The British love of a well-kept garden and the television makeover programmes that started a revolution in decking 20 years ago has diversified into a lucrative market of residential, commercial and contract opportunities. A warm summer, such as last year, helps consumer sales but demand has expanded beyond the garden fence and is expected to continue to grow.
The Timber Decking & Cladding Association believes the mix is changing with composite, modified woods and extruded PVC boards eating into the mainstay pressure treated softwood business. Now it has begun market research to gain a more detailed understanding of the market.
"We want to quantify the size, structure, makeup and value of the market," said Janet Sycamore, TDCA director of operations. Decking has attracted more suppliers, and a range of types of products and a range of markets. It is much more diverse than it was."
Previous surveys found the market worth £135m in pre-recession 2008, which retreated to £130m by 2011. The association believes that figure has since increased. Driving the residential market is a continuing consumer appetite for new decking, replacement and improvement. New build from small to large multi-use developments is also increasing, as well as outdoor leisure.
"Decking in new build often involves an awkward size or shape, or can be on a slope. Decking provides flexibility and also added value in apartments and rooftop gardens. The popularity of bi-fold doors has been an important driver as sales of decking go handin- hand," said Ms Sycamore.
Traditionally, pressure treated softwood has taken about 90% of the market. There is growing competition from composite and modified wood decking as low maintenance products, but at up to five times the price.
"Softwood is very commoditised. We have been trying to get away from that as much as possible with an upgraded product; water repellent, better grip, added-value, and sales and services," said Adam Pulfer, marketing director for Hoppings Softwood Products.
"We had some decent growth last year and that was also due to e-commerce, which beat expectations. We have tried to make it as seamless as possible, linking buyer to seller. We manage it, show our products and bring consumers to the website and then guide them to their nearest stockist where they can see their prices and put the product directly into their shopping cart or contact them."
Jason Ostler, sales director at Arbor Forest Products, believes it is not all about price. If you have quality, good branding, brochures, point of sale, website advice and are also competitive, "you are on to a winner."
"Decking and its different types are just an alternative form of hard landscaping. We are exclusive distributor of Trex (composite decking), the number one American brand, which we sell as an additional product.
The people who buy this don’t want the maintenance. It is a 25-year warranty against splitting, stains and losing colour. Someone who wants this would normally go for Indian sandstone, not softwood or hardwood."
Mr Pulfer acknowledges the growth of composites, but is not uneasy about the competition. "They are taking market share, but it is not like in the US where it took 20% of the market within a few years. Composites are good in a climate where you have the temperatures that create a fire risk and other challenges for performance, but that’s not the case here."
Mark Bowers, sales & marketing director at Snows Timber, believes specifiers are looking at composite and modified wood products for high-end, design-led jobs and has developed its range to include Lunacomp composite decking, yellow balau hardwood and machines its own Thermowood decking.
"There’s still a very healthy market for quality softwood decking. We produce enough softwood decking to stretch from London to Gibraltar each year. We’ve improved our offering to seven different reversible patterns on our Snowdeck range, plus anti-slip and contract patterns, moving with the times to respond to regional needs."
Composite decking supplier Dura Composites, the Clacton-on-Sea manufacturer, which diversified from its industrial structural fibreglass walkway and marine pontoon business, is looking to double the size of its business next year on the back of its FSC-accredited products and partnership with a timber importer to increase distribution.
"Our budget is for 20% from better economic conditions, 20% from innovative new products and the rest from greater market share and by selling direct. In this way we will be able to reach smaller customers and more spur-of-the-moment sales," said managing director Stuart Burns.
"Our trade customers know they can buy softwood at one-third or one-quarter the price, but they also know there is the question of maintenance and replacement. Hardwood is more expensive and will last a long time, but it requires some maintenance and will weather."
Modified woods are also taking market share. Accoya fits at the high performance end of the market as a sustainable alternative to the better performing hardwoods.
"Modified woods are not an homogeneous group – there are different products with different performance levels and price points.
The exceptional stability of Accoya also allows design details such as wide boards with hidden fixing systems," said marketing manager Laura Ladd.
Tony Miles, managing director of hardwood specialist International Timber, is confident hardwoods will retain a "steady" place in the market with increased construction activity and opportunities for replacement and remedial work. "Hardwood is still at the top end of the market and generally merchants have not taken to the higher value decking. It is a product though that has the advantages of appearance, low maintenance and durability, and will always be in demand."
Sustainability remains an important aspect. International Timber withdrew ipé, a popular species for decking, from sale last year after concerns by Greenpeace of illegality in the supply chain. "We had the NMO (National Measurement Office, the UK’s European Timber Regulation regulator) in and they said there were no reasons why we could not sell what we had imported, but we took a view not to," said Mr Miles. The industry has to make sure it has done all the due diligence and met the EUTR to avoid any questions about its timber."
Despite the competition and pressure on softwood, new players are coming into the market. PiveteauBois, one of France’s top three softwood sawmillers, with an annual output of semi- and finished goods of 300,000m3 is aiming to sell a range of softwood and composite decking boards and tiles in ten profiles into the UK.
"Pine decking is the bulk, we also have Douglas fir and larch, the composite is made by us from our own material and we have a thermo-treated pine. It is available to order now, but we are looking to sell to merchants and building suppliers," said London-based export manager Elisabeth Piveteau.
