Composite Decking

[T4tomo]

Has anyone used this - interested to hear your experiences. I'm going to get a couple of corners of the garden decked as part of a wider spruce up, is composite worth the extra up front cost over traditional wood. With wood I get the hassle of repainting it annually and I believe general reckoning is 10yr life for wood 25 years for composite?

Any views on slippyness when wet or anything else.

cheers

 

[Bonefish Blues]

I used it c14 years ago. I should probably have paved - it's still there, but far from the fit and forget proposition I was sold. Some of the issues I have are with the tanalised subframes laid, because that moves/shrinks/expands in a way the composite doesn't, so the latter gets squeezed and 'pops up' or develops 'waves'. That said, the material itself is fine!

I don't think it's a no, never, but I'd make sure that the person laying it has experience with the material.

 

[fossyant]

Got a mix - wood at home - needs jet washing regular as it get's slippy, but I oil it - far easier than a stain etc, and protects the wood better. Composite at the caravan, although that's now been disassembled and is awaiting construction at home. Timber base with composite boards. Only thing with ours, it that the boards creak as you walk on them - that may/may not happen with others. Still needs jet washing, but doesn't get slippy.

 

[Drago]

Yes, had it a the old place, full composite above and below. My nephew owns a film that does it. Even at mates rates it was 8 large.

Never gets slippy, he's rigorous about the spacing of the supports so no sagginess, etc. I'd have it again.

 

[Specialeyes]

I've used it many times in commercial applications, but we use a galvanised steel subframe rather than timber for all the reasons mentioned above. First project was 8 years ago and is still going strong. Darker colours seem to bleach a bit, but that's the natural beauty of composite!

It's certainly more expensive, but when you consider the lack of hassle and the low maintenance over its lifetime (which with a steel frame should also be greater than the timber equivalent) it starts to even out.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

I've used it many times in commercial applications, but we use a galvanised steel subframe rather than timber for all the reasons mentioned above. First project was 8 years ago and is still going strong. Darker colours seem to bleach a bit, but that's the natural beauty of composite!

It's certainly more expensive, but when you consider the lack of hassle and the low maintenance over its lifetime (which with a steel frame should also be greater than the timber equivalent) it starts to even out.

Now you tell me!

 

[T4tomo]

Thanks, i'm erring towards composite, especially as your collective experience is that its less prone to slippy-ness, plus I want a grey colour, not a natural wood, so that would entail lots of annual painting if done in wood.

 

[Drago]

Mine had a composite subframe. All very, er, composite.

 

[Dave7]

I am having my rear patio re-done. After much deliberation I have gone with natural stone slabs (random sizes). Perhaps 30% more expensive than composite but I am happy with my decision.

 

[Drago]

I am having my rear patio re-done.

⚠️ Class 1 Euphism Alert ⚠️

 

[Dave7]

⚠️ Class 1 Euphism Alert ⚠️

I will rephrase that.
It's my back passage that's being redone.

 

[rockyroller]

fwiw

helped build a deck 40 years ago. it's still there. granted it's on a porch w/ a roof over it. take care of wood, it takes care of you

composite decking won't warp, twist or crack & bugs won't it it. but it can be broken & scratched. of you have a wet / shay area, it can grow biological material like mold or moss. in high temperature areas it can be less comfortable to walk on. I've been told that the normal support distance for wood is woo wide for composite decking, because in extreme heat it will drop between supports