSC or PEFC environmental requirements, which ensure that the health of these forest areas is maintained.
4) Thermowood
Thermowood decking is manufactured from Scandinavian redwood, it has been kiln dried for up to 96 hours to a very low moisture percentage, making the timber inert. This makes thermowood; Dimensionally stable, Environmentally stable, Resistant to rot and fungi, Offers increased longevity, Improved Insulation and can also be recycled.
5) PVC Decking
PVC decking does not crack, splinter, or warp. It is fully waterproof and has low maintenance. Furthermore, PVC does not encourage the growth of algae and lasts an incredibly long period of time. It costs slightly more than timber but has a lot more mileage. You can probably get away with missing a year of annual maintenance.
Consider recycling your PVC deck at the end of its lifecycle to ensure it doesn’t pollute the environment.
6) Aluminium
The oddest material in this list must be aluminium. Prefinished aluminium makes for a strong deck that is weatherproof, insect proof, and immune to both rot and rust. Reinforced aluminium planks are finished with slip-resistant, thick coating that comes in various colours and remains maintenance free for the remainder of its lifecycle. One downside to aluminium decking is that it requires special fasteners to secure the decking to the substructure of your deck.
Factors to Consider When Choosing Decking Material
Now that we’ve discussed the most popular types of decking material, it’s time to discuss in greater detail, the different factors to consider before buying them.
i) Cost
For obvious reasons, price is the single most important factor before choosing decking material. Prices vary from area to area and depend on availability; it has been commonly observed that treated wood is the most inexpensive option out there. There are many sources of naturally durable wood available. Some of the more important versions may end up costing more.
Many firms are still unfamiliar with composite wood, and as a result, might end up charging higher to install them on your deck. But once the installation of a composite deck is over, you no longer have to worry about maintenance (see Maintenance below).
ii) Availability
The most common decking material is treated timber, and it is available in a wide variety of shapes and dimensions. Composite, Timber and Hardwood Decking is also widely available, at MPMoran, we have the most popular brands available to choose from. It isn’t common for people to choose naturally occurring wood for decking. If you do want to order it, make sure to specify the dimensions and species before ordering.
iii) Maintenance
One of the most important factors before choosing decking material has to be maintained. To be fair, there are no materials that can remain completely maintenance free for their lifecycle.
The difference comes down to the extent of maintenance required for the products and your own dedication to your deck. Studies have shown that many homeowners remove their decks after only a few years because they start looking bad. But aesthetics are relatively subjective and depend on the person.
For naturally durable wood (hardwood) and treated wood, the general recommendation is to use a water repellent finish over the surface. This reduces the rate of wetting of the wood which could lead to warping and cracks over the surface.
It is important to apply these finishes at least one or two years. Wood naturally changes colour when exposed to the sun, which is responsible for giving decks their signature ‘dirty’ look after a period of time. It is common to apply a deck wash to improve the look of the wood before applying a new finish.
Composite timber is popular because it can stay maintenance free for longer periods of time. It doesn’t require refinishing once every two or three years, but it is common for composite materials to fade after exposure to the sun. A little cleaning can go a long way in making it look shiny again.
As is true with natural wood, hardwood (Ipe or similar) decking requires regular maintenance. Hardwood is not maintenance-free, and you must take a few steps to keep it from looking worn out. The material will be exposed to outside elements, so it’s very important to protect it. Never miss your annual maintenance check because all the debris and water build-up will cause problems later on.
To retain your Hardwood decking original colouring, you have to apply a sealer every year.
iv) Health and Toxicity
Some people wonder if it is safe for children to crawl on treated wood. Years of use in residential decking has never shown any evidence of danger to children and adults.
The timber industry uses safe and natural treatment solutions for treating and preserving timber.
v) Durability
Building a deck is both time-consuming and expensive, irrespective of your choice of decking material. But once the project is complete, the deck will stay for several years. Most homeowners expect their deck to hold out forever. There are a few factors that can determine the lifecycle of your deck, the most important of which is the decking material used.
Naturally durable wood (hardwood) and treated wood have consistently shown long lifecycles. People who source wood from smaller and younger trees might experience less durability, but there is no evidence to suggest this concern.
The composite decking material is relatively new to the market and studies related to its durability are purely in the realm of speculation. It is immune to rot because the plastic protects the wood fibres, but it is not uncommon for wood in composite material to rot and mould. In addition, there are many types of composite decking materials on the market, with different formulations.
vi) Environmental Impact
MP Moran & Sons are concerned that timber products should be available for the future generations, and their use should have a minimum impact upon the environment.
As such the company is thoroughly committed to purchasing and providing our customers with timber products that have where possible, been sourced from a sustainably managed forest. Working with the designated suppliers we have undertaken to join the FSC and PEFC chain of custody programmes to guarantee this sustainability commitment to our customers.
We have put in place systems which will maintain this commitment and have trained key staff to manage these procedures and understand the importance of the company commitment to sustainably manage forestry.
As a company we endeavour to educate our customers about the benefits of utilising timber in construction wherever possible. Timber is renewable, non- toxic, recyclable and sustainable, meaning there is no other building material that matches its environmental credentials. We currently recycle and reuse 90% of our unsold timber.