What particle board for patio decking?

armchairtradie

Hi brains trust, so we have been rejuvinating the patio with new polycarbonate roofing and have semi enclosed it with new siding. My question is about the decking. At the moment it's just your standard 90mm pine plank but we're wondering if there is a particle board suitable for a covered semi exposed to the elements? Looking at the STRUCTAflor yellow tongue for example it doesn't seem ideal only being rated for about 6 months while you're building a house, but are there any others that might be rated for our purpose? There won't be any overhang exposed to the weather and i think the joists are about 600 apart.

Cheers

JacobZ

Hi @armchairtradie,

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community and thank you for your question.

Unfortunately, there is no chipboard product that I am aware of that can be used outdoors permanently. The STRUCTAflor panels are designed to be water-resistant for 6 months so they can be used in new construction projects before the roof is put on, but they will swell and decay if exposed for longer than this.

In terms of panel products that can be used as flooring outdoors, your options are fairly limited. The James Hardie 2400 x 600 x 22mm Secura Exterior Flooring is designed for use outdoors and can be used with joists that are spaced 600mm apart. If the joists were reduced to 450mm spacings, you could use the thinner James Hardie 2700 x 600 x 19mm Secura Exterior Flooring.

Outside of this, standard timber decking or composite decking such as Ekodeck are good options.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob