Pool Decking

humbleisgood

A friend is building a small villa in Ubud and is putting a small pool with some outdoor decking around it. His Builder is suggesting ( recommending ) he use Termite Treated Kamper Wood ( which I would assume is the same as Campher Wood in English ) ........does anyone have any first hand knowledge or experience as to whether this type of wood is suitable outdoor decking use as long as it is properly treated , installed and maintained annually ..............particularly from the point of of Termites .......... he knows that Ulin ( Irionwood ) is the best but , that is too expensive for this project .... any advice would be greatly appreciated .......... thank you

sakumabali

I wouldn't use Kamper Wood. Try Bengkirai wood...

Markit

Teak would be best or even better terracotta tiles would be best as they're not slippery and long lasting.

JackStraw

My friend built a nice villa in the Bukit about 10 years ago. Most of it is wood. I'm sure 10 years ago it looked great but now, it's warped and falling apart due to termites and the climate. I'm not saying it's impossible to maintain wood in your home in Bali but it takes a little more work than terracotta or other stone products. Just my two cents.

sakumabali

10 years ago it was dirt cheap to buy an old Joglo, Limasan or Gladak from Java. That old teak will not falling apart. Of course these days it's getting expensive and people buy coconut (because it looks nice which is true) or Kamper etc. This wood will indeed falling apart after not so many years. Terracotta or stone around the pool getting HOT. Then I would use marble (hot too but better) or cheaper polished concrete with pebble stones (Terrazzo; if around pool better not too polished :) I would take Bengkirai. Also not cheap but quality wise worth every penny

JackStraw

sakumabali wrote 10 years ago it was dirt cheap to buy an old Joglo, Limasan or Gladak from Java. That old teak will not falling apart. Of course these days it's getting expensive and people buy coconut (because it looks nice which is true) or Kamper etc. This wood will indeed falling apart after not so many years. Terracotta or stone around the pool getting HOT. Then I would use marble (hot too but better) or cheaper polished concrete with pebble stones (Terrazzo; if around pool better not too polished :) I would take Bengkirai. Also not cheap but quality wise worth every penny

Great tips! As for Bengkirai, what do you know about maintenance? How often does it need to be replaced?

Juggler

treated wood is great until they cut it and dont retreat the ends.... even if it is a termite resistent species if they want to they will eat it.

sakumabali

JackStraw wrote Great tips! As for Bengkirai, what do you know about maintenance? How often does it need to be replaced?

To be honest I never maintained it. After 4,5,6 years some piece needs to be replaced if perfection is required. If not it's still working

Balifrog

Use synthetic wood.. Yeah, yeah, doesn't sound exotic but as somebody who had rather large wooden terrasses in France, I got quickly tired of every year HP cleaning (carefully) and repainting / varnishing.. They make some pretty decent synthetic ones nowadays.

Markit

I've done a terrace in herringbone style with local bricks that has lasted well, looks good still and (main point!) isn't slippery like your marble, terrazzo and some woods. Oh and it's cheap as chips too :)

sakumabali

Markit wrote I've done a terrace in herringbone style with local bricks that has lasted well, looks good still and (main point!) isn't slippery like your marble, terrazzo and some woods. Oh and it's cheap as chips too :)

Terrazzo by a local contractor ain't expensive as well. Throw in some extra pebble stones and don't polish it too much :) you mean the red bricks "bata merah" right? you lay them on a flat already cemented area? Because they are quite weak and break easily...if cemented throw in some pebbles and it's done :)

Markit

sakumabali wrote you mean the red bricks "bata merah" right? you lay them on a flat already cemented area? Because they are quite weak and break easily...if cemented throw in some pebbles and it's done :)

Mine (bata merah) were laid on a bed of concrete and have lasted over 10 years with not one broken brick. Occasionally during the wet season they need to be cleaned with a power jet water sprayer to get rid of the moss but that's pretty much it for maintenance.

Populaire

Hi Humbleisgood, Definitely avoid kamper, it barely meets the grade in internal applications let alone for a pool deck. Bangkirai, Merbau and Ulin are the safest options (be cautious of Merbau’s propensity to bleed into any adjoining stonework). Each have their own stand out strengths but all of them will stand the test of time. Beware of teak these days, anything that isn’t insanely expensive is mainly taken from small trees and that means terrible quality. Wet wood, low oil content, twisting, cracking and no natural resilience to termites. Engineered teak decking is available and can be a good alternative if you’re set on teak. Best of luck. Cheers, Populaire