Are wooden decks durable?

Durability of wooden terraces

How long will my terrace last?

Are wooden decks durable? – Depending on the situation, a Vetedy terrace installed professionally and following the installation instructions will last several decades.

The durability of your deck will also depend on the substructure materials used, the primary support and ventilation.

Techniclic wooden terrace in Egypt by StyleDesign Architect

I live in a region with a particular climate. Are your decks suitable for my geographical location with high humidity and temperature variations?

Yes, Vetedy has a long experience all over the world. Our systems have been installed both in very cold northern countries and in very hot southern countries. Some regions are also subject to very large variations in humidity and temperature during the same day. Thanks to their unique and ingenious design, the systems offered by Vetedy are fully optimized for this type of situation.

Are your decks guaranteed?

Our decks have a warranty on the products supplied by Vetedy. The fact that Vetedy provides a complete system allows you to refer to one contact person (your dealer) in case of problems. If you have used the services of a Vetedy certified professional installer, he will be able to give you more information. For more information, please contact your nearest Vetedy distributor.

What load can a Vetedy deck support?

Softline and Technideck systems, installed according to the installation instructions and within the normal recommendations, can support 250kg/m2.

For a higher load it is possible to tighten the joists and the support points. Please contact your local distributor by finding them here for more information

Are there any dimensional variations in the blades?

Wood being a natural material, it undergoes dimensional variations throughout the year according to the humidity and the ambient temperature. Vetedy decking systems are designed to minimize these variations while allowing the boards to work freely and safely for the aesthetics and durability of your deck.

Why choose an exotic deck over a softwood deck?

An exotic wood deck is naturally more durable than a softwood deck. To understand the difference, it is necessary to refer to the concepts of durability class and use class of wood.

The durability class indicates the number of years that the wood can resist fungi. This class varies from Class 1 (very durable over 25 years) to Class 5 (very not durable (less than 5 years).

The use class determines the risk of exposure to moisture of a wood (heartwood only). There are 5 classes of use and each class determines a degree of resistance either by natural durability or by treatment as for example the autoclave or the thermo heated). Thus, the classes of use go from class 1 (wood for interior use without humidity) to class 4 (durable exterior wood in contact with the ground) and class 5 (class 4 wood that can resist durably in contact with sea water). We speak of class wood species covering class 5.

What is a heat treated wood :

Heat treatment consists of heating the wood to a high temperature to increase its dimensional stability and resistance to fungi (durability class). This process modifies the physical and chemical characteristics of the wood.

Why choose a shorter blade?

Question and answer from Cyril (Sales Manager Vetedy France) : At Vetedy, we made the choice several years ago to work with what most professionals call “short” blades. In fact, our blades go from 0.80m to 2.40m or even 2.80m. This bet made in the early 2000’s has proven to be an excellent choice for Vetedy. In fact, in our philosophy of laying our wood decks like a parquet floor, with no space left between two boards of the same row, the length of the boards disappears to reveal a parquet effect. This has other advantages as well: Clean and easy storage of the decking packages, allowing easy transport of the boards to the installation site, guaranteeing stability of the wood and above all sorted and usable boards. Our blades undergo 3 quality controls in order to guarantee you blades with a high visual quality allowing you to use each blade delivered*.

(*) Wood being a living natural material, it is possible that a part of the blade has been worked more than expected or has a defect not seen at the factory. This in the rule of 3% of blades that may have a possible defect.

Why a narrower blade?

Since 1999, Vetedy has set itself apart from the conventional market with a 10cm wide Softline blade. Why this choice? First of all, for the sake of stability. With a thickness of 20mm and a width of 100mm, we keep a low slenderness coefficient (thickness-width ratio) with 1/5 when standard decks are almost 1/7 which creates more stability problems for the boards. From a fastening point of view, this allowed us to bring the two attachment points of the blade closer together and thus ensure a better grip. It also allows to visually stand out from the classic terraces and to underline the exclusive side of the product. For our 140mm wide Technideck decking, we have increased the thickness of the padouk to 25mm. The Thermo-frêne and the c-tech bamboo are not concerned by this concern of stability.

Why increase the thickness of the blade when it is wider?

For our 140mm wide Technideck decking boards, we have increased the thickness of the padouk to 25mm in order to keep the slenderness coefficient (thickness to width ratio of a board) lower than what is offered on the market, in order to ensure better stability of the boards.

Can I make a class 4 substructure under my exotic deck?

Technically, there is nothing to prevent the use of a “pine class 4” sub-structure if the conditions allow it. However, we strongly advise you to use an exotic wood sub-structure in order to perpetuate your floor.

Is it better to have a smooth or a grooved board?

The collective imagination thinks that a grooved deck board is less slippery than a smooth board, wrong! A grooved board gets dirty more quickly and is less easily cleaned, which accentuates the slippery effect. But why are there grooved boards on the market? It’s all about the quality of the wood. A grooved board hides the defects of the wood. Vetedy has only smooth boards in its program because the quality of its wood is mastered.

Smooth or curved blades?

At Vetedy, the use of smooth blades is no longer up for debate. In addition to the short drying time, the curved boards are not very comfortable to walk on, especially with some very nervous wood species, which turns your floor into a rodeo track for your toes.

Why do I need a sufficient gap/seal between my boards?

The joint is necessary to let the terrace breathe. Indeed, wood expands and retracts according to the humidity and the ambient temperature. The water under the deck must also drain away. If it stagnates, it will cause the substructure to rot and the boards will also absorb more moisture and eventually swell out of proportion until they bulge and dislodge from the fasteners over time.

Advantages and disadvantages of the boat deck seal?

The boat deck gasket has its share of advantages and disadvantages.

The biggest advantage of the joint is the aesthetics that it provides and give a very classy effect to your terrace. It also prevents the loss of very small objects that could pass between the blades (although this is not very serious since each board can be dismantled quickly and easily to recover the object in question. For a restaurant, the “closed” effect can make sense due to the food and the high traffic.

Even though the boat deck seal closes the deck, it is not 100% waterproof.

If you use the joint, special attention must be paid to the recesses and ventilation of the deck. It is imperative to have a water drain under the deck and to ensure some open sides to allow air to circulate. For more information, please refer to the installation instructions for the boat point joint.