Choosing between timber and composite decking is one of the most common questions we get asked as joiners working across Edinburgh and the Lothians. Both can give you a deck that lasts twenty years or more, but they behave very differently in Scotland's wet climate, and the right answer depends on your budget, your patience for maintenance and the look you are after.
Pressure-treated softwood decking boards typically cost £20 to £35 per square metre for materials, while mid-range composite boards sit around £60 to £100 per square metre. On a typical 15 square metre deck in an Edinburgh back garden, that difference in boards alone can be £600 to £1,000 before labour, which is broadly similar for both because the substructure work is much the same.
Hardwoods such as ipe or balau sit closer to composite prices, so the real budget decision is usually between treated softwood and composite. It is worth remembering that composite boards still sit on a timber or aluminium subframe, so a portion of every composite deck is timber joinery underneath regardless.
Edinburgh gets around 700mm of rain a year and long stretches of damp, grey weather, which is hard on any deck. Softwood timber needs cleaning and re-oiling or re-staining roughly every one to two years to keep it from greying, and neglected boards will start to soften at the ends within eight to ten years. Done properly it is a weekend job, but it is a commitment.
Composite needs no oiling or staining, just a wash with soapy water once or twice a year. What it does still need in this climate is algae control. North-facing decks and anything under trees will grow a slippery green film on composite just as readily as on timber, so the idea that composite is completely maintenance-free is optimistic.
A well-built softwood deck with good ventilation underneath and proper end-grain treatment should give you 15 to 20 years in Scotland; a poorly built one can fail in under 10. Quality composite boards commonly carry 20 to 25 year warranties and resist rot outright, though cheaper hollow boards can fade unevenly, become brittle in frost or sag if joist spacing is stretched beyond about 300mm.
Timber can be sanded, re-stained a new colour or repaired board by board with an invisible match. Composite cannot be refinished, so a scorch mark from a barbecue or a deep scratch is there for good, and matching a discontinued board colour years later can be difficult. Timber also stays cooler underfoot in summer sun, while darker composites can get uncomfortably warm, though that is admittedly less of an issue in Edinburgh than elsewhere.
Wet decking causes more call-outs for us than rot does. Smooth timber boards become genuinely slippery once algae takes hold, which is why we often recommend grooved or castellated profiles, or anti-slip inserts, for shaded gardens in the city's stone-walled plots where sun rarely reaches the deck.
Modern composites with a deep wood-grain emboss generally offer better wet grip than smooth timber, and some carry tested slip ratings. Whichever material you choose, the bigger factors are drainage, board gapping of at least 5 to 6mm, and keeping the surface clean.
Choose timber if your budget is tighter, you like the ability to change colour or repair sections over time, and you are honestly willing to re-treat it every couple of years. Choose composite if you want to fit it and largely forget it, plan to stay in the house long enough to recoup the higher upfront cost, and are happy with the colour you pick on day one.
Either way, the deck will only ever be as good as the frame beneath it. Correctly graded treated joists, proper ventilation, and flashing where the deck meets the house matter more to lifespan than the choice of surface board, so ask any installer as much about the substructure as the boards themselves.
Usually not, provided the deck is under 30cm high, covers less than half the garden and is not in front of the house. Listed buildings and conservation areas, which cover much of Edinburgh, can have extra restrictions, so it is worth a quick check with the council first.
Often yes, if the joists are sound and spaced closely enough, typically 300mm centres or less for composite. We always inspect the frame first, as fitting new boards over rotten joists wastes the money spent on them.
A straightforward 15 to 20 square metre deck usually takes two to four days, whether timber or composite. Sloping ground, raised designs, steps or balustrades add time, so complex builds can run to a week or more.
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