It is important to know that both decks for the terrace differ in their material-related properties, the technical installation requirements, the usage characteristics and the purchase price.
Table of Contents
WPC – Sharing
WPC means Wood Plastic Composit. WPC boards consist of around 75 percent wood and 25 percent pure synthetic industrial polymers (plastic) and additives. So it’s a composite made of plastic and wood. Wood flour and polymer are mixed and pressed. The surface of the individual boards is coated with a very special artificial material. This ensures water tightness. There are also uncoated versions, but they are far less water-repellent than natural solid wood.
Before doing my research, I wasn’t really familiar with this material and the decking. I’ve learned a lot. The bottom line is that there are really good goods, but when you buy something you often don’t know what quality you are looking at. It only shows when the first winter or the first winter is over. That is why I found the idea of a forum participant ideal, who had ordered samples of different planks and placed them on his existing terrace over the winter. Clear differences were seen in the spring.
So if you have the time, that’s a great plan for finding out quality. The aforementioned user noticed that the WPC planks from the hardware store were warped and bent and decided on branded goods. But there also seem to be differences. It was expressly warned against Megawood. There have been a lot of problems with this company and its products. I also found out that it is better to use solid profiles and not hollow profiles. Full profiles are simply less sensitive. In addition, water can penetrate the hollow profiles and this has a logically unfavorable effect.
Advantages of WPC
- Does not splinter
- Easy to clean, even grease stains come out again
- Well-made boards look like real wood
Disadvantages of WPC
- Color changes due to UV light
- Material gray, but looks natural because wood, especially tropical wood, also gray
- The lifespan is usually not as long as that of real wood planks
- Rain, UV radiation and temperature differences are unfavorable
- When exposed to sunlight, the boards get quite hot, depending on the color. The dark models get so hot that walking barefoot is not possible.
- Not all models look like natural wood. You can see some of the plastics on some.
- Strong tendency to bulge, which means that some of the screws have to be replaced regularly (annually) because this would tear them off.
- Stronger tendency to shrink and expand, which can result in joints to adjacent components
- The end caps often don’t look natural or beautiful at all.
- Plasticizers are part of the planks, simply so that the material remains elastic. The plasticizers are washed out by the weather. The sun makes the floorboards brittle.
- Disposal complicated
Real wood – floorboards
Real wood planks are almost consistently rated better by buyers than the WPC models. There are also advantages and disadvantages with wood, but the material has proven itself for decades. However, I myself am not a fan of tropical woods, simply because so much overexploitation is carried out with nature. I don’t want to encourage that anymore, but everyone has to deal with that with themselves. If you choose tropical wood, you should look for FSC-certified wood when buying. FSC stands for Forest Stewartship Council and that in turn is an organization that is committed to sustainable forest management. However, every seal can be forged and there is no guarantee that the wood did not come from overexploitation. I am therefore in favor of using larch wood, the heaviest and hardest coniferous wood. Thermowood is best, but unfortunately also the most expensive, around 80 € per m². A special temperature treatment ensures that beech, pine or other wood is as durable as tropical wood.
Advantages of natural wood planks
- High-quality
- Environmentally recyclable
- Often better value for money
- Stable and weatherproof
- In the case of local woods, local forestry is supported
- Beautiful, natural shade
- Easy to work with, drill, saw and grind
Disadvantages of natural wood planks
- Some woods have a shorter lifespan than others. Tropical woods in particular are durable.
- Over time, slate forms, which also depends on the type of wood.
- A little maintenance-intensive if you want to keep the beautiful color
- Annual treatment with glaze
Lay decking
Laying decking isn’t really that complicated. It is important that the subsurface is well prepared and that there is an exact substructure so that everything above fits and holds. I am assuming that a terrace will have to be completely redesigned. The easiest way to lay such a terrace is of course on a level floor slab.
1. Prepare the substrate
- Stake out the planned area. It is best to use wooden stakes and cords.
- Level the existing floor so that a slope is created. This slope must be 1% and lead away from the wall towards the garden. This ensures that rainwater can run off and puddles cannot form.
