Licensed and insured, on the Central Coast since 2011
Yes, if it is built and looked after right, but salt air is hard on timber. Hardwood like merbau wants a clean and a re-oil every one to two years, and the frame needs to suit a coastal site. How to keep a timber deck lasting on the Central Coast, and when composite is the no-oiling call.
A timber deck near the water is one of the best things you can add to a Central Coast home. It is also the one most exposed to salt and weather. The good news: a timber deck lasts on the coast if it is built and looked after right. Here is what the upkeep actually involves, and when composite is the easier call.
A timber deck absolutely lasts on the Central Coast, but salt air is hard on it. Hardwood like merbau or spotted gum wants a clean and a re-oil every one to two years to hold its colour and shed water, sooner on a deck that cops full sun and salt off the water. Done that way, a hardwood deck looks great for decades. Skip the upkeep and it silvers off to grey and dries out, which some people love and some do not.
If you would rather not maintain it, composite is the no-oiling option built for the salt. Boards like Trex, Modwood and Ekodeck do not rot, do not grey and never need oiling, for a higher price up front. Hardwood costs less to lay and gives you the warm, natural timber look, at the cost of the re-oiling. Both work on the coast. The choice is whether you would rather pay less up front and maintain it, or pay more and forget it.
Salt air is hard on a timber deck, but it is the substructure that sets the lifespan, not the salt. A deck oiled every two years on a frame built for the exposure outlasts a flashier deck on a frame that was never set up for the coast.
The board you re-oil is the part you can see. What sets the real lifespan is the frame underneath: the footings, posts, bearers and joists, set up for a coastal site with the right fixings so the structure holds long after the surface has weathered. That is why our warranty covers the footings, bearers and posts, on timber or composite, and why we set the substructure up for the exposure either way.
Ask this, exactly
“Is the substructure and the fixings set up for a coastal site, and how often will this board need oiling where I am?”
A builder who knows the coast sets the frame and the fixings for the salt, and is straight about the oiling. A quote that is silent on the exposure is one that has not thought past the boards.
We build decks for the Central Coast every week, from Terrigal to The Entrance, so we set the substructure and pick the board for the exposure, and we are honest about the upkeep before you choose. If you want timber, we set you up with the right oil and can quote an ongoing re-oil. If you would rather forget it, we price the composite alongside. Either way the footings, bearers and posts are warranted to handle the salt.
Deckline Decks