Decking - natural vs fake?

[nab]

I need about 12m2 of decking done in my backyard. It is in front of my outdoor shower which is mainly used after swimming in my salt/chlorine pool. It is in full sunlight and it’s also the thoroughfare to my back yard.

I was almost sold on the fake decking but a mate who just put real timber said if it’s in full sun it will be too hot to walk on barefoot.

I’m 99% against oiling/maintenance every few months but if the composite stuff is uncomfortably hot I may have to go that way.

Anyone with the fake stuff find it too hot?? Any ideas or other options?

[BBull]

Sorry cant comment on fake stuff, but in our old house we had a hardwood deck all around the pool. I hated it, when the twits put it in they used a nail gun and after 2 years all the nails had rusted away (saltwater pool). It took about $300 to oil the deck every year.
It was hot if you stood on it in the middle of the day but anything will be with direct sunlight.
I will never have a deck again. But I would go fake for less maintenance if I ever had to.

[KeithB]

Maybe compressed fibrous sheeting and fake turf?
Keith

[Bigfish]

I,m in Cairns and have the fake stuff. It does get bloody hot in summer.  But...the oiled timber was just as bloody hot and way too much maintenance. . If you can shade the area it will be so much better.

[Hairs]

Hi Nab,
Couple of home owners I know have the fake/plastic stuff, oh Shityeah it gets hot.
Sure, you don't have to re oil, worry about water damage, but try and stand on it in full sun, you might as well walk through a fire/coal pit.
Put down right, coated with the right product, looked after and a timber Hardwood will last for years.
A tip, timber joist I run down each one a length of Snake Skin, poly flashing, nailed to the side of the joist, to protect it from water being trapped under the decking material.
I've pulled up deck that was only 5 years old and the rot between the decking & joist was enough to replace the joists.
Hope this helps.


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[Pete79]

I'm in the process of recycling an old hardwood deck right now.

It was built properly, no water damage at all.
Trouble is what ever the hell the previous owner slapped on there to protect the deck, it's think and Shitty and ugly as hell.

They used screws to lay the decking and the gunk has filled all of the screw heads.
So can't rip the boards off to dress them, can't sand over all the screw heads, looks like the only option is chemicals.

Fake timber all the way for me....
Especially for an outdoor shower/pool area.

[Hewy54]

I think you will find that any surface will be too hot. We have fake grass around the pool and over about 33 c gets too hot to walk on. I would go for the fake to save maintenance.

[rags]

A mate did an extension on his home an due to the BAL (bushfire) rating, he needed a compliant material. He put down this stuff, https://www.jameshardie.com.au/products/decking/hardiedeck-system/

It looked fantastic when done, was a bit dearer though.

[Rumpig]

Sorry cant comment on fake stuff, but in our old house we had a hardwood deck all around the pool. I hated it, when the twits put it in they used a nail gun and after 2 years all the nails had rusted away (saltwater pool). It took about $300 to oil the deck every year.
It was hot if you stood on it in the middle of the day but anything will be with direct sunlight.
I will never have a deck again. But I would go fake for less maintenance if I ever had to.

nails are old skool....we use a stainless decking screws to put all our decks down these days, the heads on them aren't much bigger then a bullet head nail, and they self clearance drill so no need to clearance hole the joins like when nailing either.

[glenm64]

Different idea for you if it doesnt have to be raised decking.
Ive got liquid limestone in back yard. Dont wear shoes at home and it can be 40 deg C in direct sun and limestone is as cool as. Love it.

Cheers Glen

[nab]

Funny you mention liquid limestone, I have about 100m2 of it already, it's even currently where I want to put the decking!!! But after doing some renos there are a few big gaps, not too keen to put it back down as the missus wants a more tropical look outside the shower.

I like the grass idea too actually. Actually, what other options are there? I'm open to anything really, just thought decking was pretty robust and good for drainage.

[Bad Scott]

Many moons ago I did a job at a plastic deck extrusion mob. We thought at the time it’s a good alternative, until it rained on site. Was like being at an ice skating ring. When the sun was out, it was blood hot. We’ll stick to timber.

