Major factor to know before buying Merbau Timber Decking
Are you considering building a new deck? If this is the case, one of your most important selections will be to select the right materials. Merbau decking melbourne is preferred due to its reliability, longevity, and aesthetic appeal.
A Merbau decking is what everyone desires in Melbourne!
However, determining if Merbau decking is your ideal choice needs effort and time. This happens due to a huge number of options on the market. Here, our comprehensive guide will help you! In this post, we will discuss everything that you should know about Merbau timber decking. This includes it’s history, important factors to consider before making a purchase, its maintenance requirements, pros and cons, pricing, hardwood decking melbourne and more.
The History of Merbau Decking
The Kwila tree produces a beautiful hardwood species known as Merbau. These species are easily found in tropical regions, especially Australia, Queensland, India, Madagascar, Tanzania and the Indo-Pacific islands, mainly Fiji and Samoa. There are many applications of Merbau, like it can be used for flooring, landscaping, outdoor decking, marine-based construction, and musical instruments.
This hardwood is popular because of its remarkable beauty. It is mainly compared to the beauty of jarrah. This hardwood has great durability. It is known for its best toughness and flexibility. Some types of merbau timber have the ability to be unaffected by termites and weather. The simplest method of selection is to consider the benefits and drawbacks of different deck board choices. Here is a list of the advantages, disadvantages, and unattractive things associated with merbau decking.
Which Surface Texture Works Best for You?
Merbau decking 140X19mm has three different joint surface textures: smooth, brushed, and antiqued. Before making a purchase, you must know the advantages and disadvantages of all. These three sorts of hardwood supplies Melbourne available. Smooth Merbau: This type is mainly used for construction. This wood is basically popular for its uniform color and texture, which makes it easy to clean and protect. If you prefer a very smooth finish, Merbau may require frequent sanding. When Merbau gets wet, it can become slick.
Brushed Merbau: The surface of brushed Merbau is rougher than that of smooth timber. Hence, it is less slippery. Although it is difficult to clean. Scratches and dirt are also more likely to be visible.Antiqued Merbau: The more modern choice, has a worried, antique look. Its unique beauty contributes to its growing demand. However, it may be more costly as well as harder to get than other kinds of wood.
Features of Merbau:
1. Rich grain and color
The wood has a distinctive, richly reddish-brown color. This is it’s unique characteristic. Merbau’s unique appearance comes from its excellent mix of light and dark stripes. It ages gracefully, developing a silver-grey patina over time.
2. Strength and Durability
Due to its high density as a hardwood, Merbau is resistive to dents and scratches. Because of its natural oils, it is extremely durable to rot and attacks by insects.
3. Natural Resistance
Merbau is a good material for outdoor use. It is trendy in climates with varying temperatures because of its built-in durability to termites, germs, and rot.
Benefits of Merbau Timber:
Although there are many benefits of using Merbau wood for decking, but the most important benefits are listed below:
1. Protection from Bushfire
There are seven woods suitable for decking in Australia’s bushfire-prone areas. Merbau timber is one of those seven woods. This wood does not catch fire easily and works best for decking in these situations.
2. Flexibility
This hardwood is solid, yet flexible enough. It can be molded with a saw and can be used as per the requirement. As a result, it is very easy task to shape and work with this kind of wood to build decking.
3. Appropriate for outdoor use
Merbau has a low rate of expansion and coherence, which are rare in other wood species. This increases the demand of Merbau as a decking material.
4. Price
While checking the prices of the timber, you must remember some key points. On the one hand, the price of timber varies depending on the type of wood you selected. Hardwoods like Merbau are often more costly than softwoods like pine.
Secondly, the size of the wood boards can impact the pricing. The cost of the larger boards are more than smaller ones. Also, the prices vary as per the quality too. The good quality timber has more prices then the low quality ones. But, the high quality lumber has more longevity and is more attractive than the low quality timber.
Disadvantages of Merbau Timber:
1. Messy and oily
The high tannin or oil level of merbau is due to its origin in rainforest. When the wood gets wet, the oily tannin section causes the colours to bleed. Any materials (paving, walls, concrete) next to your deck may become colourless when your merbau deck bleeds, so remember this when selecting your decking lumber.
2. Impact on environment
Like other timbers, Merbau lumber has the sad truth of causing rainforest deforestation. This becomes especially difficult when the timber originates from countries such as Asia where economical logging procedures are not given as much importance. The prices of Merbau and other woods have risen over time due to unsustainable logging methods. This has an adverse impact on the environment. Moreover, the budget of consumers has also been impacted.
Process of Merbau decking:
A three-step process is used by Auswood Timber & Hardware for their Merbau decking
- Once you settle the boards, wash them properly with Power Prep. This is a special solution that removes toxins from the material.
- In order to prepare the surface for putting the finishing oil, clean with a reviver for getting rid of the dark tannins.
- Apply the required oil in two to three coats.
How much does a deck made of Merbau cost?
Hardwood timber decking comes in various varieties. Some common types include Blackbutt, Merbau, Jarrah, Karri, Spotted Gum, and Ironbark (available in both grey and red). The cost of narrow deck boards, with widths of 90mm, is slightly lower per square meter than wider boards, with widths of 135 to 150mm. The majority of hardwood decking is supplied in irrregular lengths.
You have to spend double, if you want to build your new deck using just long deck boards that are 5.4 to 6.1 meters in length. In the same way, the cost listed per square metre may also increase for thicker decking materials—up to 40mm. Additionally, the pre-oiled and modelled Merbau decking cost per square metre is also somewhat higher.
Tips for Maintenance of Merbau Decking
Here are some tips that will help you maintain your deck and to keep it in best condition:
- Clean your deck on regular basis to remove the layer of waste and dirt.
- If you have a power washer then use it on your deck to remove any tough spots.
- If you find the boards to be weak, broken, cracked or even damaged then please replace them immediately.
- It’s good if you give your deck a fresh coat of sealant or paint every year. This will help you to save your wood from fading and becoming easily breakable.
Hence, just by following these simple tips, you can maintain your deck in the best condition for many years.
Pro-tip: If you love your planet and aim to lower your impact on the planet’s greenery, composite decking possibly be a smarter choice. Most composite decks are made of recyclable materials and don’t harm rainforests. Brands like Trex, which are dedicated to natural sustainability without neglecting durability or elegance, make it so simple.
What’s Next?
Nowadays, Marbau wood is becoming more difficult to find. Many Australian homeowners think that deck building is an expensive option. Despite that most of the decking items are imported. But the cheaper section of the market is supplied by the other available decking timber suppliers.
Sometimes, adopting the cheaper materials available in the market will ultimately result in huge maintenance costs. By finding the right material today, you can avoid spending more later. So, with its stunning beauty and inherent durability, Merbau decking can be a perfect choice for your deck.
In Melbourne, Auswood Timber & Hardware is your one-stop shop for timber and composite decking. We provide decking services. We’ll match you with a deck expert from our group of skilled, pre-screened installers. They can install the deck of your choice for your house. For a quote or sample boards for your outdoor area, contact us. We will connect you with a professional builder to complete the project. We will supply you with elegant merbau timber.
Do you want to know how much merbau decking will cost? Contact us now!