Composite decking?

xlogo

Anybody know much about this and somebody in or near the local area who can supply and install?

kerryked

One of the manufacturers of composite decking in Ireland are Wogan's under the brand name Whiteriver. They supply all the necessary fixtures and fittings, i.e deck boards, composite joists (or hardwood joists), deck posts, post anchors, post caps, clips, end clips and all that goes with it. From what I remember it's made up a bit like MDF (except with plastic obviously), can't recall the percentage of plastic to wood off the top of my head. They've got a few different colours and styles.

Obviously the advantages of it are that it requires a lot less maintenance than normal softwood decking, no need to paint and protect it ever year. It'll also keep its colour a lot longer. If you're handy at DIY and keeping things level, I would say it'd be quite an easy job to fit it yourself, all it requires are the clips to hold each board down, the posts slide straight into the post anchors.

Some of the drawbacks would be that it is extremely expensive. Obviously depending on what kind of an area you have to cover you'd be able to work out for yourself if it would be worth it in the long run.

To be honest, I don't think it would be very cost effective for your average family sized deck out the back, given that it's so expensive. How much use would it really get over an Irish summer? It would primarily be used by City/County Councils for boardwalks and other public areas because it requires little maintenance, is fast-fit etc.

To make it less expensive you could lay the deck on ordinary 4x2's/6x2's and don't go with their composite joist.

This is just my opinion, it's the only composite deck product I've come across (I'm working in a builders providers), there may be others out there which may be more suitable. If I was putting down a deck, I would probably try and get away with a standard deck board and seal it with a good quality decking protector.

kerryked

One of the manufacturers of composite decking in Ireland are Wogan's under the brand name Whiteriver. They supply all the necessary fixtures and fittings, i.e deck boards, composite joists (or hardwood joists), deck posts, post anchors, post caps, clips, end clips and all that goes with it. From what I remember it's made up a bit like MDF (except with plastic obviously), can't recall the percentage of plastic to wood off the top of my head. They've got a few different colours and styles.

Obviously the advantages of it are that it requires a lot less maintenance than normal softwood decking, no need to paint and protect it ever year. It'll also keep its colour a lot longer. If you're handy at DIY and keeping things level, I would say it'd be quite an easy job to fit it yourself, all it requires are the clips to hold each board down, the posts slide straight into the post anchors.

Some of the drawbacks would be that it is extremely expensive. Obviously depending on what kind of an area you have to cover you'd be able to work out for yourself if it would be worth it in the long run.

To be honest, I don't think it would be very cost effective for your average family sized deck out the back, given that it's so expensive. How much use would it really get over an Irish summer? It would primarily be used by City/County Councils for boardwalks and other public areas because it requires little maintenance, is fast-fit etc.

To make it less expensive you could lay the deck on ordinary 4x2's/6x2's and don't go with their composite joist.

This is just my opinion, it's the only composite deck product I've come across (I'm working in a builders providers), there may be others out there which may be more suitable. If I was putting down a deck, I would probably try and get away with a standard deck board and seal it with a good quality decking protector.

xlogo

Cheers for the reply - so approx how much would it be for a deck 20x7? With a rail 10 foot.?

kerryked

You'd have to contact your local builders providers for a proper quote, but quotes I've done in the past would have been well over €1500 for a medium/large sized deck.

Best option would be to find someone locally who would fit it and they'll give you a quote for materials and labour.

kerryked

You'd have to contact your local builders providers for a proper quote, but quotes I've done in the past would have been well over €1500 for a medium/large sized deck.

Best option would be to find someone locally who would fit it and they'll give you a quote for materials and labour.

xlogo

Would the sub frame on these normally be composite?

kerryked

xlogo wrote: »

Would the sub frame on these normally be composite?

I kmow you can get composite 4x2 joists from the decking company but a lot of people tend to just use ordinary treated 6x2s/4x2s just to keep the costs down!
If you're not going with composite joists make sure you get pressure treated joists to ensure they will last!

tradman

To give you an idea. I've got a roughly triangular deck measuring 13 sq m. It would have about 8m of railing and balusters. My joists are already done in standard timber. For composite deck I rang Deck 25 in Tyrone and Betterdeck.ie

It seems to clock in around €66 sq m incl VAT. For my deck all in it was coming in at 1600 EX VAT. To do similar in standard timber decking was 600 for boards and railings. Cheapest supplier I found for standard deck was Crowes Sawmills in Leitrim. Not by much but still cheaper than the local builders provider. Seems hard to get good timber decking supplies. People seem to be putting in patios instead. Hope this helps.

kerryked

I'd agree with tradman there on the patios.

