Costs & Guides

Do you have a desire for backyard decking?

For 15m2 of softwood decking, you should budget between £800 and £1200 for installation fees. The price of hardwood or composite decking will be marginally higher (between £1400 and £2200).

For a thorough analysis of the price of new decking per square metre, tradesmen’s fees for installing decking, and much more, read this guide.

The cost of decking a garden

Are you considering installing decking in your garden?

We outline all the installation expenses for decking that you need to be aware of in this article.

We’ll discuss how much decking installation should cost per square metre, how long it should take to install, and other helpful information.

We may also assist you in making connections with nearby decking experts if you’re prepared to receive a quote for your new decking.

When you want to design a more fashionable yet useful method to enter your yard, choosing garden decking is a common option.

So let’s get started.

What will it cost to install a deck in 2024?

Installing roughly 15 m2 of softwood decking will cost between £800 and £1200.

Hardwood decking installation costs will range from £1800 to £2200 for roughly the same area, while composite wood decking installation fees will be in the range of £1400 to £1800.

Prices for Garden Decking

But hold on.

What will the price of decking be in 2023?

Type of Decking	Cost Per Metre
Softwood	£3-£6
Hardwood	£4-£10
Composite	£8-£12
uPVC	£5-10

Cost per square metre should not be confused with decking pricing per square metre.

The price of medium-quality decking wood would be between £400 and £550 to cover an area of 20m2. Costs for a larger area of 40m2 would range from £700 to £900.

What Additional Costs Arise During Deck Installation?

What extra fees might you incur when new outdoor decking is installed?

Here are a few that you need to be informed of.

Costs of Garden Maintenance

The hourly rate for a gardener might be anywhere from £20 to £110.

However, the majority of gardeners charge a set rate that lasts for at least two hours.

Because of this, you should budget between £40 to £220 for expert garden maintenance. Most likely, it will be in the lower half of this range.

Cost of Garden Waste Removal

It would probably take 45 minutes to remove your garden debris, and it will cost you between £100 and £200.

The final fee will be determined by how much garden waste you want removed.

For instance: Having roughly 300kg (20 bags) of rubbish removed might cost between £80 and £110, whereas having 900kg (60 bags) of garden waste removed ought to cost between £200 and £230.

Cost of Weed Proof Membrane

To keep garden weeds from growing through your decking, you might install a weed-proof membrane (like broad-leaved dock and nettles).

Each pack of this will probably cost around £30. It will also need additional labour, which might cost between £20 and £40 per hour (assuming it is on top of an ongoing work schedule).

Setting up Deck Steps

Deck steps are an additional feature you might have added to your decking.

The price of decking steps can range from £50 to £215. Depending on how long the job will take, the labour charges will vary, but usually, people charge between £20 and £40 per hour.

Cost of Decking Installation

What should you anticipate paying for labour to install a deck in your garden?

Remember that these are average estimations before we discuss them. The price of installing a deck will be significantly influenced by where you are located in the UK.

For a 15 m2 area, installing softwood decking will cost about £300 to £400 in labour, whereas installing hardwood decking will cost twice as much (about £600 to £800).

For a 15 m2 composite deck, installation fees will range from £500 to £620. The same space may be covered for hundreds less (about £300 to £330) with uPVC decking.

The cost to install medium-quality timber decking for a bigger area of 20m2 would be between £1000 and £1250. The cost of installing the decking would be between £1800 and £2200 for a space that is twice as large as this (40m2).

How Much Time Does Decking Installation Take?

In this section, we’ll talk about how long it takes to build different kinds of decking, including uPVC, composite, hardwood, and softwood.

The length of time needed to install different types and sizes of decking in your garden is broken down in the chart below.

Type/ Size	Installation Time
Softwood	1-2 Days
Hardwood	1-2 Days
Composite	1-2 Days
uPVC	1-2 Days
Low-cost decking boards (20m²)	2-3 Days
Low-cost decking boards (40m²)	4 Days
Medium-priced decking boards (20m²)	2-3 Days
Medium-priced decking boards (40m²)	4 Days
Premium-priced decking boards (20m²)	2-3 Days
Premium-priced decking boards (40m²)	4 Days

It might, however, require more time.

