Need Advise On Outdoor Decking

[titanax 0]

Hi, need some advise on which outdoor wood to use for our balcony, Chengai has been vastly promoted on this forum. But following the threads, after 6 months there are issues on warping and wood splitting which is quite alarming for an outdoor wood. Merbau on the other hand seems to be the able to address these issues but still priced lower than Chengai - so I don't know what the catch is, & not much feedback on it so far here, so I can only assume not many bros & sis' are using it. We are also looking into the possibility of deploying Wood Plastic Composite (WPC) which almost looks like the real thing.

Not many companies are offering it so far, the only one I came across is Goodhill and Kianson. Any suggestions on this, anyone?

Edited April 26, 2010 by titanax

[gordon1985 0]

Hi, need some advise on which outdoor wood to use for our balcony, Chengai has been vastly promoted on this forum. But following the threads, after 6 months there are issues on warping and wood splitting which is quite alarming for an outdoor wood. Merbau on the other hand seems to be the able to address these issues but still priced lower than Chengai - so I don't know what the catch is, & not much feedback on it so far here, so I can only assume not many bros & sis' are using it. We are also looking into the possibility of deploying Wood Plastic Composite (WPC) which almost looks like the real thing.

Not many companies are offering it so far, the only one I came across is Goodhill and Kianson. Any suggestions on this, anyone?

hmmm.... don't worry about the warping and wood splitting as it can be repair. As for the warping case, just make sure that the contractor are using the good quality chengal and not those fake ones and in any case of warping just change that piece if not file it down. More people are using chengal than merbau in singapore market. And the best is use the real thing.

[Umaisarah 2]

Hi, need some advise on which outdoor wood to use for our balcony, Chengai has been vastly promoted on this forum. But following the threads, after 6 months there are issues on warping and wood splitting which is quite alarming for an outdoor wood. Merbau on the other hand seems to be the able to address these issues but still priced lower than Chengai - so I don't know what the catch is, & not much feedback on it so far here, so I can only assume not many bros & sis' are using it. We are also looking into the possibility of deploying Wood Plastic Composite (WPC) which almost looks like the real thing.

Not many companies are offering it so far, the only one I came across is Goodhill and Kianson. Any suggestions on this, anyone?

Not sure if you have considered bamboo as an option. They do have a strand woven type which is more durable and suitable for outdoor decking.

I'm doing mine with bamboo, in fact they're installing it right now as we speak

I'm going down later to inspect and take pics to update my blog.

Bamboo more eco-friendly as u don't chop down trees which takes years to grow back.

You just need to oil it regularly to maintain the colour and lustre. But drawback is tt it comes in only 1 colour.

Chengal advantage is that you can stain it to what colour u want, but then you would need to restain it often to keep the colour. This can be quite a hassle, not to mention expensive.

Either case, bamboo vs chengal, the lower base is still made of chengal cuz it's the one of the hardest of the hardwoods.

But tt's only my humble opinion. Chengal is a more popular and durable choice than merbau. WPC looks good but will feel 'fake'. It's like laminate vs solid wood

[titanax 0]

Not sure if you have considered bamboo as an option. They do have a strand woven type which is more durable and suitable for outdoor decking.

I'm doing mine with bamboo, in fact they're installing it right now as we speak

I'm going down later to inspect and take pics to update my blog.

Bamboo more eco-friendly as u don't chop down trees which takes years to grow back.

You just need to oil it regularly to maintain the colour and lustre. But drawback is tt it comes in only 1 colour.

Chengal advantage is that you can stain it to what colour u want, but then you would need to restain it often to keep the colour. This can be quite a hassle, not to mention expensive.

Either case, bamboo vs chengal, the lower base is still made of chengal cuz it's the one of the hardest of the hardwoods.

But tt's only my humble opinion. Chengal is a more popular and durable choice than merbau. WPC looks good but will feel 'fake'. It's like laminate vs solid wood

Bamboo? Ok I haven't really considered that as I always had the impression it was the priciest among all the hardwoods. Do put up pictures of yours when its done!

I agree with you that WPC will feel fake, but the upside is it will not degrade like wood & is more manageable than hardwood

[Umaisarah 2]

Bamboo? Ok I haven't really considered that as I always had the impression it was the priciest among all the hardwoods. Do put up pictures of yours when its done!

I agree with you that WPC will feel fake, but the upside is it will not degrade like wood & is more manageable than hardwood

Here are some pictures of my bamboo deck

@ living room

@ Master Bedroom

[liquid_fuel 0]

I think Chengai will still be a better choice. It should not warp or split as it's meant for outdoor use, be it rain or shine. A real Chengai wood will have this little holes on the surface if you look carefully. Actual colour is light brown tone, many go for staining to darken the look, mainly dark Walnut colour. Cons is, if scratches, you'll see the base colour along the scratch lines. Hence, better to remain the existing true colour.

Another thing to look out for a nicely prepared Chengai strip is the 2 side profile. Many suppliers do not take the extra effort to sand the side in order to give a smooth rounded edge. Can be rather painful if you kicked your toes into sharp right angle.

[joy1812 0]

Hi Umaisarah,

Your balcony decking looks good Is bamboo decking more durable than chengai/ merbau?

can share the est cost and supplier contacts?

Thanks:>

[70wood 0]

Even though I am selling 70wood decking tiles, I think the bamboo deck looks very good, and the workmanship looks good too.

[Enereserene 0]

<!--quoteo(post=530752:date=May 12 2010, 06:50 PM:name=titanax)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (titanax @ May 12 2010, 06:50 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=530752"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Bamboo? Ok I haven't really considered that as I always had the impression it was the priciest among all the hardwoods. Do put up pictures of yours when its done!

I agree with you that WPC will feel fake, but the upside is it will not degrade like wood & is more manageable than hardwood<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Here are some pictures of my bamboo deck

@ living room

<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3301/4564779375_0864b655fc_b.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

@ Master Bedroom

<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4030/4565406928_099acedcbc_b.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

Hi Umaisarah,

I'm considering using bamboo wood for my balcony decking too. May I know how is the condition of the decking now? Is it hard to maintain? And is your decking the original color of the wood or is it stained?

Thanks!

[jojorock 1]

hi all,

i'm considering WPC for my patio... versus tiles.... not quite sure how WPC will last. Definitely low/no maintainence according to the sales. any WPC users?

jojo

[70wood 0]

hi all,

i'm considering WPC for my patio... versus tiles.... not quite sure how WPC will last. Definitely low/no maintainence according to the sales. any WPC users?

jojo

70wood is a type of WPC. You are right that maintenance is low for wpc. Your concern about wpc perhaps can be viewed thus.... WPC is different from natural timber in that the structural formation is not the same. Natural timber has a fibre like structure that clings together like fabric, where WPC are powder like plasticized together, so natural timber is superior if the material is being put to vigorous activities like acute bending or sudden impact. However, natural timber, being an organic material, is unable to withstand test of time by itself. It has to be treated regularly in order to withstand the harsh punishment of sun and rain. WPC, being an re-engineered product to withstand such harsh conditions do not face the same problems as natural timber does. In short, under normal use of walking, jumping, or even carrying of reasonable weight, WPC fares better than natural timber for durability. But of course, natural timber will always carry the beauty of nature with it all the time.

[suanzy 0]

You can consider using ironwood.

[Guest]

Deleted

Edited June 15, 2018 by Guest