NewTechWood Composite Decking
NewTechWood UltraShield is a fully-capped co-extruded composite — the polymer skin wraps the board 360 degrees, which is what makes it hold up to Eastern Suburbs salt air and hard morning sun without the ongoing oiling timber needs. On a recent 14-metre job I built a continuous run in NewTechWood Silver Grey. Every metre personally designed and built.
Request a consultation for your composite deck — 0468 486 290
What a NewTechWood Deck Costs in the Eastern Suburbs
Most NewTechWood decks I build come in between $800 and $850 per square metre, supplied and installed. That is the deck finished and walked on — boards, clips, screws, framing, labour, the lot.
Where a job lands in that range comes down to the frame, not the boards. A flat, clear site with sound bearers sits at the bottom of it. Anything with awkward access, a slope, footings, stairs or an old frame that has to come out lands higher. The board itself is a small part of the number.
I quote fixed price after a site visit, so you are not working off a rate.
Technical Specifications
- NewTechWood UltraShield capped composite, 138mm x 23mm solid, Silver Grey
- 95% recycled (hardwood fibre + HDPE)
- UltraShield 360-degree capping
- BAL 29 fire rating
- 25-year limited residential warranty
- Natural wood-grain texture
The NewTechWood Range
NewTechWood sells five decking products in Australia. Here is what each one is and where it makes sense on an Eastern Suburbs job.
Terrace — 138mm x 25mm board, 5.4 metre lengths, double sided. Joist span up to 450mm residential, 350mm commercial. Colours: Antique, Blackbutt, Teak, Ipe, Silver Grey. Matching fascia board available at 138mm x 15mm. The everyday choice, and the one with the widest colour set.
Coastal — 210mm wide, 4.88 metre lengths, double sided. Joist span up to 400mm residential, 300mm commercial. Colours: Beech, Antique, Teak, Aged Wood. There is also a 138mm board in the same range. Wider board, softer weathered tones, built for coastal and Hamptons-style homes.
Avenue — 138mm x 29mm scalloped board, 4.88 metre lengths, single sided. Joist span up to 450mm. Colours: Antique, Teak, Walnut. Thicker profile with a matching edge and fascia board.
Marina — 210mm x 36mm board, 2.7 metre lengths, joist span up to 600mm. Colours: Antique, Blackbutt, Teak, Ipe, Silver Grey. Engineered for constant exposure to water and salt air — marinas, jetties, boardwalks, pontoons and docks. The heavy one.
Quick Deck Tiles — 300mm x 600mm clip-together tiles, ten to a box covering 1.8 square metres, with corner and straight edge trims. Colours: Antique, Blackbutt, Ipe, Silver Grey. For balconies and courtyards over an existing hard surface.
The colours stocked in Australia across the whole range are Antique, Blackbutt, Teak, Ipe, Walnut, Silver Grey, Beech, Aged Wood, Canadian Cedar, Ebony and Sea Salt. Not every colour comes in every range.
What You Actually Get
UltraShield capping. The board is wrapped 360 degrees, grooves included. That polymer skin is what stops moisture, stains, mould, UV, termites, rot and splintering getting into the core. An uncapped composite has an exposed edge somewhere. This one does not.
95% recycled. Recycled sustainably sourced timber and recycled HDPE plastic, with no glues, oils, stains, paints or sealants used in making it.
Grip. Slip resistance is measured by wet pendulum test to Australian standard AS/NZS 4586. Worth knowing: these boards have two faces. The commercial-grade side tests at P5, the timber-look side at P2. Almost every deck gets laid timber-side up, because that is the side people want to look at. If grip is the priority — around a pool, on stairs, on a wet north-facing deck — tell me at the site visit and I will talk you through it properly rather than repeat a rating that came off the other side of the board.
Bushfire. Terrace, Coastal and Marina carry a BAL 29 rating tested to AS1530.8.1.2007.
Pool and salt. Chlorinated pool water does not hurt these boards. What does hurt them is undiluted chlorine or pool salt tipped straight onto the deck — if that happens, wash it off there and then. Terrace, Coastal and Marina are all rated for pool and wet areas. Marina is the one built for permanent salt-water exposure.
Stage 1 — Before & Delivery
The starting point and the material landing on site.
Stage 2 — Strip-out & Framing
The old frame was the real work. Four days lifting, pulling nails, planing and levelling. My takeaway: it’s almost always more cost-effective to rebuild a frame from scratch than to massage an old one back to glory.
Stage 3 — Decking
On long continuous NewTechWood runs the lines have to be laser-straight. I string-line every few rows — skip it and the eye catches any skew the moment you walk the deck. The grain feels softer underfoot than most composites I’ve used.
Stage 4 — Stairs, Glass & Finish
Custom stairs and integrated frosted privacy glass to finish the surround. NewTechWood’s slip resistance and chlorine/saltwater tolerance suit poolside down to the structure.
The Finished Deck
Other Eastern Suburbs NewTechWood Projects
A few more NewTechWood builds across the Eastern Suburbs — different sites, same capped composite holding up to coastal conditions.
Contractor's Take
The brochure sells NewTechWood as bulletproof and low-maintenance. What it doesn’t tell you is how unforgiving a composite board is when the framing isn’t flawless. On this 14-metre job the client wanted to keep the old timber frame — four days lifting, planing and levelling later, I’d rebuild from scratch next time, every time. On runs this long the lines have to be laser-straight, so I string-line every few rows. The payoff is real: the anti-fade holds, and the grain has a softer feel underfoot than most composites on the market.
How I Build a NewTechWood Deck
The boards are only as good as what is under them, and composite is less forgiving than timber about it.