The following variables affect how long it takes to install decking:

• How big your garden is?
• Condition of the Decking (as a poor decking area may need additional groundwork or preparation).
• Accessibility to your garden.

Decking Types

In the following section, we’ll go through the various types of decking in more detail.

The definition of each form of decking, related expenses, and advantages and disadvantages are covered in each of the subsections below. Once more, labour expenses are based on a 15 m2 area.

Costs of Softwood Decking

Coniferous, evergreen trees like spruce and pine are used to make softwood decking. Softwoods make up about 4 out of 5 different types of timber, and they are frequently used to create softwood decking.

Softwood decking costs between £3 to £6 per metre to supply, while labour to build this kind of decking will run you about £300 to £400. The most affordable decking materials are typically those made of softwood.

Pros:
A cheaper form of decking.
Simple to install
You should expect pressure-treated softwood to last a very long time.
Friendlier to the environment than hardwood.
Cons:
Softwood decking will require routine upkeep.
Less resilient than hardwood.

Costs of Hardwood Decking

Deciduous trees with a moderate growth rate are used to make hardwood decking. Examples of several hardwood varieties include maple and European oak.

The price range for installing hardwood decking is between £600 and £800. Hardwood typically costs £4 to £10 per metre to supply.
Pros:
High-quality decking
Very robust
Greater flammability than softwood decking. 
Greater flammability than softwood decking.  
Limitless design possibilities.
Cons: 
Installation may be more time- and labour-intensive.
A pricey variety of decking.
Need periodic upkeep.

Costs of Composite Decking

Wood and plastic are both used in composite decking. It will cost you between £8 and £12 per square metre.

Installing composite decking will probably cost between £500 and £620, which is more expensive than softwood or uPVC decking options.

Pros:
Durable.
Obtainable in a variety of colours and textures. 
Cons:
Costly compared to softwood or uPVC decking.
The composite decking’s colour cannot be modified.
Dark colours on composite decking might fade over time.

Costs of uPVC Decking

This kind of decking is entirely constructed of plastic. The cost of installing uPVC decking will be between £300 and £330, with uPVC material typically costing between £5 and £10 per metre.
Pros:
One of the more affordable kinds of decking materials.
Highly unlikely to get slippery—even in particularly wet conditions.
Never rots.
The uPVC decking doesn’t need to be maintained.
Cons:
More challenging to install.
Can become especially hot during the summer, which might make it unsuitable for Walking without shoes (or for pets to walk across).

How much does it cost to repair decking?

We break down the price of various decking repairs in this section.

Repairing rotting decking boards and decking joists are two frequent decking repairs.

Deteriorated deck boards

The essential portions of wood will need to be removed in order to repair decking that has been rotted. To remove severely corroded portions, the planks should be handled with a wire brush after being turned upside down.

Once the decking boards have dried, they can be soaked and given a second wire brushing. The condition of the wood can also be improved by using a substance like CPES.

A filler could also be required to cover any gaps left by removing rusted or worn-out pieces of wood. The decking boards must then be put back where they came from.

This method may be applied by a professional. They might suggest that you swap out the decking boards, though. In some cases, this is a quicker and more affordable choice than having them repaired.

The price to install new decking boards can range from £3 to £12 per metre, with a professional charging a minimum of £40 to £50 for work that takes no more than two hours. Based on this, you might have to pay between £80 and £90 to repair five decking planks.

Decking joist repair

After a quick inspection, rotting portions on decking joists can be removed and repaired.

Then, before the joist is reinforced, sealer should be applied. The joist’s reinforcement must then be fixed.

If you decide to employ a pro to install replacement decking joists, you may anticipate paying between £5 and £7 for pinewood, £9 to £11 for softwood, and between £14 and £16 for hardwood.

The labour expenses will probably range from £20 to £25 per hour. The tradesperson will likely charge a minimum flat cost of two hours.

How much does it cost to maintain a deck?

