Decking

How to choose the right colour for your decking

In our range of composite wood decking boards there are two main colour families: browns and greys with several finishes for each colour, 21 combinations in all.

Decking | How to choose the colour of your composite decking

Two major colour families clash when it comes to decking colours, browns and greys. But every year trends emerge and evolve.

You've decided to install a composite deck around your house, in your garden or on your balcony very soon, so you're bound to be wondering: what colour for my deck?

The choice of colour is an important one and one made for several years, especially as our composite decking products are stable over time. But don't panic there are a number of tricks you can use to change the look of your outdoor space and change the finish of your decking as you wish.

We offer you a choice of two main colour families, browns and greys. In all, in our different ranges, you can choose from 7 browns and 6 greys.

... but before that...

... but before you decide, we're going to give you a few tips for choosing the right colour of composite decking boards.

The first element of decision can simply be your conviction, your deep taste, your preference between brown and grey, light or dark tones, you're lucky your choice of decking colour is going to be easy.

If you're hesitating, we recommend that you first consider the exterior of your decking, your house, your flat. Look at the shutters and the colour of the roof. Think about how the decking fits in with the rest of the building.

When you look at your mineral environment, the trees, the sea, perhaps the choice of colour and your theme will impose itself. 

In a natural environment, we generally prefer colours close to wood colours, browns, in an urban environment grey colours are quite trendy, perceived as more modern.

Think about where your decking will be laid and ask yourself what you can see from it, how it will fit in with what you can see from this point, other houses, your fence, screen walls. 

Try also to imagine how your decking will be perceived from the outside how your ensemble will be seen and whether your choice of colour is harmonious with the existing.

Think also about the visual transition between your different spaces, from the garden to the decking, from the decking to the living room or kitchen if this is adjoined to your interior space and accessible through a bay window. 

Look for harmony between the interior floor, your decking and the surroundings of the decking, this will create a feeling of space and thus enhance the value of your property.

The market sometimes offers original decking colours, green, orange, we Silvadec prefer durability, the sustainable choice, corresponding to a high-quality product and guaranteed 25 years. To add colour to your outdoor landscaping, opt instead for decoration and furniture (read the inserts to follow).

A composite wood decking in light or dark shades?

To this question, we could also answer that it's a matter of taste, certainly, but not only. 

First of all you need to know that wood composite, like all materials exposed to the sun's heat, accumulates this heat and releases it again. This is true for any material, whether it's sand, solid wood, exotic wood or any other covering.

Commonly it is granted that light colours give off less heat, in our range we would then steer you towards an Iroise grey colour for grey and Colorado brown or Exotic brown for brown colours.

Effect of finish on colour perception 

Finishes, through the effects of texture, smooth, brushed, structured or grooved, create small shadows, which give a perception of a lighter or darker colour. A smooth or brushed finish will be perceived as lighter, a structured or grooved finish as darker.

Our colours (visual perception, from lightest to darkest)

Brown

• Colorado Brown smooth finish
• Savane Brown smooth finish
• Equateur Brown smooth finish
• Colorado Brown embossed finish
• Exotic Brown smooth finish
• Exotic Brown embossed finish
• Colorado Brown grooved finish
• Rio Brown brushed finish
• Exotic Brown grooved finish
• Lima Brown brushed finish
• Sao Paulo Brown brushed finish

Grey

• Belem brushed finish
• Iroise Grey smooth finish
• Iroise Grey embossed finish
• Iroise Grey grooved finish
• Ushuaia Grey brushed finish
• Anthracite Grey smooth finish
• Cayenne Grey brushed finish
• Anthracite Grey embossed finish
• Anthracite Grey grooved finish

Decking, Pool when the two become one.

Both for aesthetic and practical reasons, the colour of the pool and pool deck will also have a bearing on your choice of decking colour.

If your decking is laid around the pool, obviously you'll often be walking barefoot and will therefore be more sensitive to the sun's heat restitution.

Here again, you prefer the lightest greys or browns (Belem grey, Iroise, Colorado brown, Lima, or savannah) softening the effects of the much sought-after summer sun. 

That said, if you have a concrete pool, it generally goes better with more contrasting colours: anthracite grey, Cayenne or Rio, Lima or Sao Paulo brown for contrast. 

Looking for contrast is also interesting if your pool has reconstituted stone coping.

If you've opted for darker colours in a hot environment exposed to the sun's rays, we recommend you consider installing covers to protect you from the sun or large parasols.

Tip! For a pool deck, opt for a grooved finish in the Élégance range, or Atmosphère brossée, two ranges offering exceptional slip-resistance properties (R12 and R13 classification).

Deckboard colour and maintenance

Silvadec decking has the advantage of being easy to maintain, the colours are stable, they don't greying, you won't need varnish or stain throughout the life of your decking, regular brushing will suffice.

But think everyday! When choosing a colour, bear in mind that a dark decking will make light marks, such as dust and dirt, appear more easily. Conversely, a light decking will make water marks and footprints more visible. A garden, sand of earth around your decking are therefore also elements to take into account when choosing the colour.

Composite decking combine long-term and trendy choices

You've made the considered choice of a product guaranteed for 25 years. A good choice in the medium to long term, for your wallet and also for the planet. 

But how do you make your space feel new, how do you keep up with decorating trends?

There are different ways to colour your decking by adapting the whole to a theme for example, exotic, plant, modern, urban, contemporary, Nordic...

The colour will be given by the decking boards, but also by the objects and accessories selected (cushions, rugs, lighting) and by the garden furniture. Explanations. 

Choosing the right colour for patio furniture

For those who will make the right choice for a sustainable decking, the easiest way to colour the terrace is still to choose the right furniture. Choosing shaded garden furniture, is the right option to enhance the atmosphere of your space. 

Garden furniture is available in a wide range of colours, from the most consensual to the most original, and also in several materials that are more or less durable and easy to maintain, in exotic wood in metal, glass or magnesia (concrete effect)...