The clients wanted a decking material which would be low maintenance, easy to clean, and would last. Rooftop Terrace projects are not small ticket property investments so they wanted something which would last, to avoid having to replace it again. This is where selecting your decking brand you install becomes very important. While numerous manufacturers have good looking decking, the question is always how long will it look like its new?

The colour scheme is one part of the equation. This rooftop deck has some fencing along one side which is hardwood, and has been weathered and silvered from UV light. So that leaves a natural grey colour on one side.

How to choose your Decking Board Colour?

First the clients considered what colours they already had on their rooftop terrace.The steel fencing at the back of the rooftop is black iron. The third side of the roof deck had Jacksons Fencing Tongue and Groove Panels painted white, and the front brick wall is finished with white rendering. So our colours before we start are White, Black, and natural Silver. The planting features multiple natural Green and Grey Shades from the Olive Trees and the Bamboo in Planters.

The two main colour options for most decking are shades of brown in Earth Tones replicating new Timber of various types, or Grey tones. Their are also some modern dark woods tones which replicate Shou Sugi Ban, charred Cypress, and light White and Light Grey tones which are designed to give a neutral, coastal vibe.

Each colour has its place, but also has maintenance requirements with mid greys and browns being the best at hiding dirt between cleanings. Anyone who has ever had a dark timber floor installed or very light coloured flooring knows every single speck of dust and dirt shows up immediately so they require constant cleaning to maintain the immaculate appeaeance, while mid-tones minimise this.To best pair with the existing colour of the silvered hardwood, the clients selected Trex Lineage Biscayne. This selection means the flooring on their roof terrace would blend well with the existing colour scheme versus adding a new colour or clashing with the existing colours. For this reason, along with its industry-leading 50 year guaranter, Trex Lineage Biscayne decking boards are our most popular colour for the past few years.

Trex Composite Bench Seat | Design Elements

The main feature of this deck is bench seating. There are four sides to this rooftop deck. The side to the front has a wall which has white rendering. The side to the rear has an Iron Fence. On one side there is Jacksons Fencing Tongue & Groove Panel Fencing to a height of 1.2mt. This leaves one side remaining. The remaining side has a low parapet wall, and the back of the neighbors hardwood fence.

The client wanted to hide the unattractive parapet wall to make the entire area attractive.The solution was to build a frame over the parapet wall and clad it in decking. We proposed making the elevation of the cladding at chair or bench height so it becomes a multi-purpose bench seat when needed, or a platform for planter beds. At this height, a dining table could easily sit parallel to the bench to provide plenty of seating. The main idea here is combining the design element with multi-purpose functionality use cases.

Rooftop Terrace

When carrying out rooftop terrace projects, certain building codes are required in the planning and construction phase.

Ballustrades and Barriers must be 1.1mt height from the decking surface if the decking is more than 600mm from the ground. In this case our steel Fence is over 1.1mt height. The front area of the rooftop deck has a brick wall as the barrier.

All decks on residential buildings over 18 meters high from the ground must use materials with an A1 or A2 fire rating, meaning they must be non-combustible or have limited combustibility. In this case our deck is below 18 mt from the ground level so this does not apply.

Visit our Balcony and Terrace page for more information and case studies.

Visit our Decking Centre to get started on your project.

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When I first went to this Nine Elms project I actually wasn’t sure if Oilcanfinish should bid for it. It was a wonderful area, and the clients gave us a realistic budget to work with, however the obstacles were significant.In total it was 60 Square Meters of decking to be replaced. The project comprised 3 balconies (2 balconies, 1 terrace actually). The flat was on the 9th floor. The parking garage has a 2mt clearance, meaning all materials would be delivered, and all waste had to be moved, not only down 9 stories but also across the rather large underground parking lot and outside the building.

The main two concerns were fire rating and project logistics of materials handling.

A1 Fire Rated Decking

In the post-Grenfell Tower era, Fire Ratings matter. They always should have, but most people ignored them primarily in an effort to reduce costs.Currently, if your project is over a certain height from the ground, it must have an A1 Fire Rating for both the decking, the framing, and the pedastals or supports. The only materials which achieve this rating are Steel, Stone, and Fibre Cement. No timber or composite decking or cladding has an A1 Fire Rating.

The client still wanted a Deck-like appearance, so Porcelain Planks is what we proposed with an Alumimium Subframe. Aluminium decking boards was also a compliant option, however we did not see anything visually appealing, and for this type of property, appearance matters.

Materials Handling and Deliveries/Removals

This was a question of labour. Scaffolding was not an option, and it is too high for cranes, so it meant manually shifting 360 porcelain planks at 15kg each up to the 9th floor in small batches. Same with the much lighter Aluminium Framing all of which was too long to fit into the elevator so each joist had to be cut to fit the elevator, then reconnected into its former length once upstairs. Also, all of the old decking waste had to be bagged and taken down the same way.

Porcelain Decking

We have been watching the market for A1 Fire Rated decking products from different manufacturers of Steel decking but have never found one which looks like it would fit into the properties of our clientele. The appearance of steel decking is industrial, walking on the boards is noisy, and it gets very hot underfoot.

Clients in upper floor flats in Nine Elms, Chelsea, and Battersea and the surrounding areas prefer something a bit more refined and have a certain style expectation, specifically that their interior flooring style is extended outside to their terrace or balcony.

Porcelain is a different story than steel decking as the appearance is consistent with what they already have in their kitchens and bathrooms, but a porcelain decking board, or plank, with a woodgrain finish is the best of both worlds.

Go back to other options for Oilcanfinish Balconies

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