Decking questions

Now we've finished all the unfinished jobs, I'm looking for a new project & have had my eye on the little area of the garden & what do with it, hub wanted a pond but too much hard work & I want decking.
So who has it? is it easy to keep looking nice? does it get ruined over the winter? would love to see any pics of your decking & much to hubs dismay I want one with a fence around it......... or maybe even a rope fence.
I've also seen this new stuff which is like astro turf type stuff in the panels & like the look of that. (They also do it in dark red) Does anyone have this?

I've got decking and have had it down for 10 years.

How it looks when weathered really depends on what specie of timber its made from.Mine is iroko which is an African hardwood and naturally turns silver,but it also depends if you have patio furniture,pots etc on the decking as it will go green where water runs off regulary.

Best way of cleaning decking is dilute household bleach with water,work it in with a stiff brush and allow to soak for 5 minutes then jet off with a pressure washer.The bleach kills off all the moss,algae,litchen which grows on timber.If i double dose the bleach it lightens the timber colour and looks like a beach board walk.Best thing though is to use Ronseal decking oil once every 2 years.

Good points with decking;
Its nice and warm to walk on when barefoot on a sunny day.
Its soft to walk on.
It dont look harsh like paving slabs.

Bad points;
It will eventually rot as its a natural product.
Can be slippery when wet-even grooved boards are slippy.
Slugs love to live under raised decks.
Timber needs maintaining unlike slabs.

I thought about having a rope surround initially as i wanted a nautical theme,but decided against it as i wanted to have somewhere you could lean on so opted for post and rail instead.

My decking has been down about 10 years probably more actually and still looks the same as when it was laid, it isn't stained I prefer it natural and just pressure wash it each spring to keep it clean and algae free. Mine is too big to fit in one photo but it basically surrounds an L shaped pond with bar b q area etc. These were taken last week and not specifically of the decking but it gives you the idea, we don't have any fence or railings though it just surrounded by plants on all sides. I was having a tidy up so try and ignore all the crap in the background I don't use anything other than the pressure washer to clean it and it really doesn't need anything else, I don't treat it either cos of the fish.

Thanks guys I love to pressure wash & am always doing the slabs but I know it takes the colour off if you do it on stained wood & I do want something that is easy to maintain.
Gorgeous pics Trouble, that is lovely with pond too (won't be letting my hub see that!!) Do the dogs bother the fish?

No the fish are pretty bombproof Rio got pushed in the pond by Syd the other day when they were all charging about and they didn't bat an eyelid at 35kgs of Dobermann landing on them. It's very deep though so they have room to get out of the way. The dogs don't make any attempt to eat the fish and the fish will swim right up to the dogs while the dogs are drinking out of the pond.