Composite vs Hardwood Decking: An Australian Builder's Take

Hardwood ages beautifully and feels alive underfoot, but it needs oiling every couple of years and it moves with the weather. Composite is genuinely low-maintenance and dimensionally stable, but it feels and sounds different - a bit firmer, a bit warmer in the sun. Both can last 20-25 years if the substructure is built properly. The honest answer is the substructure underneath matters more than the surface on top.

The honest version, up front

We're Patio Empire - a licensed crew building outdoor rooms across the Central Coast, Newcastle, and Lake Macquarie. We have laid both materials hundreds of times. So here is the straight take, before we get into the detail.

Neither material is "better." They are different. Hardwood gives you the look, the smell, the feel of real timber - and it asks you to look after it in return. Composite gives you a deck that looks the same in year ten as it did in year one, but it sounds and feels a bit different underfoot, and the look is a fraction less alive.

Most of the people who choose hardwood do it because they love the look and they are happy to oil it every couple of years. Most of the people who choose composite do it because they want to forget about the deck once it is built. Both are valid. The wrong move is choosing the material based on price alone without understanding what you are signing up for.

The hardwood options worth looking at

In Australia, four species cover 90% of decks we build:

Merbau. The most common decking timber, mostly because it is the cheapest hardwood that still classes as durable Class 1-2. Reddish-brown when oiled, weathers to grey if you do not. Sourced mostly from Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, so check the FSC chain of custody if that matters to you. Bleeds tannins for the first few months - if you have light-coloured pavers below the deck, expect some staining. Otherwise it is a workhorse.

Spotted gum. An Australian hardwood with a beautiful grain pattern - strong streaks of brown and grey. Harder than merbau, more dimensionally stable, and a properly Australian look. Costs 25-40% more than merbau but holds up better in coastal aspects. Lake Macquarie homes love it.

Blackbutt. Pale, almost honey-coloured, very even grain. Great for modern homes that want a lighter palette. Coastal-rated and grows mostly in NSW. Slightly softer than spotted gum but still durable Class 1.

Ironbark. The hardest of the four - dense, dark red-brown, almost impossible to dent. Lasts the longest of any hardwood option, but it is heavy, hard on tools, and the most expensive. We use it for premium coastal builds where the deck is right in the salt spray zone.

There are others - jarrah, turpentine, grey gum, kwila - but for 95% of jobs, the four above are the right starting point. The choice between them is mostly look, with a small element of where the deck sits and what your budget looks like.

The composite options worth looking at

Composite decking is a mix of recycled wood fibre, plastic, and binders, formed into boards that look like timber. The category has come a long way in the last decade - early composites looked plasticky and faded badly. The current generation is genuinely good.

Modwood. Australian-made, established for over 20 years. Solid board (not capped), comes in a handful of colours. Reliable, well-supported, easier to repair than capped products. Looks slightly less "real" than the capped composites but ages well.

Trex. American import, capped polymer, broad colour range, very strong fade resistance. The category leader in the US. Higher price point but the warranty is industry-leading.

Ekodeck and Futurewood. Mid-market Australian and Australian-distributed options. Decent quality, narrower colour ranges, sit between Modwood and Trex on price. Solid choice for a budget-conscious composite build.

TimberTech and others. Plenty of newer entrants - some good, some still proving themselves. We are cautious about brand-new product lines until we have seen them age for at least five years on real jobs.

The big technical split is solid vs capped. Solid composites (like Modwood) are the same material all the way through - dent or scratch them and the colour stays. Capped composites have a harder polymer shell on the outside - more fade-resistant, more stain-resistant, but a deep gouge can expose the core.

How they compare side by side

How they age - really

This is the part the brochures gloss over. Here is what actually happens to each material over 10-20 years.

Hardwood, well maintained. Re-oiled every 2-3 years, kept clean, gaps managed. After 20 years, the boards have darkened a touch, the grain looks even better, and the deck has character. Replace the odd cracked board. Looks fantastic.

Hardwood, neglected. No oiling, no cleaning. The timber silvers off in the first 18 months and stays grey forever. Some boards split, some warp, some develop surface checks. By year 15 you are probably replacing 20-30% of the boards. By year 20 the deck is tired.

