Material comparisons

Timber versus composite decking.

Both can be specified as an outdoor walking surface. They are not the same product, and composite is not described here as maintenance-free.

Quick answer

What this page is for.

Timber decking is a timber wearing surface on a correctly built structure. Composite replaces that wearing surface with a manufactured board. The structure, ventilation, falls and junctions still have to be right. Deckspertz publishes completed timber examples. Composite is specified when the brief asks for a manufactured board. Related photographs on the composite service page are timber outdoor floors, labelled as such.

Key considerations

What the brief has to cover.

Timber: grain, colour change, oiling or sealing as specified for the site.
Composite: more uniform colour and profile; still needs cleaning and correct structure.
Neither system is claimed here as weather-proof or guaranteed for a published lifespan.
Pool edges, roof decks and commercial traffic change the brief either way.

How Deckspertz approaches it

Studio method.

The first conversation is the site, use and how the owner wants the surface to weather and be looked after. Then the board system is specified. Unpublished product ratings are not listed.

What the portfolio actually shows

Published residential decks such as House Le Roux, House Jordaan and House McDonald currently show timber wearing surfaces. They are outdoor flooring evidence, not composite examples. Do not read them as a composite gallery.

When composite is the conversation

Owners sometimes want a more uniform board and less timber-style maintenance. That is a specification conversation, not a slogan. The composite service page is the commercial landing for that work.

Structure does not disappear

Changing the board does not remove the need for falls, ventilation, edges and how the floor meets the house. Those are construction problems on both systems.

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