Composite Decking

Builderwoman!

Hi

Thinking of putting down a composite deck...anyone got any suggestions on where the best place to buy composite deck materials please?

Thanks

masterK

I got it from The Shed Man(Kellys) in Kilkee about a year ago. The had it in various different colours.

Slates

Builderwoman! wrote: »

Hi

Thinking of putting down a composite deck...anyone got any suggestions on where the best place to buy composite deck materials please?

Thanks

Kingspan, Tegral Metal Forming, Nordman profile

Builderwoman!

Thanks guys. Keep them suggestions coming. Seems expensive....is it worth it? Ordinary deck seems to be very slippy and hold the water and need maintenance so I guess we have to factor all that in. Any further advice welcomed.

JBCFord

Hi Builder woman
When fitting decking always have a gentle fall inline with grooves of the deck material to help drain and clean the deck
Decking needs deck cleaner and maintainance at least once a year to maintain it in good order you will have to maintain and clean the other composite material also
regards jbcford

Builderwoman!

Thanks for that JBC...you've obviously put one down!

Sonnenblumen

JBCFord wrote: »

Hi Builder woman
When fitting decking always have a gentle fall inline with grooves of the deck material to help drain and clean the deck
Decking needs deck cleaner and maintainance at least once a year to maintain it in good order you will have to maintain and clean the other composite material also
regards jbcford

Practically all external surface materials will require maintenance, how ever to remotely suggest that timber decking and composite even with run-off falls have similar maintenance requirements is utter nonsense. Also timber decking requires regular (depending on site aspects) as much as quarterly. Composites, stone surfaces annual is generally sufficient. There is despite regular maintenance a clearly visible degradation of the material within a comparatively short period of time.

No matter what the preferred finish is, there will be bargain basement options, and ultimately quality always wins through over falacious cost saving.

Builderwoman!

Sonnenblumen wrote: »

Practically all external surface materials will require maintenance, how ever to remotely suggest that timber decking and composite even with run-off falls have similar maintenance requirements is utter nonsense. Also timber decking requires regular (depending on site aspects) as much as quarterly. Composites, stone surfaces annual is generally sufficient. There is despite regular maintenance a clearly visible degradation of the material within a comparatively short period of time.

No matter what the preferred finish is, there will be bargain basement options, and ultimately quality always wins through over falacious cost saving.

I am aware that composite requires maintenance. I am not looking for a bargain basement price, I am looking for quality and value, hence I asked for advice? There is a lot of difference in price as much of this composite decking is imported. We are all well aware that some Irish companies like to have much heftier profit margins than others and therefore we all need to shop around. I have already found up to 15e per sq metre of a difference in price between three phone calls. Ok they are all different composites and I will have to await samples and references to evaluate. As a professional in the gardening industry Sonnenblumen, who's probably put down both composite and timber decking, what is your opinion of composite decking v hardwood decking and where would you recommend purchasing it?

Sonnenblumen

Builderwoman! wrote: »

I am aware that composite requires maintenance. I am not looking for a bargain basement price, I am looking for quality and value, hence I asked for advice? There is a lot of difference in price as much of this composite decking is imported. We are all well aware that some Irish companies like to have much heftier profit margins than others and therefore we all need to shop around. I have already found up to 15e per sq metre of a difference in price between three phone calls. Ok they are all different composites and I will have to await samples and references to evaluate. As a professional in the gardening industry Sonnenblumen, who's probably put down both composite and timber decking, what is your opinion of composite decking v hardwood decking and where would you recommend purchasing it?

In heavy traffic areas,ie at/near house, I find it very difficult to recommend decking, but if circumstances dictate decking then composite decking is a superior solution to the others, hardwood looks very good but would only be marginally selected over timber decking which IMHO should be avoided at all costs in such areas.

In other situations ie open sunny southerly gardens, decking can be a useful addition to overall garden design but again it would not be my preferred choice simply based on the high levels of maintenance required and associated risks. Composite decking weathers better but expect also some regular maintenance.

There is a wide choice of composite boards now available, some also with proprietary fixing systems, which can be expensive. Also quality of board, grade and finish varies, both with hollow or solid boards. Some attractive finishes and coloursavailable whilst others are awful plastic equivalents of timber boards.

