Hi Ozbargainers
I am currently putting a large deck on the back of our house and can't decide on what decking material to use. I really like the look of the grey Ekodeck composite decking available at Bunnings. Has anyone used this for a deck and can you offer any feedback? Also what other options would anyone recommend?
Advice on Decking Material
mikeford81 on 26/07/2017 - 21:15
Comments
What would did you use?
No wonder you can't afford to get a car wash financially.
Was the deck on your house you have paid off or one of your investment properties?
You need Schaeffers New Zealand Style Deck products.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkmeoYKYctw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54dJz_ynMcs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0XnAEV5DIYEkodeck and similar materials scratch relatively easily (try their samples) and then it looks crap. Plus when hot, it becomes very hot underfoot. If you think both of these are manageable go ahead.
Merbau looks good.
Yes, the first year. You oil it (a lot of work, and not that cheap) it still looks good. Repeat it every year. Until it starts rotting.
errr…..Merbau will last a good 15-35…40 years. The whole point of using it is that it's a highly durable material which also looks good. Pretty sure it's durability rating means its more resistant to rotting.
…so idk where you got your info from…
If you can afford Merbau decking, then you can afford to oil and maintain it…unless you are digging it into the ground, theres no reason why it would rott.
I did a large deck at the back of my house using Bunnings Ekodeck, and couldn't be happier. Easy to work with, maintenance free, will easily outlast any wood.
Peculiarities of the material (pros and cons):
It expands/contracts with temperature, you need to calculate this carefully when cutting the sections, as they "walk" along with temperature. Best to work with when it is not very hot. I used Triton table and a circular saw to cut, use a vacuum extractor as well: this material does not bio degrade, it is largely plastic. But it is easier to cut precise lengths as the material is uniform, non-directional, and does not split.
Yes, it scratches (but so does any wood). This does not worry me as it looks less like plastic and more like wood. It is hot underfoot in summer - wood is cooler. I do not walk barefooted on it anyway. If you are not in a hurry, buy 1-2 long planks (5.4m from memory) and do a small section somewhere as a test. I selected light brown colour, and the results are absolutely perfect, frankly better than I expected. I would never go back to wood: my hardwood deck initially looked great, but oiled every year lasted about 10 years and started to rot everywhere beyond repair.
We've done a deck and front porch with shallow stairs from a product called ModWood which I think is similar to the Ekodeck in that it is a wood/plastic composite.
We had a contractor do the building so I'm not sure what special requirements were needed in terms of tools for cutting, but I know that it uses a clip system underneath each plank to lock it in place, instead of having to nail or screw down the planks. It gives a very uniform look. We haven't noticed any remarkable scratching or scuffing. It still looks very much like new and we have had it for 18 months or so. Ours is a slate grey colour - we found there were lots of options. If we had installed a timber deck and wanted a colour, we would have been looking at staining or painting and ongoing upkeep.
The contractor was recommended to us by the company that built our house - he had done a lot of decking in that product for their display homes and was used to working with the material. Others we spoke to were not as sure about using the product - so perhaps it takes some experience in order to end up with a quality final product.
Modwood is owned by Wesfarmers which also owns Bunnings :)
well there you go - the product is obviously very similar!
Just about to replace my tiled deck with merbau, it's taking me ages to pull up the tiles and the fibre cement sheet they are stuck to. Hope it will be worth it in the end!
Agree - go with a composite timber - Bunnings ISNT always the cheapest, they just seem cheap.
Check these out - https://www.bookmarc.com.au/au/search/composite%20timber
Composite decking definitely lasts longer and requires less maintenance than timber decking. As far as composites go, I'd say Trex is one of the best looking (looks closest to the real thing), as they've got variations in colour and patterns, whereas some composite decking is very one dimensional and flat.
If you are after decking material then Merbau Decking will be the best choice.
Check our blog on https://www.merbaudecking.net/post/which-timber-to-use-for-o… and for more information on merbau decking check out here https://www.merbaudecking.net/merbau-deckingNot surprised a website for merbau decking recommends merbau. The ‘which timber…’ page doesn’t mention anything else at all. Lift your game and at least provide some pros and cons of different materials.
under no circumstances must u put wood.
I have a house and the wood has rotted over time,twice.
Rain and sun don't help.
best you put concrete with a smooth finish or tiles if u have to,non slip
Trust me,I have done my deck 2 times and it has costed me $6000 so far