When it comes to making improvements to a garden space, many homeowners consider investing in an area for dining, entertaining or relaxing. Decking has proved to be a popular choice in the past, however, the decision on what type of material to use to make this space has become more difficult, especially with the introduction of wood effect paving. Made from porcelain, these paving slabs offer another fantastic option for homeowners looking to create an attractive area in their outdoor space.
If you’re in the midst of planning a refresh for your own garden, you’ll benefit from knowing more about the various benefits and drawbacks of decking and wood effect paving. Read on to find out more about the two materials and which would make the ideal solution for you.
Contemporary or traditional?
The first comparison to make between the two materials is the look and feel that they provide.
Traditional wooden decking tends to work very well with the more traditional style home, or homes with a modern feel, but not the ultra modern. Wood effect paving, on the other hand, has a much smoother and cleaner finish, so contemporary homes would certainly benefit from this type of material in their outdoor space.
That being said, you can find various styles of wood effect paving on the market, each of which caters to a specific home style. So no matter whether you’re looking to take a more traditional or contemporary route in your garden planning, it’s likely that you’ll be able to find wood effect paving to meet your needs.
From grey and brown to somewhere in-between, browse some of our popular wood effect paving here.
How durable are the two materials?
Decking and wood effect paving are both incredibly durable, which is what makes them fantastic options for outdoor flooring. Once installed, they require very little maintenance and should last you many, many years, so long as you invest in quality products on the market.
One thing to bear in mind is that traditional wooden decking is a much more porous material than wood effect paving. That makes it more susceptible to mould growth over time, especially if it isn’t maintained occasionally. Therefore, if you’re looking for flooring that will require very little maintenance, if any at all, wood effect paving might be the best way to go.
What about the cost?
You won’t find an awful lot of difference between the cost of purchasing decking and the cost of purchasing wood effect paving. You might find varying costs when it comes to different products of the same type of material, but this will most likely be down to the quality of those products. High-quality wood effect paving is, of course, going to cost you much more than lower quality versions, and the same goes for decking too.
When it comes to having your new flooring installed in your garden, you might find that decking costs are cheaper than that of wood effect paving. That’s because decking is much easier and quicker to put in place, and can easily be added to unlevel terrains. Paving requires digging into the ground, levelling out the terrain and adding a sub-base and other layers before the paving itself can be installed. It’s this more complicated process that makes it more expensive to have wood effect paving added to your garden.
On the other hand, because wood effect paving will require much less maintenance than decking, you would be able to recover the costs associated with its installation over time, which is certainly something to consider when choosing between the two.
All in all, after comparing the benefits and drawbacks of decking and wood effect paving, it really does comes down to personal preference for which of the two to buy. Wood effect paving can deliver a similar appearance to what decking can in the garden, only on a terrain that’s level to the rest of your garden space. Both can be used within traditional style spaces, and wood effect paving will certainly work well in modern gardens. The two materials are extremely durable and require little maintenance, and the cost of purchasing the two is incredibly close to one another.
It pays to take some time to weigh out the slight differences between decking and wood effect paving, before making a decision on the best choice for your home. After all, this is an investment that’s bound to last you years to come, so it’s well worth making the right decision for you and your home.