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Merbau timber

A beautiful hardwood timber species deriving from a few locations around the world, merbau comes from the Kwila tree. The species is found in tropical climates in locations such as Queensland, Australia and Indo Pacific islands like Fiji, and Samoa, as well as Tanzania, India, and Madagascar. Merbau is used mainly for flooring, decking, marine construction, outdoor furniture, music instruments, and more.

This hardwood is popular for its unique beauty, often compared to that of jarrah. It’s known for its unparalleled resilience and usability, along with the resistance to termites and weathering that comes with some merbau timber varieties. The best way to decide on deck boards is by weighing the pros and cons; here is a list of the good, the bad and the ugly that come when decking with merbau.

Advantages of Merbau Timber

Decking experts and carpenters choose merbau for a variety of reasons; the main reasons being its unique beauty, resilience compared to other timber decking, and the variety of uses of merbau, along with its comparatively high resistance to termites and weathering.

More advantages include:

Appearance

Merbau timber is known for its enticing orange golden-brown colour and contrasting sapwood in a soft yellow to ivory white, which can be lightened or darkened with oils based on user preference.

Pro-tip: It’s important to seal and protect your deck; decking oil will increase the merbau deck’s life. There are 2 types of oils in the market: water-based and oil-based. Since merbau contains natural oils, it is recommended to use a water-based oil to protect the function and aesthetics of your timber deck.

If you’re using water-based oil, the deck oiling process will take a day to complete. Oil-based decking products are traditionally used for their penetrative qualities, as they seep into the wood and give it a polished look. These oils are best used on naturally dry wood.

The colour selection for the oils can depend on the colour of your merbau and your desired look; merbau is very easy to lighten or darken based on your preference.

Workability

Merbau is perfect for a range of uses; it’s a versatile timber that can be used for outdoor decking, flooring, cladding, and furniture. Merbau is durable, easy to work with and resistant to insect infestations.

Disadvantages of Merbau Timber

It’s important to not be swayed by only the positives of merbau decking and to consider the whole picture. Once you look past merbau’s attractive qualities, you’ll see that it falls short in a number of areas.

Oily and Messy

Merbau grows in the rainforest and has a high tannin or oil content. The tannin is an oily compound that causes the timber’s colours to bleed when wet. This is something to consider when choosing a decking timber– any materials (paving, walls, concrete) near your deck might be stained if (or when!) your merbau deck bleeds.

Environmental impact

The ugly truth about Merbau timber, like other timbers, is that it causes deforestation of rainforests. This becomes especially problematic when the wood is imported from Asia and continents where the priority for sustainable logging practices is lower. Unsustainable logging practices over the years have made Merbau and other timbers expensive, on your wallet and on the environment.

Pro-tip: If you care about minimising your impact on the earth’s forests, composite decking may be a good option for you. Most composite decks are made of recyclable materials and do not destroy rainforests. This is made easy with brands like Trex, who are committed to sustainability, without sacrificing aesthetics or durability.

Cost

The cost of merbau decking, like all quality timbers, isn’t just a one-off. When decking with timber, you’ll pay the upfront materials cost, the installation cost and the cost of ongoing maintenance.

The hidden costs for merbau come from the maintenance cost; merbau requires staining on a 3 to 6-month basis forever.

What’s Next?

Merbau may be a great decking option for you with natural durability and a beautiful appearance.

Decking Perth are your one stop shop for timber and composite decking in Perth and Western Australia. We offer decking services, include connecting you to a deck expert from our large database of experienced, pre-screened installers who can install the deck of your choice for your home.

Want to know how much merbau decking in Perth will cost you? Get 3 free quotes now!

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Whether you know what decking you want, or you’d like a quote on a variety of products, talk to Decking Perth. We offer competitive prices on all products and accessories which are sourced from local and international suppliers.

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If you’d like to see and feel your decking before you buy, come and visit our showroom in Balcatta or Mosman Park. We have displays of timber decking and composite timber that you can walk on to get a real feel of how your decking will look.

