With spring soon on the way, the snow and rain (hopefully) becoming a distance memory, it offers a great opportunity to think ahead to the summer – and the enjoyment you can get from your garden. If you're looking at either introducing a deck to your home or are wanting to replace an existing one, have you thought about the materials you want to use?
Being leading purveyors of garden decking in Guildford here at Pennyhill Timber, we're constantly asked questions about the benefits of certain materials used to create garden decor. One of these is oak decking – so in this blog, we're going to give you a rundown of their benefits.
At Pennyhill Timber, we are dedicated to sourcing the best quality materials for the best possible prices. This great value approach has led to us establishing a renowned service in the local area, with people wanting all manner of garden decking in Guildford, Woking, Walton and throughout Surrey.
A key part of our service is our endeavour to offer each customer their ideal materials – with decking being a time-consuming and expensive project to undertake, it's vital to get it right the first time by choosing the best materials for the job. This is why we are always on hand to offer our advice and assistance when needed.
Speaking of which, here are just some of the benefits of oak wood for your decking:
Perhaps the most compelling reason why you should choose oak as your garden decking of choice is that it is a more durable material than softwood – with sufficient care it will have a far longer lifespan. The average softwood sleeper that is pressure treated will have a maximum useable lifespan of around 10 years. On the other hand, an oak sleeper will last for as much as three times as longer – some have even been known to last for 60+ years.
Filled under 'hardwood', you don't need to be Columbo to work out that oak is an extremely strong material – ideal to build decking or flooring with. Even a sleeper as small as an 8x2 is able to take over 50 tonnes of pressure when supported at both ends.
When installed, the look of oak sleepers will provide a strong, striking look. But what will your oak garden decking in Guildford look like over time/through environmental conditions? The colour of oak will eventually turn into a subtle silver colour, looking almost like stone from afar. This look will add a classic quality to the aesthetics of the garden, enhancing the look of the home too, giving it a sense of prestige and warmth.
Many years ago, the price of oak compared to softwood resulted in a dramatic difference – not so much these days. Homeowners can acquire longer-lasting oak sleepers for their garden decking in Guildford for just a couple of quid more than their softwood counterparts – making them a more cost-effective purchase in the long-term.
All of the oak sleepers that we sell here at Pennyhill are untreated, as the natural tannins (an organic substance found in many types of tree bark) already acts as an effective preservative – better than any man-made alternative. This provides them with a major advantage over reclaimed sleepers that may have been treated with creosote. Banned by the EU in 2006, creosote is a carcinogenic ( a substance that may cause cancer ) and there are rulings that limit what these types of sleepers can be used for.
These limiting factors concern the potential for creosote to leak from the sleepers. So it's important that wood that has been soaked in it must not be used to construct structures that are liable to be used constantly – such as a summer deck (where bare skin is likely to be exposed), children's play areas, dining areas or even inside the home.
It should be noted that softwood sleepers will not have the same issues of reclaimed sleepers but their treatments are (somewhat ironically) the main reason for their shorter lifespan – any attempt to majorly treat them again in the hope of extending their life further, could cause it to deteriorate further.
Please feel free to browse our product range to see the many types of timber we have on sale. If you have any questions that you like to ask regarding our garden decking in Guildford service (or indeed, on anything timber related!) our expert team would be pleased to hear from you. Give them a call on 01483 486 739 or alternatively, you can send an e-mail to info@pennyhilltimber.co.uk
If you live in-or-around the Surrey area yourself, you can even pop in to see us at our dedicated timber yard – we can be found at Lucas Green Road, West End, Woking, GU24 9YB