Joist spacing. Terrace and Avenue take joists at up to 450mm centres, Coastal at 400mm, Marina at 600mm. Those are maximums, not targets. On anything that carries furniture or foot traffic I tighten them.
Expansion gaps. Composite moves with temperature, and NewTechWood publish exactly how much. The end gap depends on the board length and the temperature on the day it goes down — a 5.4 metre board wants 8.6mm at 10 degrees and 2.2mm at 40. Get that wrong on a cold morning and the deck buckles in February. I work off their table, not off a rule of thumb.
Clips and screws. The side gap is set by which clip system goes in — 3mm, 5.5mm or 8.5mm. Fixings sit at least 38mm in from the ends and edges of every board, driven square. On coastal jobs the screw grade matters as much as the clip: 304 stainless as standard, 316 where the salt air warrants it.
Underneath. Minimum 100mm clearance over soil, 40mm over concrete, and no more than 5mm between joists blocking drainage. Water has to get away.
Stairs. Treads at no more than 305mm centres, minimum four stringers, and the tread overhang never over 15mm.
None of that shows in a photo. All of it is why the deck is still flat in ten years.
Why NewTechWood
- Coastal salt + sun: 360-degree capping blocks moisture; Silver Grey holds colour with no oiling
- Poolside: slip resistance + chlorine/salt tolerance
- Bushfire zones: BAL 29 rated
Why Choose The Decksmith for Your Composite Deck Project?
Bronte blocks are rarely flat, rarely easy to access, and almost always have some combination of slope, retaining wall, existing paving and coastal exposure that has to be worked with, not against. This project is a case study in that. Curving the deck to mirror the paving, sealing every frame cut for salt-air longevity, hiding the bin run, and building the stair sequence to make the climb feel deliberate — these are the moves that suit a tightly considered Eastern Suburbs property where every square metre has to do work.
13+ years building across Bronte, Bondi, Coogee, Double Bay, Randwick and the surrounding Eastern Suburbs. I know the access, the council standards, and what coastal exposure does to a frame that has not been properly protected.
- Local Expertise: I know the council requirements and the salt-spray durability needs of the Eastern Suburbs.
- Problem Solvers: Whether it's 1.8m deep footings or difficult site access, I don't cut corners.
- Full Service: From the first Merbau plank to the final LED light in your outdoor kitchen.
NewTechWood Decking — Common Questions
What does NewTechWood decking cost in Sydney?
Between $800 and $850 per square metre supplied and installed for most jobs in the Eastern Suburbs. The frame drives the number more than the boards do — access, slope, footings, stairs and whether an old frame has to come out. I quote fixed price after a site visit.
What is the warranty?
Decking carries a 25-year limited residential warranty and a 10-year limited commercial warranty, plus a 25-year limited stain warranty. Deck tiles are different — 10 years residential, 5 years otherwise. The warranty covers manufacturing defects such as splintering, delamination, rot, termite damage and fungal decay, along with stain and fade resistance. It does not cover wear and tear, poor maintenance, static, or installation that does not follow the guidelines. Painting or coating the boards voids it entirely, and so does contact with heat above 120 degrees. Claims go in within 30 days of finding the problem, with proof of purchase from an authorised dealer, and nothing gets pulled up or repaired before the Australian distributor says so in writing.
Does it need oiling or sanding?
No. No oiling, no sanding, no painting, no recoating, ever. What it does want is a wash — warm soapy water with a soft broom or mop, and a monthly going over with mild detergent and a soft brush. Spills get washed off straight away rather than left.
Can I pressure wash it?
NewTechWood do not recommend it — a high-pressure cleaner can damage the surface. Soap, water and a soft brush is the whole maintenance routine.
How far apart do the joists go?
Up to 450mm for Terrace and Avenue, 400mm for Coastal, 600mm for Marina. Those are the maximums in NewTechWood's own Australian tables. I usually build tighter.
Is it suitable around a pool?
Yes. Terrace, Coastal and Marina are all rated for pools and wet areas, and chlorinated water does not affect the boards. Just do not tip undiluted chlorine or pool salt straight onto the deck — and if you do, hose it off immediately.
Is it bushfire rated?
Terrace, Coastal and Marina are rated BAL 29, tested to AS1530.8.1.2007. NewTechWood cladding does not carry a BAL rating.
Does it get static?
It can, like most composites. Static build-up is not covered by the warranty. NewTechWood sell an anti-static strip, and insulating the contact points sorts it.
What colours can I get?
Antique, Blackbutt, Teak, Ipe, Walnut, Silver Grey, Beech, Aged Wood, Canadian Cedar, Ebony and Sea Salt are the colours stocked in Australia, though not every colour is made in every range. I bring samples to the site visit — colour looks different in your light than it does in a photo.
Do you install it yourself?
Yes. I am Greg, I hold NSW carpenter licence 272840C, and I have been building decks across the Eastern Suburbs for 13+ years. Every metre is designed and built by me — no crew sent in my place.
What Clients Are Saying
Five-Star Reviews From Sydney Homeowners
★★★★★ Verified Google reviews ★★★★★
"Greg was an absolute professional from start to finish. His flexibility, attention to detail & problem solving is a credit to him & his team. We couldn’t be more thrilled with the end product. I highly recommend Greg to anyone wanting a high quality deck."
— Chris P
Responsiveness · Punctuality · Quality · Professionalism · Value
Ready to Plan Your Composite Deck?
If you’re planning a NewTechWood deck in the Eastern Suburbs, I’ll help you get the structure, lines and finish right. — Greg, 0468 486 290