Composite, decent quality. Year 1: a small amount of fade as the surface UV-stabilises. Year 5: looks essentially identical to year 1. Year 15: minor fade but still presentable, no warping, no cracking. Year 25: the boards are still structurally fine, but the look starts to feel dated. Replace at 25-30 years if the substructure has held up.

Composite, cheap or first-generation. Big fade in years 1-3, surface gets chalky, mould holds in the textured grain pattern, expansion gaps open up unevenly. Looks worse than weathered hardwood by year 10. This is why brand and grade matters.

The pros and cons, plainly

What it actually feels like underfoot

This one matters more than people realise. The two materials feel genuinely different when you walk on them.

Hardwood has a slight give - even though it is hard, the timber breathes and absorbs sound. Footsteps are quiet. In summer, the boards warm up but radiate heat slowly. In winter, they feel cold underfoot but not shocking. Bare feet are happy on hardwood almost year-round.

Composite is firmer. There is no give. Footsteps are louder - some boards have a slightly hollow ring depending on the cavity inside. In direct summer sun, dark composite can be too hot for bare feet from about 11am-4pm. Light grey or tan composites are fine. In winter, composite feels colder than hardwood because the material conducts heat away faster.

Neither is "wrong." But if your deck is going to be the place where the kids run around barefoot, factor this in.

The maintenance reality

Hardwood maintenance schedule:

• Year 0-1: Let the timber settle. First clean and oil at 6-12 months.
• Every 2-3 years: Clean with deck cleaner, light sand if needed, re-oil. About a weekend's work for an average deck.
• Every 10 years: Heavier sand, possibly board replacement on damaged areas, full re-oil.
• Annual: Clear leaves and debris from gaps so they do not hold moisture against the boards.

Composite maintenance schedule:

• Annual: Wash with soapy water and a soft brush. Done.
• Every 5-10 years: Maybe a deeper clean if you are in a leaf-heavy spot.
• Never: Oil, sand, paint, or stain. Doing any of these voids the warranty on most composites.

The maintenance difference is real, but it is not as dramatic as composite marketing makes out. Re-oiling a deck is a Saturday morning job. The bigger cost difference is when boards need replacing - hardwood can be repaired board by board for very little, composite is harder to colour-match if a board needs swapping after 5+ years.

The substructure conversation - the bit that actually matters

Here is the truth nobody talks about: the surface material is the smallest decision you make on a deck. The substructure underneath is what determines whether the deck lasts 30 years or 7.

A great composite deck on a poorly built frame will fail before a properly built hardwood deck on a great frame. Every time.

What "properly built" means:

• Galvanised or stainless fixings throughout. No exceptions. Salt air on the Central Coast and Newcastle eats untreated metal.
• Treated pine bearers and joists, H3 minimum. H4 if any part of the frame touches the ground.
• Proper joist spacings for the surface material. 450mm centres for hardwood, 300-400mm for most composites. Get this wrong and the boards bounce or sag.
• Drainage and airflow underneath. A deck with no airflow rots from below regardless of what is on top. We always design for ventilation.
• Footings sized for the load. Not just "a few bags of cement and a sonotube." Engineered footings, especially on sloped ground.

When we quote a deck, more than half the work is the substructure. The decking boards go on at the end. People look at the finished surface and assume that is the value. The value is the bit you cannot see.

So which one should you choose?

Here is how we would coach you through it:

Choose hardwood if: You love the look of real timber. You are happy to spend a Saturday every couple of years on it. Your aspect is not brutally west-facing. You want the cheapest path into a quality deck.

Choose composite if: You want it built and forgotten. You have got family who will not maintain it. You are in a leafy spot where boards stay damp. The deck is in shade or has a roof over it (which solves the heat issue). You want a guaranteed look in year 15.

Choose either: If you are between the two, the answer is usually whichever look you prefer. Both are good materials. Both can give you 20-30 years. The substructure underneath them is what decides whether you get there.

If you want a recommendation specific to your home - your aspect, your house, your priorities - the site visit is where we work that out. We will walk it with you, look at the sun, look at how you want to use the space, and tell you straight which way to go. Give us a ring on 0468 021 105 or get in touch through the quote form.