Learn which decking styles are most suitable for your outdoor space.
If you’re in the market for some composite decking, but don’t know where to start when it comes to choosing one brand over another, then you’ve come to the right place. There are dozens of different types of composite decking compositions and styles, each offering different features, appearances, and price points, but all promising a wood-like appearance with minimal maintenance for the end user.. When deciding on the best composite decking for your residential or commercial application – whether it’s decking for a garden, terrace, balcony, or walkway – it’s important to look at the product specifications closely, to ensure that you get the right decking for you.
At the very least, when you opt for WPC decking (a combination of combination of real wood fibres and polymer resin) in favour of traditional timber, you’re guaranteed a couple of basic advantages. For instance, it’s likely that a composite decking board will have a longer service life than timber, will not rot or warp as easily, will absorb less water, and won’t require as much maintenance.
When deciding on the best composite decking for your needs, these are the things you’ll need to consider:
Where’s the decking going?
It may seem obvious, but when you’re looking for the right composite decking you need to consider where it’ll be used and what kind of lifecycle performance you expect for the price you’re willing to pay. For example, if you want to build a brand-new garden deck, your key requirements will be that it looks great, is safe for everyone, and is durable enough to handle all weather conditions. Similarly, if you want to install decking around a swimming pool, the best composite decking for your application would be one that is as anti-slip and water resistant as possible.
Before committing to any one composite decking product, it’s important that you assess the benefits and drawbacks of each, and how it’ll suit your specific application requirements. At Dura Composites, we offer a variety of different decking products to match your needs, so you can find the right WPC boards for you.
What’s your budget?
Although there are many different types of timber decking out there, all of them will require significant maintenance over time. So whilst the upfront cost of timber might be cheaper, the true story is that you’ll end up paying much more for it in the long run once you’ve factored in the upkeep and maintenance it will take to keep your deck looking great. When their comes to finding the best composite decking for your project though, you can find the right product to suit your budget, if you weigh up all the options carefully.
The cheapest product in the Dura Composites decking range is Dura Deck Tile, interlocking DIY outdoor decking tiles that are quick to install and require no joists or substructure. While these do not offer the traditional decking look as single boards, they are an affordable option for those that want to choose a great composite decking on a tighter budget. On the other hand, if you’re prepared to invest a little more upfront for long term peace of mind, you can take full advantage of some of our best composite decking, which offers an excellent service life and other high-quality improvements over slightly cheaper products.
How’s it going to look?
When deciding to invest in a composite decking solution, you want to guarantee that it looks perfect, no matter where it’s installed. So, in order to get the look you want you need to choose the decking boards that match your vision and feel great underfoot. For example, you might want a real-world look in traditional wood colours but without the maintenance hassle, or you may prefer something that complements existing features on your property in a modern grey colour for example. Our composite decking range comes in a great variety of colours, so there’s something to suit every garden or landscape.
Dura Deck Resist, our most advanced solution with a Class B fire rating, is available in 6 colours, allowing you to choose the best composite decking look for your needs. These range from traditional wood shades such as Mahogany and Larch, to more contemporary colours like Pebble Grey and Red Cedar, making it easy to pick a perfect colour. What’s more, our boards don’t fade or require treating, so they’ll look as good as new throughout their entire lifecycle.
Is it environmentally friendly?
Understandably, a big concern for consumers right now is ensuring that the products they choose for their home and garden are environmentally friendly and responsibly sourced, which is a big reason why people are moving away from traditional materials such as timber which isn’t sustainable for their projects. When choosing the best composite decking, there are a couple of questions to bear in mind to make sure it’s environmentally friendly:
- Are the materials in your composite decking sustainably sourced?
- Is your decking FSC™ certified?
- Does it offer a long service life?
- Can it be recycled again in the future?
Dura Composites takes pride in the fact that we are able to offer sustainable composite timber options to our customers.
For an eco-conscious consumer, composite materials are an excellent choice. Whilst timber decking can be sourced sustainably, the constant need to repair, maintain and replace it means that over a lifespan, it may not be as environmentally sound as you think. Dura Deck Eco composite decking, on the other hand, is made from up to 87% recycled timber and polymers, and has a 25-year service life, making it one of the best composite options if you want environmentally friendly decking . It is available as ‘FSC™ certified’ so you can be confident you are not damaging the world’s forests, and that the product has been manufactured with timber from responsibly managed forests, which meet the highest environmental and social standards.
