Looking After A Timber Deck By The Sea: A Realistic Plan.

Most people who ask me about a deck are really asking how much looking after it will need. Here is the honest answer for Betty's Bay, Rooi Els, Kleinmond and Pringle Bay, where salt, sun and wind all get a say.

Why a coastal deck needs more attention

Salt air and UV break a finish down faster here than they would inland. So plan on sealing or oiling more often than you would if the deck were inland. How often depends on the timber and on how much sun and salt the deck takes, and that is something we talk through at the site visit.

Rinse off the salt after a southeaster

After a big southeaster, rinse the salt off the deck. It is a small job, and out here it is worth doing.

Watch the fixings

Every deck I build uses stainless steel fixings. Standard fixings corrode much faster in salt air, and a rusting fixing weakens the board around it and leaves ugly staining. Stainless costs a little more upfront and avoids a problem that would otherwise show up within a year or two.

Whatever the deck is fixed with, keep an eye out for any fixing that starts to rust, and deal with it before it weakens the board around it.

Room for the timber to move

Timber expands and contracts with moisture and temperature, so the boards need a small gap between them. That spacing also keeps air moving underneath the deck, which matters more here than inland. It is one of the things I get right when the deck is built, because it is hard to fix later.

The timber you choose changes the workload

I build decks in garapa and balau, which are both hardwoods, and in treated pine. Hardwood costs more upfront, is denser and more rot resistant, and usually needs less frequent attention. Treated pine is more affordable and suits most residential decks when it is properly treated for coastal use and maintained.

For a deck in full sun and salt all day, a hardwood is often the better long term investment. The full thinking is in my decking timber guide.