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Our customers say

Great experience with the team here. I really appreciated the expertise of the companies they suggested for completing our decking project as well as the options they had available to view and ‘test’.
Helpful crew and good quality timber. The bloke in the yard who gave us a hand with loading was absolutely excellent and really went out of his way for us
Michael and Ash were very professional and polite throughout the whole process, extremely happy with there work and attitude, would highly recommend.😊
Will Reilly
Will Reilly
1725851189
A seamless experience from start to finish, easy to deal with when selecting what we wanted, with samples, quite a few options provided for quotations on the install. Dave from custom Carpentry and Installations was fantastic, and left the place clean and tidy. Highly recommended
Michael Refalo
Michael Refalo
1725428943
We are very pleased with the service that we received from Decking Perth.
Kaye Boulden
Kaye Boulden
1723863858
Words will not do justice to the five-star service and products from the people at Perth Decking. Ross was more than helpful on advice on the flooring that I got and was able to ensure that it was delivered to the warehouse 4 days after my purchase to help me out. The flooring itself was a wonderful product, looks great and was fantastic to install. Ross also allowed me to return unopened boxes. The forklift driver was able to deftly manoeuvre the pallet onto the back of my ute so that I didn't have to load it manually and checked my weight to ensure that I had not been overloaded. Finally, when I returned home and unloaded, I noticed that my tarp bar was missing and the other salesman walked around the carpark, found it and had it waiting for me in the office when I returned. My neighbours were so impressed by the product when installed that they will be heading to Perth Decking for their requirements. Well done to all.
Jeremy
Jeremy
1722902616
Fantastic service & prompt supplyCheaper & better produt than Bunnings!
Philip Randall
Philip Randall
1719710167
Great prices, Better than Bunnings and helpful too
Brett Rijkers
Brett Rijkers
1716508413
I recently contacted Decking Perth to purchase merbau decking. Ross was extremely helpful and knowledgeable. He gave me very good advice, completed my purchase and arranged delivery on the day I requested.The delivery driver was friendly and efficient, notified us of his arrival time on delivery day and placed the timber in a very convenient location as arranged.The merbau we received was of a beautiful quality, arriving in long straight lengths and easy to lay.I highly recommend Decking Perth to anyone requiring decking. The service we received was faultless and the quality of the product was excellent. We will definitely purchase our future decking requirements from Decking Perth.
Maureen Mandy
Maureen Mandy
1714786582
Decking Perth were good to deal with but because they sub let the actual installation of the decking to various carpenter tradies, you need to check with them that the installer trade price is reasonable as per Perth decking quote indication.
Peter Slyth
Peter Slyth
1714567737
Very professional and most excellent workmanship from David O’Brien at CCI carpentry. First class tradesman. Many thanks to Decking Perth and the team.
Iain Paterson
Iain Paterson
1712993562
Ross has a wealth of knowledge to assist my DIY decking project. Plus post deck care and restoration of our second decking area. Something you can’t get at Bunnings.
Bruce York
Bruce York
1711929866
Highly recommended! Great product. Alan was very helpful. Great customer service.
Cheryll
Cheryll
1711022406
Great service, great prices. No fuss. Just what I wanted
steve sunley
steve sunley
1710307272
Many thanks to the team at decking Perth specifically Phil for all their advice and info on moisture shield decking. The quality of the product is very good. I’ve included some basic photographs of my finished product and then a photograph of the 3 1/2 year-old new tech wood decking that I replaced. This was very poor quality. Thanks again I will use decking Perth anytime I require any form of decking. Rgds bill
Bill (Bob)
Bill (Bob)
1710140894
Great service and the timber supplied was great quality. Delivery driver even went above and unloaded the timber into the garage.
Jahn Giolitto
Jahn Giolitto
1709690905
Very good service and friendly staff. Had my order ready to go the next day.👍🏻
Joel Drummond
Joel Drummond
1708148812
Andy Conroy
Andy Conroy
1707457303
Excellent service. Prompt delivery and good price. Materials were well packaged and protected from the elements.
Liza Du Preez
Liza Du Preez
1707399277
All get great prices and professional, friendly help.
b p
b p
1706774315
The installation team were top notch and very professional, but the supply people at the warehouse said stock was there, then not, so we chose another board, then it turned out they did have stock. Overall a good experience.
bryan scrivenor
bryan scrivenor
1706004952
Great customer service, everyone was very helpful organising materials and had a great understanding of the products
Dean Morgan
Dean Morgan
1705877784
I’ve been using decking Perth for my timber and decking supplies for some time now and I can say that all of their products are high quality. A very friendly staff as well and are always ready to help out.
Blake De Costa
Blake De Costa
1705644847
The guys at Decking Perth were fabulous to deal with. Being a DYI project and never having built a deck before I had many questions which they were happy to answer. Their choice of products was extensive and we ended up choosing the Moisture Shield range. The product was great to work with and the result was fantastic. Decking Perth helped with all the ordering and delivery and happily accepted any returned unused items that were not required.Fantastic experience all round and we love our new deck.Thanks guys.
Ralph
Ralph
1705536586
