Wood VS Composite Decking | Landscape Machine Ltd
Table of Contents
When you are planning a decking installation one of the biggest questions is what type of decking to use. The two most common options are wood and composite. Composite has taken centre stage for most new garden installations, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have its disadvantages.
Maintenance
Wood: Wood needs a lot of maintenance, and specialist chemical treatment to stop it from warping, cracking, splintering and rotting. When you opt for a wood decking installation you also need to think about mould, moss, algae and the sun fading it.
A high degree of labour and time is needed to maintain your wood decking, and this labour needs to be repeated every season. This amount of work will depend on the quality of the wood decking you purchase.
Composite: Composite decking is often a smart choice for new decking installations as it costs less, and takes less time to maintain it. The amount you have to care for your composite decking will depend on whether it is first or second-generation.
Durability
Wood: Wood offers a strength of 34mpa, in simple terms, this means it can take the weight of 2 family cars per square inch before it fails. But, over the years this weight and lifespan can shorten, particularly if you have softwood with knots in.
Composite: Composite also offers the strength of 34mpa, but as it is made from a combination of wood starch and plastic, a composite decking installation can last anywhere from 25-30 years, with very little maintenance.
Appearance
Wood: Some people prefer the natural look that wood offers, and for those people wood is most likely to be the best option. However, it is important to remember that a wood decking installation will look beautiful at the start, but after a couple of years, it can show signs of ageing, fading, or greening.
Composite: Composite on the other hand is not solid wood. That being said, it can often look very convincing. Furthermore, unlike wood, composite will not show signs of ageing, fading or greening.