For me, it's a no brainer - patio all day long. A deck will require maintenance every year if you want to keep it in good shape. This would cost anywhere between 50 and 200 euro depending on the size of your deck and how you're treating it.

People also tend to say that a deck is the ideal place for vermin to infest, which is true in some cases. A patio would give you a lot less hassle in this regard.

There's 3 choices really:

1) Standard Timber Deck - Cheap(er), Requires yearly maintenance, will rot over time (usually ~10 years)

2) Composite Deck - c.3 times the price of a standard deck, won't require maintenance, will last a lot longer.

3) Patio - One off job, save for a quick powerwash every now and again, no maintenance, (arguably) looks better, possibly cheaper depending on spec.

cocoa123

Checked prices on german website http://www.wpc-preisbrecher.de/wpc-terrassendielen-kaufen/?p=1.
Prices look much cheaper. Have anybody ship composite deck from Germany to Ireland?

bmm

cocoa123 wrote: »

Checked prices on german website http://www.wpc-preisbrecher.de/wpc-terrassendielen-kaufen/?p=1.
Prices look much cheaper. Have anybody ship composite deck from Germany to Ireland?

What did you go for in the end ?

Any other good prices on composite ?

( this thread is about composite decking , not about whether a patio is better than a deck ! )

superd1978

bmm wrote: »

What did you go for in the end ?

Any other good prices on composite ?

( this thread is about composite decking , not about whether a patio is better than a deck ! )

Lads did either if you follow up on this? Im looking at composite, and just too expensive here

cloughy

would also be interested to know what price composite deck would be to replace existing decking for circ 15/20m2

superd1978

Came across these lads, spoke briefly over the phone and they sound pretty genuine!

http://www.betterdeck.ie

Any thoughts / reviews?

peasant

Anyone got any experience with metal decking (by Graepels)?

https://www.graepels.com/products/safe-deck-steps-and-flooring/

The pearl variant for example is meant to be walked on with bare feet.

It certainly won't rot...but is it at all affordable...and what happens on the few rare days when the sun is pelting down...will you be barbecued?

Graepels

Hi we noticed your query on boards.ie - and wanted to give you some answers.

Typically our safedeck (Pearl) product is used in commercial use, however, over the past couple of years there has been a rise in interest for private use too. In terms of affordability this is relative to the size of project and chosen material e.g. stainless steel, aluminium etc.

Pearl is often used indoors, in public or industrial spaces where a closed surface is required. However, due to the closed dimples (no holes in this decking) we would recommend using metal decking with perforations (holes) to allow for drainage. Perforated metal decking can be used in barefoot too, counter sunk holes are used to provide a smooth surface for underfoot use.

Metal decking will heat up just like other materials, but, often the lighter colour and finishes limit the level of heat retained. Think of it like brush aluminium handrails. You wont get barbecued! We assure you. This product is sold in Europe and used in outdoor applications where the weather is warmer and sunnier.

You can look at our project gallery on our website and search Chelsea flooring to see the application of metal decking for private use.

Ennia

I just came across this post.      If any help we had a composite deck installed two years ago, best thing we ever did.    We used Betterdeck, came across them online and as they were relatively near us contacted them.    Derek was very helpful from the start.    Gave us lots of info on the deck and made suggestions for the design.     We couldn't fault the service in anyway.      This is the third Summer for the deck, the only maintenance has been to wash it down as the instructions.     We used it to cover ugly concrete and although more expensive then the more traditional type we consider it well worth it.    We love the look of it and it has improved the look of the garden.    The area we covered is approx 16ft x 30ft plus a pathway.

mloc123

Ennia wrote: »

I just came across this post.      If any help we had a composite deck installed two years ago, best thing we ever did.    We used Betterdeck, came across them online and as they were relatively near us contacted them.    Derek was very helpful from the start.    Gave us lots of info on the deck and made suggestions for the design.     We couldn't fault the service in anyway.      This is the third Summer for the deck, the only maintenance has been to wash it down as the instructions.     We used it to cover ugly concrete and although more expensive then the more traditional type we consider it well worth it.    We love the look of it and it has improved the look of the garden.    The area we covered is approx 16ft x 30ft plus a pathway.

I know I always google the name of a company I use 3 years on and post positive feedback about them online

standardg60

Pmsl.

I'm sure Ennia has no association with Betterdeck whatsoever.

Ennia

I want to make it clear that my only purpose posting on this thread was to try to be helpful. I did'nt, as suggested, Google anything and my only connection with Betterdeck is as a customer. I am new to Boards.ie and I understood that the idea of the forum was to be a source of informaton and exchange of helpful views. I was looking at something else and came across this thread on composite decking. We did buy decking and we are happy with it, that is the beginning and end of my interest.