At the top end but also made in Ireland is Earth-Wood, based in Mullingar www.earth-wood.com and slightly lesser expensive but also a solid board alternative, ie Deck 25, you can get from Decking (N.I.) Ltd www.deckingni.com.

We installed a deck 25 last summer and client (who is also an architect) is very happy with performance.

With composites some UV fading can be expected and it is better to use stainless steel screws to fix boards in position. Frames for composites are slightly different and it is important to take account of the additional board weight and spacing requirements which are narrower than timber decks so as to avoid any elastic 'spring' effect between fixing centres.

Builderwoman!

Thanks Sonnenblumen for your reply. I have, in fact, been in touch with both companies you mentioned yesterday and got samples for Deck 25, which we like. I am awaiting samples for earth-wood. We did receive another sample from another company, and like you say it was a plastic equivalent of timber board and not what we were looking for. Your advice is very much appreciated.

JBCFord

Builderwoman! wrote: »

Thanks for that JBC...you've obviously put one down!

Hi Builderwoman
Yes have installed many over the years
The latest most interesting one was installed under glass with oak framing and retractable sun shades oak framed structure open on two sides with opening and adjustable oak louver panels
Split level deck incorporated sand pit for the kids and a small shaded and covered fish pond
Decking was all Merbau
Be creative with your deck and it will add a great feature to your home
Regards jbcford

Builderwoman!

JBCFord wrote: »

Hi Builderwoman
Yes have installed many over the years
The latest most interesting one was installed under glass with oak framing and retractable sun shades oak framed structure open on two sides with opening and adjustable oak louver panels
Split level deck incorporated sand pit for the kids and a small shaded and covered fish pond
Decking was all Merbau
Be creative with your deck and it will add a great feature to your home
Regards jbcford

Sounds fab. Any pics??? Pleaseeeeee? Need ideas!

derek white

Has anybody heard of Better deck. Their composite decking looks the part.

regedit

Builderwoman,
I chased composite decking last year but gave up due to finances. Thinking of putting it down this year. Contact the suppliers directly as the price differences are huge if you go through fitters.
I have samples from fendec (CorrectDeck), Earthwood and Better deck. Both look fine and have 25 years guarantee (limited). The nicest one to me is betterdeck. A Canadian company who make nice composite decking. I have done experiments with the sample they gave me. Namely, I kept it in a bucket of water for 3 months, then left it in the rain throughout the winter and no changes have occurred! The rough price for a 16x13 ft for the first all is I think around 2000 Eu. This includes the boards and sub-frame -SUPPLIED. You will have to get your own fitter but apparently it is very easy to put it down. Will let you know more once we decide what company will take our money.

Builderwoman!

regedit wrote: »

Builderwoman,
I chased composite decking last year but gave up due to finances. Thinking of putting it down this year. Contact the suppliers directly as the price differences are huge if you go through fitters.
I have samples from fendec (CorrectDeck), Earthwood and Better deck. Both look fine and have 25 years guarantee (limited). The nicest one to me is betterdeck. A Canadian company who make nice composite decking. I have done experiments with the sample they gave me. Namely, I kept it in a bucket of water for 3 months, then left it in the rain throughout the winter and no changes have occurred! The rough price for a 16x13 ft for the first all is I think around 2000 Eu. This includes the boards and sub-frame -SUPPLIED. You will have to get your own fitter but apparently it is very easy to put it down. Will let you know more once we decide what company will take our money.

Thanks for that. Haven't heard of better deck. Must check them out. We have 70sq metres to cover so it's working out expensive for materials alone so we are also looking at other options. Would be very pleased if you kept me up to date on your progress. Cheers.

jasgrif11

Builderwoman did you purchase your deck? What did you decide on? have you any photos?

hippychippy

I'll help you design your deck if you like??

Builderwoman!

No jasgrif we abandoned the composite deck idea as it was cheaper to pay someone to supply and lay indian sandstone, put a gravel area, create raised beds and plant trees and shrubs on our patio than it was to buy the composite decking materials alone for only half of the patio area! Not cheap material to buy at all.