Blonde and the Beautiful

When your clients come to you to talk about decking most of them will have images of what they want to achieve, and some of them might even take it step further by specifying the species they want to use for their deck. Some key trends in homes today include:

• Blonde shades of timber for indoor and outdoor flooring (i.e. continuing the look from the inside to the alfresco).
• Using timber decking around the pool area
• Building decks closer to the ground

If you want to read about decking near a pool area and close to the ground read this article Avoid the pitfalls of the wrong decking material for the space.

Let’s talk blondes

Why is blonde timber flooring so popular?

Blonde timber has gained popularity due to its ability to match almost any home style: modern, rustic, hamptons; these styles are easy to achieve with lighter timber decking, and the lighter material will blend to the style, rather than overwhelm the space. The lighter flooring also makes the space look bigger, allowing natural light to flow through.

If you want to read about home designs best suited for lighter timber decking, follow our Modern Look Series Modern Look Series.

The most popular blonde – Blackbutt

When your clients are doing their research, they will come across Blackbutt timber. Blackbutt just seems to tick all the boxes for homeowners and most of our customers:

• Light coloured timber
• Strong and durable
• Can be installed in places where there is an up to BAL29 rating requirement

As with any natural product, Blackbutt has inherent defects like pinholes and gum veins, which will appeal to builds that want their decks to match their outdoor space, but it might not appeal to clients who want their indoor living space to flow through to their decking. The growing popularity of blonde decking will continue to affect the availabiliy of Blackbutt. So, if your customer wants a clean looking space, you can introduce them to other options. These alternate products will offer a light shade of decking, comply with a BAL rating, and still deliver a durable outcome. 

The blonde approach

When a client presents images and specify Blackbutt during your conversation, ask them if their specie of choice is because of a look that they’re trying to achieve, they will most likely tell you that they like the light, natural look that Blackbutt is able to deliver. If this is the case, then this will be a good time to introduce them to other species of blonde timber decking products.

There’s room for more than one blonde

There’s more than one blonde in our decking offering, and all of them will help you cater to the look that your client is trying to achieve. Listed below are some of our favourite blondes, which have comparable characteristics to Blackbutt:

Tallowwood   Tallowwood is exceptionally durable hardwood with unique colour and grain structure. It is predominately yellowish brown with a tinge of olive green and beautiful growth rings visible. Species properties: Naturally oily Tonal honey colouring with interesting grain features More a yellow colour compared to Blackbutt Up to BAL19 View our Tallowwood decking

NSW Spotted Gum A soft mottled colour that varies from pale grey browns and soft creams to rich chocolate brown.  Species properties: Lighter species in a blonde – tonal like its QLD cousin. With a striking grain structure (usually because its cut as backsawn) Similar to Blackbutt, with more of a timber feature and tonal colouring* Up to BAL29  View our Spotted Gum decking

White Mahogany White mahogany is one of Australia's premium native hardwoods with a high degree of natural durability and strength. They have straight, slender trunks with rough, fibrous bark that is shed in strips, giving the trees their characteristic stringy appearance, and resulting in its common local names of yellow or white stringybark. Species properties: Blonde species consistent in colouring. Most consistent in colouring in the blondes More hard wearing than Blackbutt Paler and less natural timber defects than Blackbutt Up to BAL19 View our White Mahogany decking

White Stringybark The White Stringybark’s grain is generally uniform and medium-textured, with an interesting grain producing an attractive look. The heartwood of white stringybark is light brown, and occasionally pale pink in colour. Sapwood is paler in colour but not sharply differentiated. Species properties: Looks identical to Blackbutt, with a bit more feature from the gum veins and pinholes Most people can’t tell the difference between Blackbutt and White Stringybark The shading presents a darker brown Up to BAL19

Mixed White Mixed whites decking is composed of both White Stringbark and White Mahogany. The different grains and shades that both species deliver complement each other and result in a beautiful, finished product that is comparable to Blackbutt. Species properties: Consists of two species. Results in paler shade with natural defects compared to Blackbutt Overall similar in colouring to Blackbutt but more a tonal look Up to BAL19 View our Mixed White decking

*depending on the location (highup the coast it becomes darker)
Note : These products are subject to limited availabilities, so speak with our staff about delivery lead times.

Seen something you like?

View our full range of blonde decking

We can order in any specied as a job lot. Get in touch with our team to discuss.