Like fences, decking is one of those products that people immediately associate with timber. But increasingly, decking is being made from a variety of more modern high-performance materials – including aluminium.
Decking’s come a long way since its first big resurgence.
Back in the ‘90s, thanks in no small part to Alan Titchmarsh, Tommy Walsh, Charlie Dimmock and Ground Force, the most successful garden makeover show of the decade, its popularity boomed.
In 1997, the year the show began, B&Q’s decking sales were tiny – just £5,000. By 2001, that figure had ballooned to £16m.
One of the most appealing attributes was its versatility – it could be used to flatten sloping lawns with a raised base, to make paths and walkways, to surround garden ponds, and to floor roofs and balconies, all at a price that was affordable.
But even as people rushed out to buy the products that would give their garden the same look as the ones they saw on TV, at the time the decking available was quite limited.
You could have any material you liked, as long as it was timber – pine, cedar and oak ranking amongst the most popular.
But timber, as classically attractive and readily available as it is, has problems, as everyone in our sector is well aware.
It will rot, it can twist and warp, and can require a great deal of maintenance to keep looking and performing its best. What’s more, a build up of moss can make it dangerous slippery underfoot.
Which has led to the development of a wide range of alternatives – one of the most popular of which is aluminium.
Aluminium ticks all the boxes
Why aluminium? To those of us brought up in an era when fencing and decking meant wood and nothing else, metal might initially sound like a strange choice.
But on closer examination, aluminium has all the attributes you’d need for an application like decking.
It’s strong, it’s lightweight, easy to handle, it’s watertight and weather resistant. It offers sleek, fashionable aesthetics, low maintenance and with high anti-slip ratings, good traction for all areas.
In fact, at F.H. Brundle, we think it’s a great alternative decking material – which is why we’ve recently unveiled our new Synergised aluminium decking range.
Fast, fashionable and built to last
Synergised is a robust, fully fire-rated aluminium decking system designed to meet the rigorous demands of twenty-first century usage, and help tradespeople throughout the sector win lucrative new business.
Synergised decking is made from structural-grade 6063 T6 aluminium, and finished with a 100 micron Qualicoat™ premium powder coating, giving it exceptional colour retention, even after years of exposure to the sun.
What’s more, it’s highly slip-resistant surface is comfortable underfoot, and stays cool in hot weather, making it perfect for garden applications – while the fact it’s A1 & A2fl-s1 fire-rated at heights of 18m for commercial buildings and 11m for residential make it ideal for high-rise settings.
Tested to EN13501, EN 12823 and EN ISO 1716, the system achieves A1 and A2fl-s1 ratings.
The Synergised system is also extremely quick and easy to install and offers a 50% cost saving when compared to other similar systems.
Its mill finish non-combustible subframe is available in 3 heights with the 20mm option ideal for ultra-low profile applications. Lightweight and easy to cut, it’s extremely quick to assemble and fit.
The system’s mill finish non-combustible fully adjustable cradles make for a very simple install, too – with height adjustment ranging from 45mm to 180mm, which, combined with our joist profiles, will deliver decking at the exact angle required.
Altogether, Synergised scan be fitted with up to a 50% cost saving compared to other aluminium decking systems, and comes with an expected product life expectancy of over 25 years.