It’s not too many years ago that timber processors and distributors were saying, "thank heavens for decking". It was the must-have addition to the garden and sales soared as a result.
The market plateaued around 2008 but while we may not be witnessing rocketing decking revenues anymore, the sector has proved to be pretty recession-proof, with sales steadying at around £130m per year.
This year has been a mixed bag – summed up succinctly by Hoppings Softwood Products marketing, technical and development director Adam Pulfer as "very poor and then very good".
And that’s reflected in feedback received by the Timber Decking & Cladding Association (TDCA). "In general the market has remained flat, but some members have reported year-on-year increases in sales volumes, which they attribute to market gains rather than overall market growth," said the TDCA’s Janet Sycamore.
"It was a slow start to the year due to unfavourable weather but activity increased significantly during the last four months, which has more or less made up for the shortfall," she added. "And installers are reporting full order books to the end of the year, so there are definite signs that things are picking up."
The DIY sector is active, too.
"With online support tools, such as installation videos, the DIYer is still a major purchaser and installer of decking," said Warren Dudding, marketing and product development director at Metsä Wood. "Product innovations targeted at the DIYer have also helped tremendously – for example, Metsä Wood Deck2 product sold online through retail has performed well above expectation."
Hoppings’ experience with its Q-Deck, which is available online from more than 30 ‘partners’, is similar. "Our online shop strategy empowers the consumer, which is a really important and beneficial part of our offer to merchants, who have a myriad of building products to sell," said Mr Pulfer.
Softwood dominates
In terms of material choice, softwood still dominates by quite a margin.
"Tastes in the UK differ from many other countries, where composite materials are far more popular," said Paul Martin, product group manager at Richard Burbidge. "Here there is a stronger consumer preference for natural materials, especially softwoods. Adaptable and versatile, these are popular for a range of installations because they present a good-value proposition."
"Softwoods remain most popular with domestic clients on budget grounds," said Mrs Sycamore. "But those that have budgets that will stretch will opt for hardwoods.
"And a word of caution to suppliers here," she added. "They need to better communicate the properties of hardwood timbers because clients are often under the impression that because they are naturally durable they will hold their colour. They won’t.
"The onus is on suppliers to communicate this, otherwise they will have disappointed customers – and that’s bad for the reputation of the product."
And, she added, poor quality and incorrectly specified materials remained a key issue for the decking sector. "Companies who supply such products are damaging the reputation of a perfectly good and economical domestic and commercial landscaping option."
Modified timber represents a small, but growing, proportion of the market and, as the market matures, there is more interest in composite and anti-slip decking.
"The uptake of our Walksure decking in public spaces, schools and commercial environments develops year after year," said Mr Dudding. "One key growth area has been in schools and last summer saw a surge in sales of Walksure as schools refurbished play areas and outdoor classrooms."
Mr Pulfer agreed that anti-slip decking was becoming the mainstay for the commercial sector. "Our Q-Grip slip resistant range is doing well in this area," he said.
Opinion is divided on composite decking and there is no data available yet to indicate if it’s making much impact on the overall market.
"Some TDCA members are doing well with it whereas others say that, because the cost is on a par with hardwoods, clients will opt for the real thing," said Mrs Sycamore. And there is another note of caution here for installers. "Closer centres are required for the substructure with composites and this is something that needs to be communicated.
We’ve had cases where a substructure has been built for [solid] timber decking and then the client has chosen composite."
Hoppings is one TDCA member seeing increasing composite sales. Its Twinson product comprises 50% wood flour from PEFCcertified residues and 50% virgin PVC. Its advantages over solid timber are its hardness, colour retention and ease of maintenance. It is, however, more complex to fit and is affected by longitudinal expansion.
"It appeals to a minority of people who want a colourfast, regular look and it’s our fastest growing decking product," said Mr Pulfer.
Trends in decking ‘accessories’ such as balustrades continue to shift and, although traditional spindles still sell well, there is a move away from the ‘colonial’ look towards cleaner, simpler lines, according to Mr Martin.
"We are also increasingly seeing consumers investing in higher quality installations that add the ‘wow’ factor," he added. "Our Fusion range fills this gap very well, with its mix of wood, metal and glass creating a contemporary and stylish finish."
The 2014 season will also see Metsä’s recently launched deck calculator tool placed on merchants’ websites.
"We have a version on metsawood.co.uk and, given the time of year that we launched it, use of it has been encouraging," said Mr Dudding.
"However, we expect the majority of online traffic to come through the tool being hosted and displayed on customers’ websites." Burbidge reports that it’s upgrading its customer tools and will be looking at Deckplanner as part of this. "It continues to be a popular tool for visitors planning their decking projects online. We even get a high response in the middle of winter," said Mr Martin.
As long as the weather plays ball, decking suppliers are pretty optimistic about next year’s market, forecasting consistent growth, partly as a result of lifestyle changes.
"Lifestyle changes and outdoor living trends, including the increased use of wireless equipment such as tablets and laptops and the rising popularity of cooking and eating outdoors, means that gardens are playing an increasingly important role in modern living," said Mr Martin.
"Decking is a great way for homeowners to increase living space. It costs far less than an extension and can add real value to a property." And the positive vibes emanating from the construction sector are also fuelling optimism.
"We expect decking to increase in line with the improving construction market, particularly as more marginal, brownfield sites are being developed," said Mrs Sycamore.
"Decking still offers an easy solution for the garden in newbuilds and is an areas that the housebuilders are targeting for add-on sales."
Barefoot on the deck
Accsys Technologies reports that, following independent testing, its Accoya modified wood has been proven to avoid the high thermal gain which is a problem with some deck and terrace materials, making it "barefoot friendly".
Thermography tests, carried out in Japan by the Hiroshima Prefectural Technology Research Institute, compared the thermal gain of uncoated Accoya decking to thermowood and wood/plastic composites. The results showed Accoya to have a low thermal gain while the other materials attained significantly higher surface temperatures; the Accoya decking remained cool to touch despite being in direct sunlight on a day with an ambient temperature of 32°C.