- Remove stones, weeds and everything that bothers you.
- Compensate for unevenness by filling
- Compress the subsoil
- If the floor has not grown naturally but has been heaped up, it makes sense to build another “bed” for the floorboards. You dig out about 30 cm of earth and then fill in gravel, grit and sand. Each layer must be compacted well so that it does not give way and sink in later.
- A root fleece is laid on the subsurface so that weeds cannot grow through the gaps between the boards.
- Pouring a concrete slab is inexpensive but significantly more complex than the preparation of the substrate just described.
- If the finished terrace is to be flush with the surrounding soil of the garden, part of the construction must be below the surface of the earth. So you have to dig up earth.
2. Lay the foundation
- Concrete pavement slabs, for example, are suitable as a foundation. They are inexpensive and the rainwater that runs off through the floorboard joints has little influence on the quality of the panels.
- The panels are laid at a distance of about 60 cm from one another.
- The distance is important so that the supporting timber of the terrace floor cannot bend under load. So rather lay them out narrower than too far apart.
- Next, the supporting beams are laid out.
- The beams are aligned at right angles to the house wall and parallel to each other.
- It is important that the outer beams are positioned so that they are flush with the concrete slabs.
- It is advisable to use wider beams so that the screws do not sit too close to the edges and cause “end cracks” in the wood.
- Always pay attention to a slight slope away from the house wall!
- Check the alignment of the support beams with the spirit level.
3.
Laying floorboards The floorboards are usually laid parallel to the house wall. This has the advantage that you do not slip so much on wet ground due to the crosswise grooved profile.
- It always starts on the wall of the house.
- It is important to leave an expansion joint, at least 0.5 cm, better 1 cm.
- The boards are installed with a joint spacing of 1 cm from one another. The distance is important so that rainwater can run off and no moisture remains that would quickly damage the boards.
- The best way to maintain the distance is to use small wooden spacers, just like with tiles.
- Lashing straps are ideal for securing the floorboards and make it easier to screw the floorboards together.
- It is beneficial to record the positions for the screws so that they are exactly in line. In the end, this gives a more uniform picture, it just looks better. A pencil is used to correct mistakes.
- All holes should be pre-drilled. That makes work easier. All drill holes should be rubbed out so that the screws can be countersunk flush into the wood. This minimizes the risk of injury to bare feet later on.
- The side surfaces are veneered. There are different ways of doing this. Board boards or matching wooden palisades can be attached there. End caps are also possible.
Tips for laying decking boards
- It is beneficial to use supporting beams with two V-grooves. The grooves prevent waterlogging. The rainwater drains off better.
- A fine-meshed rabbit wire under the floorboards prevents rodents from entering from below and also prevents anything that falls through the joints from disappearing into the depths of the substructure. One end of the wire is fixed between the supporting beam and the floorboard and screwed there. The other end is buried.
- Beams should have a minimum thickness of 4.5 x 9.0 cm.
- The distance between the bars should not be more than 60 cm.
- The overhang from the beam to the edge of the terrace should not be more than 2.5 times the beam thickness.
- This also applies to the overhang of the boards.
- Use only stainless steel screws for the screws! Normal screws corrode and stain. Countersunk screws are used.
- Special screws for wooden terraces are available in stores. Its drill tip penetrates particularly easily. They are called Torx screws.
Conclusion
Laying a terrace with wooden or WPC boards is also quite feasible for laypeople. It’s not that easy and requires good preparation and planning. It doesn’t make sense to just go ahead and do business. You should draw a plan, as true to scale as possible. That is important in itself to know how much material you need. The angle of inclination is important so that water can run off. Take your time. The preparation of the subsoil is essential so that the earth does not give way and sink in later. Then the whole construction won’t hold up. If you have any doubts, you should pour a concrete ceiling. That can’t happen there. Precise work must be carried out on the foundation so that the boards attached to it hold. The clearances must be observed when laying the floorboards. Everything should give a harmonious picture. The screws also have to be lined up. Only if you work carefully can you end up enjoying a beautiful terrace.