Three boards cover almost every deck we build in Darlington: treated softwood, capped composite, and hardwood. Each can make a sound deck. They ask for different care, they look different beside brick, and they need different joist spacing. This page is about that choice. South Durham gives us rain, frost, shade on the north side of a semi, and mud from a lawn. Those are the tests.
Softwood
Softwood is the familiar timber deck. The boards are treated so they can live outdoors, and they are fixed to a timber frame with a ventilated gap underneath. Left alone, they silver. With a stain or an oil, they keep a warmer colour for longer. Someone in the house has to be willing to do that care. If nobody will, the surface weathers, and in a shady Darlington garden it can hold a green film that becomes slippery.
We still specify softwood where it is the right fit. A traditional house, a household that likes timber, and a garden that is not a constant playground can all suit it. The frame must be as serious as the boards. Joists at the right centres, posts on footings, air at the edges, and a fall so water leaves the grooves. A board is only as good as the void under it. Packed soil and blocked ends are what make timber fail early, not the mere fact of rain.
A ribbed face sheds water. Splinters are the drawback of softwood, so on a deck where small children sit down we usually steer away from it.
Composite
Composite boards mix wood fibre and plastic under a hard outer shell. They do not splinter, they do not ask for a stain, and a brush deals with most of the mud a family brings in from the green. That is why they are the usual request on family decks. The capped face resists the scuffs of bikes and chairs better than an open timber grain. It is not indestructible. A deep gouge will show. It is simply calmer day to day.
The frame is closer-centred than a softwood deck, because the boards need the support the maker sets out. We follow that spacing, leave the expansion the system needs, and fix with hidden clips where the range allows, so there is no screw head under a bare foot. Edges are finished with a fascia in the same tone. A picture-frame border hides cut ends and gives the deck a made edge rather than a row of board tails.
A mid grey or a mid brown hides ordinary garden mess and sits against 1930s brick or newer render. We bring samples so the choice is made in your light. Composite decking covers the build in more detail.
Hardwood
Hardwood is denser timber, often with a tighter grain, left to weather or kept with an oil. It suits an older house. It still needs air underneath and sound fixings. It is not a way to avoid detail.
We use hardwood where the brief asks for it: beside older brick in Blackwell or on a street covered by the heritage guide, or simply where you want grain rather than a manufactured face. It can be grooved for grip. It can still splinter if it is neglected, though less eagerly than a soft softwood. Shade, leaves and a north wall are the same enemies. Ventilation and a fall are the same answers.
Choosing for this weather
Darlington is inland. Salt is not the deciding factor, which is a different conversation on the coast. Here the questions are wet shade, frost, and how often someone will maintain the surface. If the answer to maintenance is rarely, composite is usually the calm choice. If the answer is a weekend once a year and a liking for timber, softwood or hardwood can be right. Grip when the green is wet matters more than a photograph of a dry board.
Joist layout and the fascia are part of the board decision. A wide tread in the same material is set out on wide deck steps. Whatever the board, we keep a void that can dry. The geology viewer and the flood map inform the ground, not the board.
Ask for a quote when you know which way you are leaning, or when you do not. Tell us the postcode and whether small children, a dog, or a quiet adult garden is the main use. We visit with the choice still open, measure the plot, and write the board into the quote for a reason you can follow.
Questions from parents
Which board is best for children?
Composite, in most family gardens, because it does not splinter and it brushes clean. Timber can still be right if you will look after the surface.
Does composite need painting?
No. It does not take a stain, and it should not be painted. Cleaning is a brush and water. The colour you choose is the colour you keep.
Can hardwood go next to an older house?
Yes. It often sits well beside older brick. The heritage checks on height and designation are separate from the timber you choose.
Will you tell us a board is cheaper?
Not on this page, and not as a reason on its own. The quote after a visit sets out the board we recommend for the garden and what the job includes.