Laying floorboards: Aluminum or wood?
Wooden substructure
Wooden decking substructures are still widely used today. The traditional wooden substructure is often popular due to its affinity with wood as a material and not least because of what at first glance appear to be low material costs.
Wooden substructures made of larch, pine or Douglas fir are mainly used in conjunction with wooden floorboards and visible screw fixings, e.g. using Terrafix . With visible fastening from above, there is hardly any scope for the plank covering to swell and shrink, which should be compensated for by the wooden substructure working in a similar way. In the long term, however, it becomes apparent that not all types of wood used for the top layer are equally suitable for this type of plank installation. The less the top layer “works” afterwards, the lower the risk of screws shearing off or the creation of unsightly tripping hazards. These properties generally apply more to hard tropical woods, which are often sold at a considerable price and do not necessarily meet the sustainability requirements of many consumers. However, when it comes to laying larch, pine or ash on a wooden substructure, the type of fastening, sufficient protection against waterlogging and good ventilation of the surface play an even more important role in ensuring that the decking is still intact after 10 to 15 years. As the self-drilling screw required to fasten the wooden boards often becomes the weak point of the decking, invisible screw fastening using special fasteners, such as Terraflex or Clipper, in combination with protective tape for the substructure makes sense.
Another key characteristic of wood, which is not necessarily an advantage in the case of the substructure, is the uniqueness of the structure. This means that part of the timber substructure is often crooked, resulting in significantly more rejects and more additional work during installation. In addition to the argument of the well-known material, the lower unit price compared to aluminum is also often cited, which we will compare in more detail in the next section.
Aluminum substructure
Aluminum is a versatile material that is nevertheless light in relation to its stability and can be shaped as desired. We have made use of precisely these properties to develop our CLIP rails, which have a considerable load-bearing capacity and span width with low weight thanks to the hollow spaces and carefully positioned struts. In combination with the connectors, the aluminum UK can be extended endlessly and enables installation without cutting. Production under dimensional control ensures that all rails meet our standard and that material quantities and installation plans can be planned with millimetre precision. Thanks to the dark tone coating, the substructure not only disappears visually into the background, but is also optimally protected against salt water, chlorine, weathering and waterlogging.
As the substructure cannot be rotted, the old covering can be removed if a fresh covering is required and the new covering can simply be installed on the same substructure. There is no need to repair or replace individual rails, as would be the case with a wooden substructure. This aspect alone leads to lower costs and effort in the maintenance of a terrace in the long term, but there are other reasons why investing in an aluminum substructure pays off on closer inspection. For example, there is no waste or offcuts and the precise quantity planning means that no more material than necessary has to be purchased.
It should not be forgotten that the high load-bearing capacity of the aluminum rails means that significantly fewer support points or contact points with the ground need to be created, which results in significant savings on decking bearings, which are indispensable for standard decking. And finally, the time factor should not be ignored, especially if the installation is carried out by professionals, as time is money. If you save time on sorting, cutting and straightening wooden beams, as well as the time and effort involved in setting up and aligning decking supports, you will notice the difference. This shows that a simple comparison of the unit price is simply not meaningful enough to choose the cheapest overall option for the desired quality standard.
Conclusion
The right decking substructure material therefore obviously depends entirely on the requirements and demands of a terrace: How much budget is available? How long should the decking last at least? What decking is required and what type of fastening is needed? Is the patio exposed to particular weather conditions, e.g. pool, pond or weather side of the house? Will the surface be installed by yourself or by a professional? Will the area be used privately, commercially or publicly?
If you consider the increased demands on contemporary decking, you are generally on the safe side when choosing an aluminum substructure. Our CLIP system consisting of CLIP rail and CLIP decking support represents the standard for a high-quality and professional substructure that meets all the requirements for high demands and legal requirements thanks to coordinated accessories.
If in doubt, it is always worth getting a comparative quote from a specialist dealer. With the help of our online planner, they can calculate exactly how many decking supports and other accessories are required in each case and will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Did you know?
Decking construction requires expert knowledge and is subject to generally recognized regulations, such as the brochure “Decking and balcony coverings” from GD-Holz. For successful planning and execution, do not forget to find out about local building regulations and pay attention to the installation instructions for the boards and fixing materials.
When a terrace is walked on and the boards are in heavy use, forces act that can shift the entire substructure. For this reason, a permanently stable fastening is essential. The following illustrations show ways in which a deck can be installed in a torsion-resistant manner:
