Timber decking options comparison. Which is better?

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#2497237 3-Jun-2020 09:53

I got a spare Decking Board, and brought 1/2 a dozen "test pots" of different Oils,

And I taped it into sections with Masking tape (400mm apart)
and I oiled 1/2 of each of those sections with a range of different oils/tints,

And left it outside to 'weather' to see which ones looked best, and had the look I was after.
(I was hoping to have the grains/colours show through the oil I used.)

This exercise is well worth doing, before you commit to an Oil/tint.

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Paul1977

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#2497289 3-Jun-2020 11:04

It's going to cost a bit more, but we've are almost certainly going with the Outdure ResortDeck in the Havana colour.

We've had a Kwila deck in the past, and while it looks great oiled, I just don't want the maintenance anymore. Unfortunately I don't like the look of a deck that has silvered off, so my only options are timber with constant cleaning and oiling, or composite. Given that choice I'll go composite.

We never had any issues with Kwila splintering, but that could be because we kept it oiled?

billgates

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#2497351 3-Jun-2020 13:28

Fair enough @Paul1977

I have always read good comments about Outdure as a company and the products they sell. Certainly the best composite decking company out there. My wife was/is? unhappy going with Accoya only because I told her by mistake that it is an experiment for the greater good of community to see how it holds up. She felt that $5k cheaper Garapa or Vitex will yield the same results. I will find out in few years whether I get to hear the moaning every day about the quality of Accoya or it becomes a win for me for years to come.

Do whatever you want to do man.

neb

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#2497379 3-Jun-2020 14:06

Paul1977:
It's going to cost a bit more, but we've are almost certainly going with the Outdure ResortDeck in the Havana colour.

Any idea how it compares to FutureWood? They all seem to be more or less the same with similar claims about durability, we were going with FutureWood Walnut which seems to be near-identical to Outdure Havana

Bung

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#2497401 3-Jun-2020 14:23

concordnz:
I got a spare Decking Board, and brought 1/2 a dozen "test pots" of different Oils,

And I taped it into sections with Masking tape (400mm apart)
and I oiled 1/2 of each of those sections with a range of different oils/tints,

And left it outside to 'weather' to see which ones looked best, and had the look I was after.
(I was hoping to have the grains/colours show through the oil I used.)

This exercise is well worth doing, before you commit to an Oil/tint.

The Australian Renovate forum has some answers that may be relevant to your oiling saga. Cutex say each coat must be fully absorbed and hardened before recoating or it will just sit on surface. This is probably true of most oils.

PS checked again on blade cost it was $200 for a pair of blades. Much of the problem may have gone away like the apprentice on the saw at the time.

Paul1977

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#2497440 3-Jun-2020 15:26

neb:
Paul1977:

It's going to cost a bit more, but we've are almost certainly going with the Outdure ResortDeck in the Havana colour.

Any idea how it compares to FutureWood? They all seem to be more or less the same with similar claims about durability, we were going with FutureWood Walnut which seems to be near-identical to Outdure Havana

@neb Did you get samples of both Futurewood and Outdure RestortDeck?

We got samples of FutureWood several months ago and were quite impressed. But when we got samples of Outdure ResortDeck a few weeks ago we were absolutely blown away.

Based on the samples we got, Outdure ResortDeck hands down looks far more like real timber than FutureWood.

EDIT: All composites aren't more or less the same. They may all be as durable etc as each other (I really don't know), but for how they look they range from absolutely awful right through to almost indistinguishable from timber.

neb

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#2497471 3-Jun-2020 16:42

Paul1977:
@neb Did you get samples of both Futurewood and Outdure RestortDeck?

We got samples of FutureWood several months ago and were quite impressed. But when we got samples of Outdure ResortDeck a few weeks ago we were absolutely blown away.

Based on the samples we got, Outdure ResortDeck hands down looks far more like real timber than FutureWood.

Haven't got the Outdure samples yet. Yeah, that was our criterion as well, the Futurewood samples look the least plasticky, but still obviously not real wood.

Paul1977

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#2497474 3-Jun-2020 16:47

neb:

Haven't got the Outdure samples yet. Yeah, that was our criterion as well, the Futurewood samples look the least plasticky, but still obviously not real wood.

Definitely get the Outdure ResortDeck samples. We didn't look at their CasaDeck option as they said ResortDeck was better and more popular.

neb

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#2497535 3-Jun-2020 17:31

Paul1977:
Definitely get the Outdure ResortDeck samples. We didn't look at their CasaDeck option as they said ResortDeck was better and more popular.

Cool, submitted a sample request earlier today.

shanes

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#2497544 3-Jun-2020 18:03

Paul1977:

EDIT: All composites aren't more or less the same. They may all be as durable etc as each other (I really don't know), but for how they look they range from absolutely awful right through to almost indistinguishable from timber.

Does anyone know if all composites suffer from the too hot in Summer issue?

Paul1977

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#2497697 3-Jun-2020 21:34

shanes:
Paul1977:

EDIT: All composites aren't more or less the same. They may all be as durable etc as each other (I really don't know), but for how they look they range from absolutely awful right through to almost indistinguishable from timber.

Does anyone know if all composites suffer from the too hot in Summer issue?

I don’t know for sure, but I suspect Milboard from Forté Flooring might be better in this regard. Unlike most other composites it’s not made from timber fibres and plastic (it’s some sort of resin). I know that it doesn’t expand or contract due to temperature like timber or other composites.

However, it is eye wateringly expensive and, while extremely realistic looking, the grain pattern made it look a little too “rustic” for our taste.

We always found our oiled Kwila deck got too hot in summer for bare feet, so we aren’t overly concerned about reports of composite getting hot.

mdf

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#2497978 4-Jun-2020 09:33

shanes:

Does anyone know if all composites suffer from the too hot in Summer issue?

Every composite I've seen has this issue potentially. Just physics. They are a lot denser than typical wood. This is great in many aspects - they are straight and true for one! But it is a higher thermal mass to soak up heat too. Dark colours are also in at the moment, and so a lot are coloured to match. That obviously won't help.

But horses for courses. A dark coloured, west facing deck, without shade, of pretty much any construction is going to get too hot to walk on at some times. You can minimise that with less dense construction materials, lighter colours and shade sails and awnings. A south facing deck constructed for views rather than sun may not be an issue in any colour or material.

Personally, I love the look of natural timber and essentially decide exclusively on that basis. I also have some lingering concerns about NZ's high UV environment and just what a "plastic" deck will look like in 20 years. Timber can always be stained or painted. Most of the composite decks I've seen advertise scuffing with sandpaper to polish out any gouges, but you probably don't want to be in the territory of using floor sanders to "restore" your composite deck.

neb

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#2498094 4-Jun-2020 12:05

mdf:
But horses for courses. A dark coloured, west facing deck, without shade, of pretty much any construction is going to get too hot to walk on at some times. You can minimise that with less dense construction materials, lighter colours and shade sails and awnings. A south facing deck constructed for views rather than sun may not be an issue in any colour or material.

Wisteria is also very good for this, leafy shade in the summer and open to the sky in winter. That's how we deal with our deck, even on the sunniest day you can walk on it no problems.

neb

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#2498910 5-Jun-2020 12:15

I emailed Outdure to ask a few things about cost, weight, and heat transfer of the hollow-core vs. solid core material:

There a 5% price difference between Casdeck and Resortdeck boards with RD being the premium boards.

To be honest I'm not sure exactly what weight difference is - maybe 10%?

I'm also unsure if there's a difference in thermal properties - I doubt that the hollow core would be much different as 90% of the heat would be on the surface. Obviously the darker colour boards would absorb more heat than the lighter colours.

So it sounds like there's little benefit to using the hollow-core materials.

neb

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#2499191 5-Jun-2020 17:11

neb: Cool, submitted a sample request earlier today.

And it arrived today, we're definitely sold on this, it's the most natural-looking of all the composites we've seen, from standing height it looks pretty close to real timber. The hollow-core is significantly lighter than the solid-core so unless anyone can think of a good reason to go with solid we'll get the hollow-core, less weight on the deck.

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