Deck Builders Main Beach

Residential and commercial decking around Main Beach

Alongside home decks, we take on decking for managed and commercial properties: outdoor customer areas for cafes and retail, office break-out decks, body corporate common areas, and replacement decks on investment properties for landlords and property managers. Commercial work can be timber or composite, and is scoped and quoted the same way: measure, assess what is there, then a fixed written price.

Salt in the air settles on everything, and every time it rains or the dew comes in, it attacks steel. On a deck close to the beach we see galvanised screws rusting through within a few years, leaving black stains around every fixing in a hardwood board. Joist hangers and post brackets corrode in the same way, and they are the parts actually holding the deck up.

The fixings we use near the coast

For hardwood boards, we use stainless steel screws, normally grade 316 near the water. They cost more than galvanised screws, but on a deck of 30 or 40 square metres the difference is small compared with re-screwing the whole deck later. For composite, we use the clip and screw system the manufacturer specifies for that board. Ekodeck and Ezy Decking both have hidden clip systems, and we follow their coastal guidance.

Structural hardware matters just as much. Brackets, stirrups and bolts near the beach should be hot-dip galvanised as a minimum, and stainless where they are exposed to spray. We also keep dissimilar metals apart where we can, because stainless and galvanised steel touching in a salty environment can speed up corrosion.

Ventilation under the deck

A deck built close to the ground with no airflow traps damp underneath. The frame stays wet, the boards cup, and fungal decay starts in the joists. We leave a gap between boards, keep the sides at least partly open or use a ventilated skirt, and make sure water drains away from under the frame rather than pooling there.

Hardwood or composite by the beach

Hardwood

Spotted gum, blackbutt and merbau are the common choices. Hardwood handles salt well on its own, but it greys if you do not oil it. Some people like the silver look, and that is fine as long as the boards are cleaned now and then. If you want it to stay warm and brown, plan on oiling it about once a year.

Composite

Composite boards do not need oiling and do not split. They do need a wash a few times a year near the beach, because salt and sand build up and can leave a dull film. Capped boards with a hard outer shell resist this better. Read more on our composite decking page.

Replacing an old deck near the beach

Many decks near the beach were built with treated pine frames and galvanised fixings. When we pull up the boards, we often find the frame is still sound but the bolts and brackets are corroded. Sometimes the right move is new hardware and new boards on the existing frame. Sometimes the frame has gone soft and it all has to come out. We tell you which after we have looked underneath, not before. The deck replacement page explains how we check an old frame.

Supply and install, or install only

We can supply the boards, frame and fixings, or install materials you have sourced. If you supply, please check the fixings with us before you order. Choosing the wrong grade is the most common reason a deck near the beach starts to look tired early.

Rough costs

As a general guide, timber decking runs roughly $350 to $550 per m² and composite $450 to $700 per m² supplied and installed, depending on height, access, framing and finishes. Stainless fixings, balustrades, stairs and removing an old deck are added on top. You get a fixed price once we have measured.