When considering a professional decking installation either for domestic or commercial, do you always specify or request 21mm thickness hardwood timber?
21mm Hardwood Decking
21mm Ipe, Kurupay (INFONA) or Teak (FSC), perhaps most durability class 1 timber would be acceptable for the majority of installations, although, in some cases thicker timber is more appropriate.
The advantages of 21mm timber is that it will suit a wide range of applications, is cost effective and when installed correctly will provide a stable area for loads up to 4 kN per square metre.
28mm Hardwood Decking
28mm Massaranduba or Lapacho, again there are many different decking hardwood species to choose from. So the thickness increases and so does the price, there are also benefits to consider!
Enhanced longevity, increased board width, wider joists span (500mm/400mm) and quicker installation. This is the intermediate board thickness usually used for increased foot traffic or the large garden party deck. This board thickness should be considered for pubs and restaurants, the thicker the board the more durability you are going to have.
Now we are increasing the decking thickness we should perhaps consider is it worth installing over a standard treated pine sub-structure? Hardwood timber carcassing would be advantageous as the increase of longevity in the thicker board will surely last longer than the substructure; why not have a hardwood substructure that will last the same?
35mm Hardwood Decking
35mm thickness, Elondo (FSC) or Merbau (FSC) the supreme and highest quality decking material available. This ultra thickness is only attained by using the very highest quality and select raw timber materials.
This timber is rather expensive and a once in a lifetime install. Once installed over a hardwood timber substructure, using stainless steel fixings, this decking will outlive all other timber decking. It is by far the most durable and will take the severest of punishments of heavy foot traffic and is suitable for all marine applications.
The substructure joists centres can now be as much as 600mm making an easy option for balconies with steels already in place at these wider intervals.
The stability of this timber is in a class of its own and has been supplied to some of the world’s largest and most luxurious installations.
For more details of the origin and evolution of contemporary outdoor wooden flooring consult Exterpark by Exterior Decking.
Construction News
25/04/2012
Exeterpark Supplies Thickest Decking For Contracts In Europe

16/04/2025
Pennyfarthing Homes has officially broken ground at Danes Park in New Milton, launching construction on a significant new residential development that will deliver 164 homes.
To mark the milestone, directors from Pennyfarthing Homes welcomed Councillor Steve Davies, Portfolio Holder for Housing and

16/04/2025
GMI Construction Group is celebrating the official opening of Dakota Newcastle, the North East's first Dakota Hotel, situated on Newcastle's Quayside.
The 118-room luxury boutique hotel, located at St Anne's Wharf, has welcomed its first guests and is poised to become a major addition to the region

16/04/2025
Gleeds has been named project manager for the billion-pound redevelopment of Airedale General Hospital in Keighley, West Yorkshire on behalf of Airedale NHS Foundation Trust.
The award-winning trust employs over 3,000 people and provides acute, elective, specialist and community care for a populat

16/04/2025
Morgan Sindall Construction has marked the official opening of a new Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) teaching block and a specialist hydrotherapy pool at Philip Southcote School in Addlestone, in a celebration attended by students, families and local officials.
The event brought t

16/04/2025
Bedford Borough Council has successfully completed a footpath refurbishment programme across several of its parks and open spaces.
The initiative, funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), targeted key parks across the borough following a detailed review that identified areas in need of repa

16/04/2025
Wates Fit Out has announced the appointment of Phoebe Wood as Senior Business Development Manager, where she will lead the team's business development efforts and support the growth of new opportunities across the commercial fit-out sector.
With close to three years of experience in the built envir

16/04/2025
United Living has announced the appointment of Claire Kershaw as Chief Executive Officer of United Living Property Services.
With over two decades of experience in the social housing sector, Claire brings a wealth of knowledge in property maintenance, refurbishment, and regeneration. Her career inc

16/04/2025
Sempra Homes, the housing subsidiary of Basildon Council, is preparing to launch its latest 100% affordable housing development at Bowers Close on London Road in Pitsea, Essex.
The new development will deliver 31 high-quality homes aimed at increasing access to affordable housing for local residen

15/04/2025
Costain, working as part of the SMP Alliance, has completed the construction of 41 new emergency areas on the M1 motorway between junctions 28 and 35A, delivering the project ahead of schedule.
The newly installed emergency areas span a 32-mile stretch of motorway running from Derbyshire to South Y

15/04/2025
Great Places Housing Group has formally submitted plans for the first development to come forward under the newly approved masterplan for the regeneration of the Grey Mare Lane neighbourhood in east Manchester.
The proposal outlines a new affordable housing scheme comprising 82 apartments for socia