Decking or stone patio?

[SunAtLast]

Have to make a decision soon. Builders said he can raise patio and pave with stone or we could save £1k by going for decking.

Anyone have this? Is it easy to maintain?

[SunAtLast]

It's for outside our folding doors from dining/kitchen extension being built just now...

[IPredictADiet]

stone
i hate out decking, but getting rid is last on a very long To-do list

[LeeCoakley]

Watching as I have the same dilemma.

[LeeCoakley]

So what don't you like about the decking?

[IPredictADiet]

it's really slippery in the wet, so I have to keep dd2 off it
it gets grubby quickly and cleans less well than stone
it wears less well than stone
and given the cat's recent hunting behaviour, i think we have a mouse nest under it.

[LeeCoakley]

Yes the living space underneath worries me.

[Beamur]

Decking is more work - it will need sweeping and regular re-staining and it does get very slippery when wet.
A stone patio is much easier to maintain.

[Bunbaker]

What Beamur says. Decking is beginning to look a little dated these days as well.

DD had a bad splinter in her foot from decking when she was younger. It was a b**r to get out.

[SunAtLast]

Ok. Sounds like stone is less hassle but needs building regs etc to put in and costs much more.

Anyone have anything positive to say about decking?

[fourwalls]

I think decking is the stone cladding of the future - everyone will want rid of the slippy rotting wood eventually.
See so many garden rightmove pictures - decking and trampoline and an area where the grass has been worn away by the staffie trying to dig his way out! - only jokin!
Definitely prefer stone.

[FishfingersAreOK]

Apparently there is a new composite on the market - looks like decking but made of recycled tyres or something. Doesn't get slippy, doesn't need hosing down look of decking without the faff....got no idea what it is called but my garden designer chappie mentioned it to me....but as we are month probably years from getting to patio stage we did not discuss the details.

[Shesparkles]

If you have the money, go for stone. If you don't have the money right now, save and go for stone

[Beamur]

I've got both. I like the way decking looks (especially when new!) and it feels gentler and warmer underfoot if you're barefoot. I think it adds a different texture to the garden, but I wouldn't want acres of it.

[Jacaqueen]

We are doing an extension and on the plans the architect has described the area you walk out onto as a terrace. We are having faux flagstones and a solid wall/ balustrade with built in brick lights. I have banned the words deck and patio. I insist it is called the terrace as per the architects plans. Dh thinks I have pretensions of grandeur. He may well be right.

[BiscuitNibbler]

Decking will cost you far more as very soon it will start to get dirty and slippery, and then you will need to pay for a skip to put it in and then have a patio laid.

[WynkenBlynkenandNod]

I have a raised deck as it would have cost too much to do the foundations for stone . It's been there for about 7 years now .

It is a pain with maintenance and we've cable tied some rubber matting stuff together to walk over in the winter. But if we didn't have it we'd be left with subsiding concrete steps and no usable space so I don't regret it. I'm going to grow climbers over it to soften it next year and am hoping with careful. Planting it will look much softer.

[wendybird77]

Agree with above, save and do stone. Wood is slippery when wet (it is always wet - we live in England), it rots, needs lots of maintenance, always looks drab in a couple of years and rats nest under it (and spiders, slugs and general creepy crawlies you don't really want nesting near your home). Seriously false economy. If you can't afford it now, save up and put it in next spring if possible.

[MrsApplepants]

Go for stone, our decking needs re treating, sweeping, pressure washing and it still looks tatty

[PigletJohn]

slabs do not need to meet building regs

however you should take care that they are at least 150mm (two brick courses) below your damp-course, with no blocked air-bricks. And of course have a fall away from the house.

[ripsishere]

I met a man who lays decking for a living. He did say his company is almost at the end of its life. Nobody was getting decking done anymore because of its high maintenance and dated look.
He told me it was guaranteed to house rats. perhaps it was the area we were in.
Stone all the way IMO.

[SunAtLast]

Ok ok you have convinced me to s t r e t c h our budget and go for stone! Thank you for all the advice and benefit of your experiences

[QuintessentialShadows]

Stone.

We made a beautiful deck 10 years ago. The 10 year warranty is up, and guess what, it seems we might have to redo it.

If you want it to last, and be weed-free (believe me grass can still grow and come up between the planks, (despite of weed suppressing fabric and gravel underneath), not risk get anything stuck/lost/dropped underneath the deck, is treatment free (ie no scrubbing, cleaning, varnishing), and look stylish year after year, go for a very nice sand stone patio.

[patiogirl]

I'm having to make a decision soon on patio slabs. Installer suggested Pavestone Golden Fossil sandstone as it would tone with my bath stone house - but the colours are too wide ranging and busy for me. Can't find anything I really like at a reasonable price. I'm now thinking of getting concrete slabs that are more uniform in colour. Am I mad? How long would concrete slabs last if I got them from a reputable stockist like Marshall's. How long before they fade or break? Which kind of paving slab is easiest to look after? Do most people go for real stone these days? Thanks for any help.

[LottaHogs]

We removed our decking and replaced with block paving as the decking was SO slippery when wet, looked awful when it got grey and grubby and as others have said, it just started to look really dated. I wish we’d done the block paving in the first place as it looks miles better.

[soakedat3]

I was thinking about about composite decking as agree with everyone about slippyness. Is it no good? I've been walking about on the one at my shopping centre which is v grippy.

We have a cat so am confident we'll be OK for rodent control. I just prefer how decking looks and feels as opposed to paving.