Composite decking, fitted right.
Low-maintenance composite decking, supplied and installed on a proper pressure-treated sub-frame. No sanding, no staining, no rot — from £230 per square metre fitted, with a fixed written quote before we start.
Get a free decking quote
Free on-site survey. Board samples brought to your door.
The deck you never have to think about.
Composite is what most of our decking customers now choose — here's the honest case for it, trade-offs included.
Composite boards are a wood-polymer core with a bonded polymer cap. The cap is what does the work: it won't rot, won't splinter, holds its colour, and shrugs off the wet North West winters that turn timber decks green by February.
The honest trade-offs: composite costs roughly 25–30% more upfront than timber, and darker boards get warm underfoot in direct summer sun. That's the full list. Against that, you never sand it, never stain it, never treat it — and the boards typically last 25 years or more.
Board quality varies a lot between brands, which is why we bring samples to every survey — you'll see and feel exactly what's going on your garden before you sign anything. And the frame underneath is the same pressure-treated structural timber we build under every deck.
Hidden fixings Clean finish
Boards lock to the joists with concealed clips — no screw heads across the surface, no plugs working loose in year three.
Capped boards only Quality
We only fit capped, colour-stable composite. The faded grey decks that gave composite a bad name a decade ago were uncapped budget boards — not what we install.
Warm-day honesty Trade-off
Dark composite gets noticeably warm in direct summer sun. If your deck is a south-facing suntrap, we'll steer you to lighter shades at the survey.
Want a number right now?
Set your deck size with two sliders on the composite tab and get an instant indicative fitted price — supplied and installed, sub-frame included.
Takes about 30 seconds · No details needed to see your price
How we fit composite decking.
Low-maintenance boards still deserve a proper build underneath.
Ground prep
Levels set, compacted base, weed membrane and drainage falls — built for boards that will still be here in 25 years.
Sub-frame
Pressure-treated structural timber joists at tight centres. The frame spec doesn't drop just because the boards are low-maintenance.
Hidden clip fixing
Every board locked down with concealed clips, expansion gaps set to the manufacturer's spec, picture-frame border mitred on site.
Finish & aftercare
Fascia trims, steps and lighting if you want them, site left tidy, care sheet at handover. Anything needs a second look — we come back.
What decking actually costs.
Real 2026 prices, supplied and installed, for a standard ground-level deck. Every Wolsten quote is fixed in writing after a free survey — the price you see is the price you pay.
Composite · supplied & installed
A typical 3.6m × 3.6m composite deck lands around £3,000 fitted, including sub-frame, ground prep and hidden fixings.
What you stop paying for
No decking oil, no preserver, no sander hire, no lost spring weekends. A wash-down once or twice a year is the entire maintenance schedule.
Most composite decks are 3–5 days on site. Final price fixed in writing after a free survey — ground conditions, access and any steps or balustrades are confirmed there.
Composite vs timber decking — the honest version.
Timber gets you a proper deck from £180/m² — about 25–30% less upfront — in exchange for re-treating every 12–18 months and a 10–15 year typical lifespan. If that trade suits you better, no hard feelings.
How we build a composite deck — step by step.
Every photo below is from one real Wolsten job in Bolton — from overgrown garden to finished composite deck. Same crew, same process, every deck.
Before
A tired, overgrown garden with no usable space. The brief: a low-maintenance composite deck the family would actually use.
Surface prep
Ground cleared, opened up and levelled, with drainage falls decided before anything gets built. Spoil bagged and taken away.
Posts in
Support posts set and fixed to carry the sub-frame -- solid anchor points so the deck can never move, sag or bounce.
6x2 treated sub-frame
The full frame built in 6x2 pressure-treated structural timber, square to the house. The part you never see, and the part that matters most.
Level & ready for boards
Every bearer and joist checked dead level at tight centres. The flatness of the finished deck is set right here.
First boards down
The first composite boards go down, set square with correct expansion gaps to the board manufacturer's spec.
Board by board
Each board locked down with concealed clip fixings -- no visible screw heads, clean lines across the whole surface.
Boards complete
Full deck surface down, trimmed and finished, with every clip and edge checked before the balustrade goes on.
Balustrades on
Matching composite balustrades fitted -- safe edges, clean look, and zero painting for the lifetime of the deck.
The finished deck
Done -- a clean, level composite deck that needs a wash-down a couple of times a year and not much else.
The three of us on every deck.
No subcontractors, no sales reps, no call centres. Liam, Ryan or Paul is on site every day of your build.
Paul — Master Joiner
Paul leads every deck build personally. Thirty years on the tools, every cut made on site — frames square, boards true, picture-frame borders mitred properly. The difference shows from the first board.
Ryan — Site Lead
Ryan handles the ground: levels, sub-base, drainage falls and any brickwork or steps the deck ties into. A deck is only as good as what it sits on, and that part never gets skipped.
Liam — Project Lead
Liam does the survey and your fixed written quote within 1 working day. He's also a qualified electrician — so if you want deck lighting or an outdoor socket while we're there, it's done properly and certified.
Composite decking — straight answers.
How much does composite decking cost?
From around £230 per square metre supplied and installed. A typical 3.6m × 3.6m composite deck lands around £3,000 fitted, including the pressure-treated sub-frame, ground prep and hidden fixings. Our decking price calculator gives you an instant figure for your exact size; the final price is fixed in writing after a free survey.
Is composite decking worth the extra over timber?
If you plan to keep the house, usually yes. Composite costs roughly 25–30% more upfront, but there's no annual treating, no sanding, no rot, and boards typically last 25+ years — most of our customers now choose it for exactly that reason. If budget rules, timber from £180/m² is still a proper deck.
Does composite decking fade?
Modern capped boards — a wood-polymer core with a bonded polymer cap — are colour-stable and hold their look season after season. Cheaper uncapped boards from a decade ago earned composite a fading reputation it no longer deserves. We only fit capped boards, and we bring samples to the survey so you can see and feel the difference.
Is composite decking slippery when wet?
Less than timber, in our experience. Capped composite has a textured, grain-effect surface and doesn't grow the algae film that makes old timber decks lethal in a North West winter. No surface is non-slip in ice, but composite is the better wet-weather choice of the two.
How long does a composite deck take to install?
Most standard ground-level composite decks are 3–5 days on site, including ground preparation and the sub-frame. Hidden clip fixings take a touch longer to fit than screwing boards down — and are worth every minute for the clean finish.
What maintenance does composite decking need?
A wash-down with soapy water once or twice a year. That's the list. No oiling, no staining, no treating — which is the whole point of paying the composite premium.
Ready for a deck that looks after itself?
Free on-site survey with board samples in hand, fixed written quote in 1 working day, no deposit. Or grab an instant price from the calculator first.
