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?

[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.

[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.

[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!

[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,

[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.