Decking timber review
Mayfield’s decking timber review explains why we use timber substructures for our uPVC sundecks for static caravans and holiday homes.
Mayfield has been using timber in the construction of its decks for the past 26 years while the building industry has used it for a great deal longer and for good reason. Wood is the only truly sustainable material on earth and we can grow as much timber as we need from well-managed forests.
Using timber in construction is a great way to lock away carbon for long periods. Even when wood is eventually recycled, it releases its carbon slower back into the atmosphere compared to new releases of carbon from fossil fuels used to make products such as steel.
So timber, being relatively newly-grown and then returned directly to nature, is in effect ‘carbon neutral’. In addition, using local timber suppliers (which Mayfield encourages throughout their distributor network) dramatically reduces the miles to market, therefore reducing further environmental impact.
Softwoods are the most frequently-used timbers for construction. In order to comply with the building regulations they must always be strength graded and put into a ‘Strength Class’. In the UK, softwoods are graded visually, in accordance with BS 4978:2007, or by machine to EN 14081:2005.
All Mayfield supplied timbers have been machine graded to achieve a minimum of C16 Strength Class and the timber is stamped accordingly. (An independent body audits and checks the strength grading machine to ensure that the C16 strength graded timber we use complies with current legislation and guidelines).