[GBC]

If you are planning on staying more than 10 years the synthetic timbers will pay for themselves.

[Watty2975]

We have 80m of timber decking. 2 years ago I r placed the landing at the top on f the stairs with eco decking. No more painting or maintenance. It is in full sun and weather. It is hot to stand on in the middle of the day but not much different to the wood.

It is a lot heavier than wood, not sure if that is a consideration for you. I will be replacing the wooden decking with it as needed.

[BBull]

nails are old skool....we use a stainless decking screws to put all our decks down these days, the heads on them aren't much bigger then a bullet head nail, and they self clearance drill so no need to clearance hole the joins like when nailing either.

Agree, but if you are paying someone to put in a deck and you don't specify deck screws they will more than likely just use a nail gun

[Bird]

Agree, but if you are paying someone to put in a deck and you don't specify deck screws they will more than likely just use a nail gun

yep, that's what happened with ours and they are all sticking up and a PITA to remove ... mine needs re-staining and Shit now

Question on re-staining - the bloke that did ours used rags to stain the timber.. why would he have done that instead of painting it on?  It was farqing messy for him and his lacky, they were both covered in teh stain!

If I give em a light sand and then re-stain with similar colour - all should be ok? Thats if I can get the nails out without destroying the wood

[kylarama]

I'm just about to lay down 120LM of 90mm Merbau for a staircase I'm cutting into an embankment.  Difference is I want it to grey and weather.

Nothing looks nicer than a freshly laid and oiled hardwood deck, but the upkeep can be a killer. 

If you go with composite decking, do your research.  I've heard some brands have had fading, excessive shrinking and warping issues.

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[Rumpig]

Agree, but if you are paying someone to put in a deck and you don't specify deck screws they will more than likely just use a nail gun

depends who you use...I know several other tradies that like us only ever use screws these days, nails are old skool. I used to hand nail my decks years ago and gun nailed cheap townhouse decks, I turned my nose up at screwing decks down when the builder i now work for said that’s what they do, now i’ve seen and used these screws we use, i’ll never nail down another deck again., and many tradies think the same.

[Rumpig]

yep, that's what happened with ours and they are all sticking up and a PITA to remove ... mine needs re-staining and Shit now

Question on re-staining - the bloke that did ours used rags to stain the timber.. why would he have done that instead of painting it on?  It was farqing messy for him and his lacky, they were both covered in teh stain!

If I give em a light sand and then re-stain with similar colour - all should be ok? Thats if I can get the nails out without destroying the wood

why remove the nails?...can’t you get a nail punch and punch them all back down. We recently had our house painted and deck restained, I nail punched 1300lm of decking boards before the painter sanded and restained our decking.

[Bird]

why remove the nails?...can’t you get a nail punch and punch them all back down. We recently had our house painted and deck restained, I nail punched 1300lm of decking boards before the painter sanded and restained our decking.

My plan was to remove the nails then the boards, give them a good tidy up, then replace the nails with screws - if possible without ****ing up the boards.

[BBull]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cp9pHq-6Pd0

[Pottsy]

My plan was to remove the nails then the boards, give them a good tidy up, then replace the nails with screws - if possible without ****ing up the boards.

Good luck with that!

[Bird]

Good luck with that!

yea teh boards that are on the uprights - 1/2 the nails were actually rusted/frozen in and snapped when I tried to get em out...

[Pete79]

why remove the nails?...can’t you get a nail punch and punch them all back down. We recently had our house painted and deck restained, I nail punched 1300lm of decking boards before the painter sanded and restained our decking.

I’m trying to figure out how to do this with screws right now.

Can’t sand over all the heads sticking up everywhere and can’t punch screws back in.
I understand nails might be old school, but what the hell do you do to repair a new school screwed deck that’s been coated in this crap?

[Mace]

I’m trying to figure out how to do this with screws right now.

Can’t sand over all the heads sticking up everywhere and can’t punch screws back in.
I understand nails might be old school, but what the hell do you do to repair a new school screwed deck that’s been coated in this crap?

Whatever contractor did that job would never work for me again....