Hardwood or composite decking?

Choosing your decking boards is one of the biggest decisions in any deck build. Both hardwood and composite can look fantastic. The right choice depends on how you live and how much upkeep you want.

Hardwood

Australian hardwoods such as spotted gum, blackbutt and merbau are strong, durable and naturally beautiful. Each board is unique, and the deck can be sanded and re-oiled to look like new again.

• Pros: natural look and feel, can be refinished, often lower upfront cost

• Cons: needs regular oiling, colour fades to grey if left untreated, can split or check over time

Composite

Composite boards are made from a blend of wood fibres and plastics. They're designed to hold their colour and resist rot and insects with very little maintenance.

• Pros: low maintenance, consistent colour, no splinters

• Cons: higher upfront cost, can get hot in full sun, can't be sanded back if scratched

Our advice

If you love the character of real timber and don't mind a yearly oil, hardwood is hard to beat. If you'd rather spend weekends enjoying the deck than maintaining it, composite is worth the extra cost. Either way, the frame underneath is what makes a deck last, so that's where we never cut corners.