Decking Timber 5 Crucial Points to Bear in Mind

When you’re choosing decking timber for the first time, the range of choices available can seem a bit overwhelming. In this article, we’ll outline the 5 crucial points you need to bear in mind so you can make the right selection for you. Once you’ve ticked the right boxes here, you’ll be perfectly positioned to choose a great decking solution for your project (and if you’re still not sure, all you need to do is ask for our help!).

Point 1 – Species

Decking timber is available in a whole range of species. When you’re choosing the species that would work best for your project, the main difference you will see between different varieties is the colour. For example, at Wood and Beyond, we currently have balau, ipe, teak, bamboo and iroko in stock and you can see our full range here.

Balau, for instance comes in a rich red colour or a pale yellow tone. Both are really stunning, hard wearing, easy to look after and low cost. After that, you have iroko, which is a golden honey colour. A mid-priced solution, iroko is normally of African origin. A really durable tropical hardwood, it is similar in many ways to teak. At the top end of our range, you have ipe. A rich red coloured species of decking timber, ipe is an exotic wood that typically hails from South America. It is particularly tough and stable, so makes a great choice for decking.

So as you can see, the species of decking timber you choose is likely to be one of the first crucial points to bear in mind.

Point 2 – Thickness

The next crucial point to bear in mind when choosing your decking is the thickness of the timber board you choose. Typically, the thinner the timber, the lower the price tag. So, if you’re on a budget, you could well be tempted to plump for a thinner timber, but this mightn’t always be the best option. In certain circumstances, it may be better to opt for a slightly cheaper species of timber of the right thickness for your project rather than choosing the look you want and compromising on thickness.

At Wood and Beyond we stock hardwood timber decking boards that range from 19 to 25mm thick. We do this because we believe that this range covers every option that our customers are likely to require. At 19mm, they get a keenly priced solution that comes with all the quality you would expect from our products and at 25mm, they get a chunky, thick board that will last a lifetime (and probably a whole lot more).

Point 3 – Width

At Wood and Beyond our preference is for a slightly broader board and this is why we have a big stock of 140mm wide timber decking. That said, we also stock a good range of 120 and 90mm decking for those of you who are on the lookout for a decking board that is slightly narrower.

In most cases, a great look can be achieved with any of these three widths. But what’s worth bearing in mind is that even smaller decks can look great with a wider board. To be honest, the only limit to the choices you have open to you for your decking is your imagination. And if you need help thinking up different ways to arrange your deck, you can always get in touch and we’ll help!

Point 4 – Ease of Maintenance

When you’re choosing the timber for your decking it’s essential that you’re honest and realistic with yourself regarding maintenance. Although timber decking doesn’t require a significant amount of maintenance, you do ideally need to clean your deck thoroughly, remove mold and re-oil or weather-proof your decking each year. If you’re not keen on that idea, then you may be better to choose from one of our virtually maintenance-free composite decking options that you can find here.

Point 5 – Price

At Wood and Beyond, we believe that when you choose a timber deck, you are making an investment in your home. While this needn’t mean investing a fortune, it’s our view that buying decking at too low a price is in fact false economy.

At the time of writing this article, we have timber decking in stock that ranges from only £45 per square metre up to just over £100 per square meter. The reason we choose to keep our prices within this sort of range is all to do with quality and price. We know that most of our customers don’t have tens of thousands of pounds to invest on their decking, but we also know that even if they buy at the budget end of our spectrum that they’ll get a quality product that will last. So, our advice to you regarding price is buy the best timber your budget will allow and remember to take good care of it. That way, you will get pleasure from your deck for a very, very long time.

And finally, if you’re struggling to choose which decking timber might work best for you and your project, why not get in touch? At Wood and Beyond, the team has decades upon decades of experience of advising customers on which decking timber to choose, as well as a host of great ideas to make the most from your decking investment. Why not get in touch to pick our brains?