Decking boards compared: pine, thermowood or composite

Pine boards: the cheapest start, the most upkeep

Pressure-treated pine is the usual entry point, typically running somewhere around 12–20 € per square metre for the boards alone, depending on thickness and grade. It is widely available, easy to cut and easy to replace a single damaged board without matching anything unusual.

The trade-off shows up after the first year or two. Pine moves with moisture, so boards cup, twist and open gaps at the ends, especially where a terrace sits low to the ground or gets splashed by roof runoff. Left unoiled, it greys unevenly and the surface starts to fray.

It also needs a genuine annual routine: cleaning off algae in spring, oiling once the wood is dry, and checking for boards that have started to rot from underneath where air cannot circulate. Skipping a year rarely ends the deck, but skipping several usually means early board replacement.

Thermowood: a higher price for noticeably more stable timber

Thermowood is pine or spruce that has been heat-treated, which changes the wood's structure so it absorbs far less moisture. Expect to pay roughly 25–40 € per square metre, close to double untreated pine, for timber that moves less and resists rot considerably better.

Through an Estonian winter this stability matters: thermowood does not swell and shrink with every thaw the way raw pine does, so boards stay flatter and gaps stay more even from one year to the next. It also darkens to a warm brown that many people leave untreated rather than oiling.

It is not maintenance-free. Left without oil it will silver over a few years, which is purely cosmetic, and any cut ends should still be sealed. It is also more brittle than raw pine, so screwing close to an edge without pre-drilling can split a board.

Composite decking: the least ongoing work, the highest price to start

Composite boards, a mix of wood fibre and recycled plastic, sit at the top of the price range, typically 40–70 € per square metre before the substructure. That is often two to three times the pine price for the same area.

In exchange, composite does not need oiling, does not rot, and barely swells or shrinks with the seasons, which matters when temperatures swing from minus twenty to plus thirty over a year. A yearly hose-down and an occasional scrub for algae in shaded, damp corners is usually all it needs.

The downsides are real too: composite gets noticeably hot underfoot in direct summer sun, a damaged board cannot simply be sanded and re-oiled, and colour choice is fixed by the manufacturer rather than by staining. It is also heavier to handle during installation.

What we usually recommend for a typical Tallinn home

For a first terrace on a modest budget, or a summer house used mainly in the warmer months, pine is a reasonable choice as long as you are honest with yourself about doing the annual oiling. It is also the easiest material to repair yourself later.

For a terrace attached to a house you live in year-round, we more often suggest thermowood. The extra cost per square metre is usually worth it once you weigh it against several years of pine maintenance and earlier board replacement.

Composite earns its price mainly for households that want to spend a weekend a year on the terrace rather than several, or for surfaces that are hard to reach for maintenance, such as a raised deck. We install all three and can quote a fixed price for a full terrace from 90 €, or take on fence work from 39 €/h if the same project includes a boundary fence.

Where the maintenance load actually comes from

Most of the difference between these materials is not the wood itself but what happens underneath it. A deck built too low to the ground, without a gap for air to move, will punish any timber, pine and thermowood alike, regardless of how well it is oiled on top.

Drainage, gaps between boards, and the height of the substructure above soil level decide how long any timber terrace lasts more than the species does. Composite is more forgiving here but still needs a ventilated frame to avoid trapping moisture against the underside.

• Pine: cheapest boards, annual oiling, moves with humidity, easiest to repair
• Thermowood: mid-range price, far more dimensionally stable, optional oiling for colour
• Composite: highest price per square metre, minimal upkeep, cannot be sanded or re-oiled
• Substructure height and airflow underneath matter as much as the board material itself
• A fixed quote for terrace work covers boards, substructure and labour as one figure