In this part, we’ll talk about the costs associated with conducting different kinds of deck maintenance.

Decking with Paint, Stain, or Oil

While staining is made specifically to paint a colour onto the wood, painting the decking can also give it vibrancy and life. Oil is used to apply a suitable finish and give your decking a shiny, attractive appearance.

The ideal time to paint, stain, or oil decking is in late May or early August. Your decking should be stained at least every two years. You should oil your decking every 6 to 12 months. In terms of painting, it might only be necessary sometimes.

For painting decking, a painter will bill a minimum of around £27 to £37 (a two-hour flat rate) and an extra £14 to £18 per hour beyond the first two.

The size of your decking, how easily you can access your garden, and where you are located in the UK will all affect how much labour will cost you overall.

If the work is done by a professional, the supply costs will be added to the labour charges; if it is done by you alone, the cost of the supplies will be the only expense.

Given that 2–6 litres of paint will be required, the supply costs to paint a decking with a surface area of 20m2 will probably range from £30 to £120. Decking needs to be painted one to three times.

You should expect to pay between £40 and £200 for the wood stain paint supply expenses for the same piece of decking. The deck should be painted with stain after two coats of paint. In terms of labour costs, a painter will charge the same per hour for this kind of work as was previously stated.

You should have enough oil (1 litre) for two coatings for every square metre of decking. It will require two to three oil coats. Therefore, if a deck is 20 m2, you might need 20 to 30 litres of oil to completely coat it.

20 to 30 litres of oil will probably cost between £80 to £240 in total. If a painter is hired, the labour costs will once more range from £14 to £18 per hour.
Decking cleaning

Deck cleaning may entail giving the decking a thorough wash and making an effort to get rid of any dirt, rotten wood, and undesirable stains that have developed on the deck. Cleaning the decking is best done in the spring or fall, when the temperature is consistently over 11°C.

About once each year, you should clean your decking. The labour charges for cleaning a deck will probably range from £50 to £100 for a minimum of two hours, with a cost per square metre of the clean likely to be between £1 and £2.

This indicates that it will cost between £70 and £140 to clean a decking that is about 20m2. Depending on the supplies you need, the supply costs will change if you decide to do the work yourself.

Depending on how thorough of a clean is required, You can effectively clean your deck with a pressure washer, which will cost you between £80 and £200. A scrubber brush and a deck cleaning solution (10–20 pounds) are two more things you could decide to purchase.

Decking sanding

Sanding should be done to old and worn decking to level it out and remove flaws.

The best times to sand your decking are in the spring or the fall, and when there is little to no rain expected for a few days.

Before staining, your decking needs to be sanded. This means that it must be sanded every two years before staining or whenever else necessary.

It will generally cost you £14 per square metre to have your decking sanded, with a professional charging £40 to £50 as a flat rate and then about £20 to £25 per hour after that.

The overall labour costs for a 20m2 sundeck are probably going to run you between £400 and £500.

This is predicated on the task taking roughly six and a half hours.

You’ll probably need to spend between £10 and £50 on supplies if you decide to sand the deck by yourself. Of course, the sort of decking you have and the space it covers will determine how much sandpaper you’ll need to completely sand your decking.

How Much Does Decking Removal Cost?

If you decide to remove the decking because you no longer need it or if you want to replace it with another surface, like paving stones or fake grass, those are two options.

Your decking removal will likely cost you between £100 and £500 if done by a professional. Another option is to hire a skip for about £50 to $200.

The amount of decking you want to be removed will determine how big of a skip you require. Decking can be disposed of using a skip or a “man and van” service.

FAQS

How much decking will I require?

A: The size of the space you want to cover will determine how many decking boards you’ll need. This and other information, such as the number of joists and posts your decking will need, can be calculated using a decking calculator.

What does composite decking entail?

A: Composite decking is a choice that combines plastic and wood components.

How long is decking durable?

A: If properly maintained, decking can endure 15 to 30 years.

Which wood makes the greatest decking?

A: The best woods for decking include redwood and cedar.

What does uPVC decking mean?

A: uPVC decking is a type of plastic used for decking.