Treading the boards

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Rohmix International’s teak decking was selected for the Raffles Hotel in Dubai.

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Decking is particularly popular for use around swimming pool areas.

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The Park Hyatt in Dubai uses decking for its terrace.

The choice of wood for exterior surfaces over other paving options is undoubtedly an emotional one. Whether it is specifically selected to emphasise ties to a nearby water setting by evoking the original wooden decks used on ships, or whether it is simply chosen to cover a large stretch of sand, wood is renowned for its sensorial and tactile appeal.

Wood has long-established markets in Europe and North America, but is now experiencing increased demand in the Middle East region as a premier choice for outdoor flooring, according to specialist suppliers.

"Decking is a new product to this region and has only been growing in popularity for the last two years or so," says Albert Douglas, chief executive of flooring and decking company Alomi Real Wood Floors. "We've seen it particularly become more popular over the last six months; in fact I'd say that demand for decking is growing on a daily basis here.

Wider, longer planks are particularly popular, he added, as this allows the client to better see the grain and the colour of the wood.

Elaborate decking is another trend, says Michael Morgan, general manager of wood flooring distributor Abu Sharkh General Trading, with increased requests for multi-level decking or integration with railings or other components.

Traditional choices

Various types of wood are used for decking, but hard wood is the most in demand by the market here, especially teak wood. Teak wood is available from different parts of the world, but it is Burma teak which is most popular in this region, according to suppliers.

"Here they mostly go for real wood and they all want to have this Burma teak. This is a hardwood and really good for the climate here," says Kristin Scheffer, CEO of outdoor flooring specialist Rohmix International. The high humidity in the Gulf can cause some woods to absorb moisture and warp, meaning any wood used for outdoor decking in the region must perform well in this respect.

Burma teak also corresponds well to the request for luxury in this region, adds Scheffer. "Burma teak has a warm brownish-orange look when it is fresh, and turns into a silver-grey when laid outside and left untreated. This silver-grey tone is elegant and classy," she says.

One of the problems with Burma teak at the moment, however, is that the Burmese government is restricting its supply out of the country. Other concerns include how teak from Burma is logged, with some environmental groups accusing the government of using forced labour to harvest the timber.

As a result, not only is Burma teak becoming something of a scarce commodity, but the limited availability is pushing up prices, according to suppliers. A combination of the weakening dirham and difficulty in sourcing the timber has increased prices by around 20% over the last year, they say.

Alternatives to Burma teak are available in this region, such as Lapacho, for instance, from Brazil which is so tough it is considered as fireproof as concrete and steel, but it is hard to persuade regional customers to try them, report suppliers.

"Everyone here knows about Burma teak but there is so much more on the market," says Douglas. "In the US and Europe, people ask for a variety of different woods because they know about them, but here in the Middle East most customers only know one or two woods, so they ask for the same things each time."

Scheffer agrees. "It takes time to convince customers to go for other woods. They always think in traditional ways. They just know one wood and don't want to change," she says.

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