Time to replace the decking in the back garden and thinking about getting composite.
Has anyone done this and/or have any supplier or installer recommendations in the Bromley area?
I have just had a large area of decking laid in my garden and at one point I was going down the composite route.......however.
Composite is twice the price of normal decking, if the area is small it is not much of a consideration however I had a massive amount laid and the boards alone would have been close to £4k not including the sub-frame timber or labour.
Do your homework, some of the fixing kits for composite decking are not great, come loose and/or cannot be removed once down, so if you have to lift a board for emergencies etc you may find yourself having to lift large sections as opposed to removing the screws in 1 x timber board.
If your garden is South facing composite boards can warp and twist in extreme heat, just like timber boards so paying twice the price does not guarantee they will stay flat.
I've got 70 Square metres of composite decking down. Cost a lot but looks fantastic. You need to ensure the gaps are there else the boards will warp in heat but have the 5mm gaps and all is good. Its non slip, will last for ages and is a way of recycling plastic and wood
Wood decking looks wonderful when done properly but is dangerously slippery when wet, needs oiling and treating every year and will still rot over time
Good decent composite decking can cost a fair whack but worth it for maintenance purposes. Try Kinley decking online, their a manufacturer but very good and will give you a list of their installers.
Make sure you check the Planning regulations before putting something together.
Got endless assurances from people giving us quotes that we didnt need planning permission - Our neighbours have disputed our decking as claim its over the height limits so we're having to piss around with our council / getting (retrospective) pre-planning advise before taking the next action
a huge outdoor restaurant in Darling harbour put up an advert as they were pulling up there composite decking and replacing it....I was in the market as I was about to do a 130sqm deck. They had a huge amount they were pulling up......I enquired and the contractor came back saying that it was being pulled as it looked really awful in certain areas, despite being so called scratch free is was badly scored and had warped, the contractor said if I was you mate Id buy hardwood decking. I think I dodged a bullet.
a huge outdoor restaurant in Darling harbour put up an advert as they were pulling up there composite decking and replacing it....I was in the market as I was about to do a 130sqm deck. They had a huge amount they were pulling up......I enquired and the contractor came back saying that it was being pulled as it looked really awful in certain areas, despite being so called scratch free is was badly scored and had warped, the contractor said if I was you mate Id buy hardwood decking. I think I dodged a bullet.
I have heard a lot of stories about it warping and once scratched you cannot get the marks out. Also a lot of composite systems interlock so to remove one board you need to take a lot up. As I said above if it had been a small area I might have considered it however we had over 250 sq mtrs laid so I opted for wood.
a huge outdoor restaurant in Darling harbour put up an advert as they were pulling up there composite decking and replacing it....I was in the market as I was about to do a 130sqm deck. They had a huge amount they were pulling up......I enquired and the contractor came back saying that it was being pulled as it looked really awful in certain areas, despite being so called scratch free is was badly scored and had warped, the contractor said if I was you mate Id buy hardwood decking. I think I dodged a bullet.
I have heard a lot of stories about it warping and once scratched you cannot get the marks out. Also a lot of composite systems interlock so to remove one board you need to take a lot up. As I said above if it had been a small area I might have considered it however we had over 250 sq mtrs laid so I opted for wood.
I've used composite decking on 500m2 areas, tricks are leaving "loose" boards every so often using them as access points, biggest thing is having a firm substrate, I've used the rail systems on adjustable pedestals and it can work. You tend to get warped boards when you over fix them.
The current systems are designed for flex and movement.
I’m replacing two areas of existing wooden decking that is (at a guess) about 10 years old. It’s only about 45m2 in total. Definitely won’t be going for the hollow stuff and will be looking to get a decent company to install.
Make sure you check the Planning regulations before putting something together.
Got endless assurances from people giving us quotes that we didnt need planning permission - Our neighbours have disputed our decking as claim its over the height limits so we're having to piss around with our council / getting (retrospective) pre-planning advise before taking the next action
Thanks......I’m replacing existing decking with similar footprint and height.....so hopefully this won’t be a problem.
We looked at composite when relaying our decking but because we were having other garden work done it would have blown our budget. Wish we had now. Having to restain wood decking every year is a pain and it is slippy when wet. I’d definitely have composite next time. Alsford Timber do a decent quality one although you’d have to either fit it yourself or find a fitter.
I bought mine from a company called envirobuild. It went in as part of my extension project, so yeh the builders fitted it. They said it was more work than just standard timber decking but they might have just said that to moan. Can't advise on that really though as I didn't get involved in fitting it myself!
We had millboard composite decking fitted last year. Looks great, non slip, easy to clean and no maintenance. I would recommend getting professionals to fit it as it does seem to take a lot of work to get the frame right and to get the boards fitted correctly. I agree it is more expensive but, as the saying goes, you only get what you pay for.
We also had milboard fitted about three years ago now. We opted for a light grey finish and it does need cleaning to keep looking great, but it is a vast improvement on the wooden decking we had previously.
Comments
Composite is twice the price of normal decking, if the area is small it is not much of a consideration however I had a massive amount laid and the boards alone would have been close to £4k not including the sub-frame timber or labour.
Do your homework, some of the fixing kits for composite decking are not great, come loose and/or cannot be removed once down, so if you have to lift a board for emergencies etc you may find yourself having to lift large sections as opposed to removing the screws in 1 x timber board.
If your garden is South facing composite boards can warp and twist in extreme heat, just like timber boards so paying twice the price does not guarantee they will stay flat.
Good luck
Wood decking looks wonderful when done properly but is dangerously slippery when wet, needs oiling and treating every year and will still rot over time
Got endless assurances from people giving us quotes that we didnt need planning permission - Our neighbours have disputed our decking as claim its over the height limits so we're having to piss around with our council / getting (retrospective) pre-planning advise before taking the next action
The current systems are designed for flex and movement.
We used it for our BBQ cover (box on the left) and the left overs for the wall art/herb garden.
Looks great, non slip, easy to clean and no maintenance.
I would recommend getting professionals to fit it as it does seem to take a lot of work to get the frame right and to get the boards fitted correctly.
I agree it is more expensive but, as the saying goes, you only get what you pay for.