# Decking



## pawl (8 Nov 2019)

I am considering putting decking over a slabbed area.Has anyone any ideas of an alternative to wood

I am thinking about something in U P V C.

Edit Should have said composit. I think


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## Levo-Lon (8 Nov 2019)

You can get composite boards, cost a little more but no painting or slippy surfaces.

You can get a few colours as well i believe, 
Shop around for a deal


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## pawl (8 Nov 2019)

meta lon said:


> You can get composite boards, cost a little more but no painting or slippy surfaces.
> 
> You can get a few colours as well i believe,
> Shop around for a deal




Thanks for that.


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## twentysix by twentyfive (8 Nov 2019)

Will it be a Poop Deck?


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## Heltor Chasca (8 Nov 2019)

As per @meta lon ’s brief.


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## slowmotion (8 Nov 2019)

I looked into composite decking for my daughter's flat. I cost about £50 per square metre, plus the battens to mount it to, plus fixings, plus labour. We chose something with a 20 year guarantee.


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## Levo-Lon (9 Nov 2019)

slowmotion said:


> I looked into composite decking for my daughter's flat. I cost about £50 per square metre, plus the battens to mount it to, plus fixings, plus labour. We chose something with a 20 year guarantee.




I used to charge about that 5 yr ago to build a wood deck.
If it needed balustrade it would go over £70m2
Staggering how much wood costs when buying all the framework and planks.
The screws mount up too.

Last deck i built had 800 screws!! Only about a 5x4 m2 area with a very sturdy 150x50 frame, I love my drill driver


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## Levo-Lon (9 Nov 2019)

One thing to note @pawl
If you go the wooden route, be aware of spacing when setting the planking.

They will need gapping depending on whether they are dry or wet.
Wet boards will shrink and dry will grow.

So regardless of wet or dry you Must gap them, 3-4mm wet. 6-8 dry as a guide.

If you butt up they will warp like hell no matter how many screws you use.

Also get the forge fast type drive screws for a more enjoyable time when building.
Screws can be a pain if you hit tough knots and round out the head.. Pita to be honest

Something like these. 
https://www.toolstation.com/forgefa...v4tCHKF9AmCCjOqY_qBVdKthJiGWF4ORoCBzMQAvD_BwE


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## pawl (9 Nov 2019)

Thanks everyone for your replies.Think I may just leave it slabbed as it is a shaded area and Gould be prone to algae growth


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## fossyant (9 Nov 2019)

Composite is expensive. We went with wood, and got Premium Deck Boards via Wicks on 2 for 1 offers as that saves a considerable amount of money. 

We have 3 decking areas TBH, and even though wood, it's not a big effort to jet wash it down occasionally, then re-oil.


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## ColinJ (9 Nov 2019)

Even after reading that @Accy cyclist had broken a hip slipping on decking, I was caught out by slippery decking on a holiday in Devon. The chalet we were staying at had a large decked patio, with a sloped access ramp. The main area had non-slip treatment but the ramp had been neglected. The first time I tried walking down it with my bike my feet shot from under me. The only thing that stopped me ending up in a twisted heap of man and bike was that I managed to break my fall by grabbing the handrail as I went down.

I'd recommend anyone who is thinking of building a decked area to address the friction issue from the start!


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## flake99please (9 Nov 2019)

I built my decking last July using composite boards. These are the solid board types which can be screwed directly into a wooden frame. Size was 7 x 3.8 metres with a small step beside the back door. Decking cost was £800 in materials.


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