Licensed and insured, on the Central Coast since 2011
Composite usually wins on lifespan and upkeep near the coast, no oiling and no rot, for a higher price up front. Hardwood like merbau looks warmer and costs less to lay, but it greys and needs oiling. A straight comparison on lifespan, maintenance, cost and the real question underneath both, the substructure.
Hardwood or composite is the most common deck question we get. Both make a great deck. They just suit different things. Here is the straight comparison on lifespan, maintenance and cost, and the one question that matters more than the board.
Composite wins on both. Boards like Trex, Modwood and Ekodeck do not rot, do not feed anything, and never need oiling. They hold their colour and shrug off the salt. A timber deck is a living material, so it asks for upkeep that composite does not. Hardwood like merbau or spotted gum wants a clean and a re-oil every one to two years on the coast to keep its colour and shed water. Left bare, it silvers off to grey, which some people love and some do not.
On a Central Coast site near the salt, the exposure is the deciding factor. Composite handles it with no oiling, which is why a lot of coastal decks go that way. Hardwood handles it too, but the salt-air upkeep adds up over the years. On cost, hardwood is cheaper to lay up front. Over a decade, the no-oiling composite closes the gap, because you never buy oil and never spend a weekend on it again.
The board decides the look and the upkeep. The substructure decides whether the deck is still flat in ten years. That is the real lifespan question, and it is the same for both.
Whichever board you pick, the deck lives or dies on what holds it up. A deck that sags or bounces is a substructure problem, not a board problem. We dig the footings to depth, set the posts plumb, and space the joists for the board, closer together for composite, which is why our warranty covers the footings, bearers and posts on either material.
Ask this, exactly
“Is this genuine merbau or named composite like Trex, with the board and grade written on the quote, and is the sub-frame spaced to suit it?”
A genuine quote names the board exactly. 'Hardwood' or 'composite' with no brand or grade is a flag, because the look-alikes fade, grey or sag faster than the named board.
Compare both on our estimator to see the price gap for your area and height. Then we talk it through on the free measure: the exposure, the look, the budget, and what suits your spot. We will tell you honestly which one we would put in.
Deckline Decks