Timber or composite decking: which is right for a UK garden?

Both make a good deck. The right answer depends on your garden, not on which material is fashionable.

Timber

Pressure treated softwood is the most affordable option and, freshly finished, looks the part. Hardwood is a step up in both durability and price. Timber wants attention: cleaning, and re-oiling or re-staining, usually once a year. Left alone, it greys and can become slippery in the shaded, damp corners that most UK gardens have.

Composite

Composite boards cost more to buy and fit, and then ask almost nothing of you afterwards beyond a wash. They do not splinter, rot or need re-oiling, and better boards have a grooved or embossed surface for grip. The trade offs are that dark boards get noticeably warm in direct summer sun, and the look is more uniform than real timber.

What actually decides it

• Shade and damp: a north facing or tree covered garden is hard on timber. Composite copes better.
• Exposure: near the river at Gravesend, or anywhere with real wind and salt, material choice matters more than it does inland.
• Maintenance: be honest about whether you will actually re-oil it each spring. Most people do not.
• Budget over time: timber is cheaper on day one, composite is often cheaper across ten years once you count materials and weekends.

The part nobody sees

Whichever boards you pick, the frame underneath decides how long the deck lasts and whether it stays level. Correct joist spacing for the board type, proper ventilation underneath, and posts set properly are what separate a deck that is still solid in ten years from one that moves in two. It is the least visible part of the job and the most important.

We install both timber and composite decking across South East London and Kent. Tell us about the space and we will tell you honestly which we would use.