As a small construction business, we greatly appreciate the time and personal customer service the team at decking Perth show us. We feel like a valued entity that is listened to and supported by a supplier which is rare in this industry! Will continue to use as our primary supplier for decking!
Luke Gladys
Luke Gladys
1705409940
After visiting several decking businesses, I landed here to find excellent service, listening skills and advice. After choosing the material, they provided several quality different people to quote the job........(how much time did that save!) and as a result I have a lovely front and back deck. so pleased.
Sharon Reeves
Sharon Reeves
1705215881
very good experience, very knowledgeable staff and high level of customer service.
Adrian at Decking Perth was very knowledgable and helpful and provided sound advice about suitable materials and finishes for my courtyard decking project for which I was very grateful. A big thanks also to Blake (contractor referred by Adrian) who did such a wonderful job translating my ideas into reality (including the bench seating) and whose workmanship was excellent. I am so happy with the finished Jarrah deck, which looks better than I could have hoped, and with my experience dealing with Adrian and Blake. Thanks so much guys!
paulineC
paulineC
1704594493
Very impressed with the service from Adrian and the quality of the Merbau timber delivered. Great value, every piece of timber was quality. Will definitely recommend.
Matthew Trueman
Matthew Trueman
1704522827
These guys know everything there is to know about timber and decking. Adrian was extremely helpful and showed me exactly what to do with my home project, very friendly, honest, and the best prices in Perth!
Ryan Thomas
Ryan Thomas
1703902840
I am a small business owner, and I can't express how grateful I am for the incredible support I've received from Decking Perth Supplies. Their high-quality decking materials have not only transformed my outdoor space but have also been a key factor in attracting more customers to my establishment. The team at Decking Perth Supplies has consistently gone above and beyond to assist me in choosing the right materials and providing valuable advice. Their customer service is outstanding, and I highly recommend them to anyone in need of top-notch decking solutions. Thank you for being such a fantastic partner for my business!
James Fletcher
James Fletcher
1697293629
Bought my second lot of concrete from Decking Perth. They neatly left it stacked on the front verandah, which was a great help. I absolutely recommend them. Great price, great service. Thankyou
Andrew Quin
Andrew Quin
1696487440
After a visit to the showroom and 2 separate large timber deliveries, I can't be more happy with the customer service and product. The guys at the showroom take the time to understand your needs and offer their expertise and advice with genuine passion. Timber was carefully packaged and delivered with no fuss. Excellent local business. Cheers guys.
Aaron S
Aaron S
1694671171
Provided list of trades and job got doneWas very hard to find trades nowadays
Jayesh Thakrar
Jayesh Thakrar
1691472975
Great customer service best prices in around for quality decking and also they have a pre oiling service in factory to help out with timeGot a quote in 10 minutes while other company's took 2 days some not even got in contact, decking perth balcatta also have a good price on delivery.
Dimi Wald
Dimi Wald
1691225031
Great advice and service. Timber always great quality
Thomas Jeffery
Thomas Jeffery
1686566912
Excellent service! Ordered online (very easy process) with competitive prices. Received a call within 12hrs to arrange a time for delivery and our order was dropped off with no issues within a few days of ordering. Very happy and would recommend to others. Thanks Decking Perth!
Great price, easy to order from website. In stock timber delivered the very next day. Cheers guys!
Andy H
Andy H
1672805815
The order was so easy to do, completed online, asked for the wood to be delivered on a specific day and it turned as requested. The lad that delivered the wood and concrete went out of his way to store it neatly in the shed. Great service, will highly recommend Decking Perth to other people. Thanks
Steve Rodgers
Steve Rodgers
1668858043
We contacted Decking Perth via a website contact form and received a call back within an hour! We visited the showroom on a Saturday, took colour samples home and were contacted by two carpenters on the following Monday morning. Both were prompt and very reasonably priced. Our decking was completed within a day and all offcuts and rubbish removed.We are thrilled with the results.The process was quick, efficient, friendly and well priced.Thank you. :)
Great advice, products and service.Thanks for your help, appreciate it and the deck looks awesome
Brett Walters
Brett Walters
1666326287
The level of service, quality of the timber and professionalism of the Decking Perth Team is without question the Best in the West! I placed my first order last month for some subframe H3 which arrived superfast, was well wrapped and of excellent quality. This week I have taken delivery of some additional subframe H3 and Merbau 5.7 FJ decking and was not let down. The only place I will order my decking supplies in future.
I went to a few places but none were as helpful as these guys,Got everything I needed with their help including some helpful advise on installation. Best I found and reasonably priced!Much appreciated to all
Marco Scampoli
Marco Scampoli
1663213677
Thank you for your help
Lorraine Anstie
Lorraine Anstie
1660019547
Great service!
Our carpentry business has been using Decking Perth for supply of decking materials for coming up to 2 years now. The administrative staff are very friendly and helpful, whenever we have faced an issue of low or no stock on certain materials needed for an upcoming job everyone at Decking Perth jumps in to gear to help source for us & our clients ASAP
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