Foreword by Ian Thompson, Editor
Alternatives to Wooden Decks – Tile Deck Review
This is the time of year in the southern hemisphere when most well-maintained homes are getting a layer or two of deck stain or deck paint in readiness for summer. It’s usually an expensive exercise in cost and time, and if you’ve got over 100m² of decking like I do, it can take an entire day to do a proper job for each coat.
As we all know, wooden decks get absolutely punished by the weather. They cop everything – snow, incessant rain, blistering hot sun — there’s nowhere for them to hide. On our building projects we’ve tried softwoods, hardwoods, bamboo, pavers, concrete… you name it, we’ve probably tried it.
When I was at BAU in Munich (Europe’s biggest building and architecture expo) a few years ago, I was introduced to a synthetic plastic decking product with its own aluminium fixing system. It looked okay, came in a variety of colours, but I didn’t go “wow.” I thought it might suit a more commercial job where artificial colours are the norm. But then l saw the price. “Yikes” was the first word that came to mind. It was very expensive.
But if you truly don’t want any maintenance costs over the life of the building, it might be worth considering – as long as no one walks across the deck barefoot on a hot day. Most plastic decks get extremely hot.
The European manufacturer sent me samples to our office in Auckland, and I left one outside for a few months. To be honest, I completely forgot about them, only to stumble across the samples one day and notice one plank had a big chip missing from a corner. I don’t know why or how it happened, but in my mind plastic, or plastic composite shouldn’t be very brittle. Without knowing the full story, I just have to park that thought about its possible durability.
So, in today’s video Jake is talking about another timber deck alternative, this time a porcelain tiled deck. At first glance it looks good. But (and this is a big “but”) I don’t even like tiles in bathrooms because they’re slippery, so why would I use tiles outside on a deck in a country where it rains half the year?
Yes, I can definitely see the maintenance benefits — assuming the tiles don’t break — but as Jake mentions in the video, they’re very slow to install, so, factor in that high purchase cost and extra labour cost. And then I also wonder how they handle the impact of something heavy dropping on them. Maybe you can replace a damaged tile, but still.
Putting cost aside for a moment, tiles and water just don’t mix well in my mind – even though many would argue they are the best for wet environments – well for the building that is.
For me tiles are one of the slipperiest surfaces out there. But maybe these deck-tile manufacturers have added a non-slip membrane or some kind of textured surface coating — but if so, do they need recoating over time?
My Tile Deck Review Conclusion
Personally, I love hardwood decks. They look great, last a long time, and are easy to work with – and sustainable. You can get reasonable pricing if you shop around or import from countries who have good supply. You can let hardwoods grey off naturally, but I prefer the rich colour you get from Kwila, so I stain mine every year.
But if low maintenance is a priority over cost, then I would consider a porcelain tiled deck – especially for covered outdoor hospitality or commercial spaces. I think they look good and would be easy to clean.
Over to Jake.
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