Timber Recommendation for Decking in Singapore

Best Timber for Decking in Singapore

The best timber for Decking or Balcony Flooring in Singapore includes:

• Teak Decking
• Merbau Decking
• Chengal Decking
• Ironwood Decking

Hardwood is the choice of timber as it tends to have a higher dimensional stability. This will lead to minimal expansion and contraction to a certain extent.

Profile of Decking Planks:
Width of 95-140mm.
Thickness of > 20mm.

TEAK DECKING (WOOD DECKING)

Teak is a top tier timber material in the market, especially in the Southeast Asia region. It is a little to the higher side in terms of pricing but well worth it.

There is a high demand for it because of its exquisite natural patterns and natural oils. The natural oils act as a defense mechanism to harmful insect infestation as well as emollient for the timber. It also acts as a barrier for water. It deters water from seeping in that might cause damage in the long run. This makes teak one of the best timber material for both outdoor and indoor usage. Even though it’s Janka hardness is in the middle range, it has high dimensional stability. It is a popular timber material for making decking in yachts

If left unvarnished under the sun it will start to discolor over a period of time. The colour will turn to a greyish tone which some might find a liking to.

MERBAU DECKING (WOOD DECKING)

Merbau is almost on par with Teak for outdoor durability the only drawback is the bleeding of tannins. It has a very distinct maroon-like colour after staining which really brings the pool feature out.

It is a class 1 timber and is suitable for outdoor usage. Merbau is durable against insect, termite and fungal attack when exposed and shrinkage values are particularly low.

Normally there is little degrade on drying and once dry the wood is very stable.According to Malaysian Timber Council (MTC) “The stability of Merbau is outstanding beating even Teak.”

CHENGAL DECKING (WOOD DECKING)

Chengal Decking has been very popular in the southeast Asia region because it is one of the hardiest and durable timber material in the market.

It has a very high Janka hardness rating amongst Merbau and Teak. Nonetheless, we do not condone the use of it as the first choice for the best timber for decking material.

Chengal supply in Singapore mostly comes from Malaysia, and the supply of mature trees are scarce due to high demand.

Due to the value of the timber and the tree getting rare, Chengal receives special attention from the Forestry Department.

There is a minimum and maximum cutting limit to chop down this tree.

The tree is rightly classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

This leads to logging of plantation Chengal to meet demands.

Younger Chengal has characteristics that is not desirable:

• Younger trees tend to have lesser resistance to weather conditions and insect infestation
• Softer in nature and higher moisture content (higher shrinkage over time)
• Higher content of natural sugar which promotes bacteria growth
• Numerous hairline cracks

The best timber for decking in our opinion would be Teak decking. But in terms of value for money, we would recommend Merbau decking as the next best alternative.