Composite Vs. Timber Balustrades

When building a perimeter for your decking, external timber balustrade solutions are often chosen by many homeowners. But is this the right choice? A timber balustrade for decking, undeniably, have many aesthetic advantages, but they could end up compromising the overall safety of your decking space in the long term. The smart alternative solution is to use composite material instead of a decking timber balustrade option, as they boast greater strength, more design options, and further customisation opportunities. In this useful blog article, we will compare the benefits of timber and composite balustrades, to help you to determine which is best for your raised decking or balcony balustrade projects. Let’s take a look…

Unless effectively painted or pressure treated, timber balustrade deck rails can absorb the moisture in the air, which can cause the structure to slowly fall apart. This is obviously a significant problem for something that it is supposed to take your weight. Timber can also split and crack if subjected to any strong, external pressures, like a small child or household pet running into the supports. This can be dangerous if your decking project is raised above the ground. Even small raised projects benefit from an additional balustrade support, to help those less steady on their feet, as falls can result in injury.

In contrast, NeoTimber’s composite balustrade system is made up of a composite post and rail sleeve, which fit perfectly over a metal support beam. This provides your balustrades with the strength and security of metal, but with the visual appeal of high quality composite. Aside from the additional support that metal understandably has, composite alone has qualities that benefit your balustrade’s overall longevity. Capped composite is weatherproof, as the extra plastic shell locks out the damaging effects of moisture. All of our composite balustrades are afforded too with an unbeatable 25-year warranty for residential projects, or a 10-year warranty for commercial projects.

Unlike traditional decking timber balustrade solutions, composite balustrades come supplied in a wide range of high-quality colours. With an exterior timber balustrade, to achieve your desired colour choice, you will likely have to annually paint the surface of your railing to keep the colour rich. With NeoTimber’s balustrade solution, the composite material itself is dyed with one of our five colours, imbuing the rails and posts with a eye-catching, premium tone. These colours include antique, teak, chocolate, grey, and charcoal.

All of our composite balustrade colours have been designed to match with our existing decking, cladding, and fencing ranges, to help you easily create a full NeoTimber® garden solution should you choose to. The colour will last for the long term, as the composite surface of the balustrades, unlike timber is UV-fade resistant. To protect a timber balustrade from similar fading, you will need to stain it annually with preservatives, which will be an additional cost beyond your initial purchase.

NeoTimber’s composite balustrades also have the advantage of being flexible in their design, with a more modular, customisable system than their timber counterparts, that allow it to be used for both straight surfaces and stairs. Explore our documents and downloads page for more information and specific installation instructions. Often when creating stairs for your decking, timber balustrade options are slightly more cumbersome and time consuming than composite alternatives.

Our helpful kit builders and calculators make it easy for you to work out how many balustrade components you will need for your project. Please note, our calculator is best used as an approximate, and we would still recommend contacting one of our sales team before you finalise your purchase. Not sure if composite is right for you? You can use our visualiser, or order free samples by filling in an online form, to help you see the colour and feel the texture of the composite railing for yourself.