Is decking really horrendous?

[MsSampson]

We have just had some quotes for a raised patio of approx 4.5 x 5m to go across the back of our house. The quotes are way higher than we had (naively!) expected, so we have just been considering getting a cost for decking instead. A quick search has brought up one thread from 2012 where everyone says decking is horrendous for many reasons, and all the others seem to be from 2007.
So, I'm guessing as well as being practically not great it's also really dated? Does anyone have anything good to say about decking?

[LittleCandle]

I had decking at my last place, which XH's son put up and it was a disaster. All wrong for the house, never finished and the cat used to eat whatever he caught under it and leave the skeletons behind! I got it removed (the posts came out very easily with a ball of useless concrete on the bottom, it wasn't actually attached to the house - it was truly terrifying) before I sold the house.

We've got decking at the bottom of our garden now. We had a huge hedge removed and gained an extra 8 feet of garden and got a part of it decked. It is a lovely place to sit and catch the evening sun. It needs painted this summer. We haven't had problems with rodents that we are aware of, but we have 2 cats and a dog.

[Bluntness100]

Wooden decking is slippy in winter, everyone's is, It also rots etc and needs staining or replacing every few years. Composite doesn't have these problems as it's effectively plastic.

However compostite is expensive and would cost about the same as a stone patio.

I had a quote from the builder who did our front, a very trusted guy and I was looking to put decking at the back as I wanted the cheaper option and he said don't do it, you'll just regret it. It can look lovely when it's just in, but it needs maintenance and can be quite dangerous during autumn and winter.

One of our friends has it , she's convinced it's gorgeous and maintenance free, in reality it needs staining and when you go out in winter for a ciggy you're risking life and limb as it's so slippy,

[PurpleWithRed]

Expecting the workmen any minute now to finish off the patio that's replacing my horrible slippery decking. Can't wait for it to be finished!

[engineersthumb]

I really likeen my decking in the UK! No rats observed though I did run chicken wire for 1m across the ground and up the joists.

[EccentricPickle]

We had decking at our last house and it was fine. We did hardly anything to it - I think DH stained it once in the whole 4 years but that was it. It wasn't slippery or slimey when wet but it was really slippery when it was frosty. Ours was at the end of the garden though so I didn't have to walk on it as it wasn't just outside the back door or anything like that.

[Groovee]

Our decking is fab. We did it ourselves as DH and FIL are pretty handy. Shame is it's where the electric supply is and we're going to have to lift it.

[MsSampson]

Thanks all. I've gone back over more old threads and the threat of rats by itself is enough to convince me to shell out for the patio. My neighbour's garden is almost certainly rat infested (her paddling pool is still up from last summer, and the garden is full of dog turds), so I'm not keen on providing them a home outside my back door.
And we got a second quote that was so much higher than the first quote (which was already twice what I was expecting), so now the first quote seems reasonable. All about perspective

[TurquoiseDress]

We viewed a property last summer with a small garden tiny patio area at the back.

The owners had recently put in decking to cover the patio, but I found it all a bit too much decking!

Plus as it was raised up, you could see over the back fence and likewise everyone else from the street could see you.

Me & OH discussed ripping it all out, in the end decided not to offer on the property.

[scrivette]

I love our decking, it did get a bit slippery in a couple of places this winter but I scrubbed it with a wire brush and jet washed it (took about half an hour) and it is fine again.

We did have a mouse in the house shortly after we put it in but blaming DH for leaving a huge hole in the wall when he put wires through and forgot to block it back up.

[TheTurnOfTheScrew]

re: slippiness

I painted ours last year with some kind of non-slip stuff from B&Q. Quick, easy, and worked. It will probably need re-doing this year, but then most wood treatments do.

[Want2bSupermum]

Also, composite decking sucks in the NYC area. In summer it gets boiling hot. My kids have burned their feet on the composite decking in the summer.

[Want2bSupermum]

We live in the NYC area of America and they work well. In the UK forget it. Composite is expensive. Don't mess about. Use paving and make a patio. If you want to build a deck, do so but raise it 4-5ft off the ground so you can get in and easily clean it out.

We had ours in our old home for 5 years. We painted it twice a year, using a dark chocolate external paint, and it looked great. In our new home we have paving and it isn't maintenance free. I have to get the power washer out every 6 months to clean it off. It is very annoying.

[buckeejit]

We got composite & it's great. Petrified of vermin so haven't RTFT when I saw that but don't think that should be an issue. I opted for grey & it looks great against our white walls but wood colour is nice too.

[Ohyesiam]

We have some in a sunny area, so no slime, and because it s purpose was to level a slope( it was get decking, or build a retaining wall and back fill), it does not harbour rats, just our bikes, which we keep under there.
I wouldn't have it on the flat though, for rat reasons.

[oneplus2is3]

I love mine (normal bog standard stuff) It covers up a huge concrete slab that was otherwise and eye sore (and a hazard for toddlers). Ours is a sunny position though, so no build up of scum- I can imagine in a shady corner it could be just as hazardous as the concrete was.

(I am a bit nervous of rodents taking up residence though!)

[TeddyBee]

Ours is lovely. The kids really enjoy riding their bikes across it and it covered the rubble hell hole the builders left. We also had a sandpit built in, which is very popular every summer.

[Mrsladybirdface]

We have decking as a walkway..needed to have it due to damp proof course and love it! It's not at all slippery when wet and seems maintenance free. It's so nice to walk on barefoot...doesn't get too hot unlike out patio area. We have a pressure washer but haven't needed to use it on the decking (unlike the patio). Haven't had a problem with rats but I have a dog so maybe that puts them off! I'm actually a decking convert!

[specialsubject]

The person who loves it is probably not in the UK. Wooden decking is stupid in the UK climate.

Composite may not be.

[JumpingJellybeanz]

Decking is only slippery when wet if you don't clean it properly. You have to use a special slime destroying detergent, then it's fine. We've had to clean ours twice in the 10 years we've had it.

[Ifailed]

I am in the process of taking up 40 sq metres of decking in my new garden (ignoring the astro-turf covering the remaining section ), and I what I've found underneath it is not pleasant. The remains of many rodents and all sorts of crap that has either fallen through, or was just covered up - including rotting clothes, trainers etc.

I can understand having a seating area that is level and safe, but raised decking in the spawn of the devil, IMHO.

[MsSampson]

I might investigate composite decking a bit more then. Is there anything that can be done to reduce the rodent issue?

[namechangedtoday15]

Another vote for composite. Completely different to normal wooden decking.

[BakiniAtoll]

Last year we put in a 10x40ft deck along the back of our house. It's 5ft above the ground, we love it, it's the best $2000 we ever spent

[oldestmumaintheworld]

Don't ever put down decking. It is slippery when wet or frosted, needs maintenance to remain algae and to stay slime free and can encourage vermin to nest underneath.

Since it's often used to cover up cracked or worn paving I also see it as a red flag in a garden when viewing a property.

[witwootoodleoo]

Oh yes we had rats under ours in a previous house. None in the new house as far as we can tell but I'm not sure the composite can take credit for the lack of rats.