Yes, our harsh Australian environment does hammer our external finishes but if exposed timber is coated with a good quality finish initially ( i recommend 4 coats minimum ) then an ongoing maintenance coat every couple of years, your timber can still look great many years down the track. People just need to understand if you want that beautiful natural timber look you have to put time in to maintain it.

I don’t have any practical advice but love the look. If you google images for Porters Paints Palm Beach Black you’ll see some great exterior inspiration.

Outdoor entertaining spaces are an important part of home and landscape design today. Creating an on-trend, attractive outdoor space can present a challenge, but DECO has some stylish options to help design the ultimate outdoor area. Enhance your backyard with a deck No garden or outdoor area would be complete without a deck. Decking adds a functional space to a backyard, ideal for family gatherings or quiet time alone. Add a bit of innovation to a decking design by utilising the leftover decking material as a seat or built-in storage box, or by creating an extended living area that flows from the indoors to the outdoor space. DECO’s timber-look aluminium decking product, DecoDeck, is a premium, durable and attractive decking product for an effortless outdoor space, designed to endure even the harshest of Australian conditions. Elegant batten privacy screens The only thing that makes an attractive outdoor space even better is making it more serene and private, blocking out the prying eyes of the neighbours with a timber-look batten privacy screen. As well as adding some much-welcomed privacy, batten privacy screens allow light and shade into the space, add warmth to a garden or courtyard and pair well with native plants or add a stunning contrast to modern materials such as concrete or brick. Batten privacy screens can be spaced narrowly for extra privacy or widely for a more open space. DecoBatten, the elegant timber-look batten system by DECO, offers a highly durable timber-look batten option ideal for privacy screens, minus the maintenance and weathering of real timber, and with the added bonus of a wide range of sizes for mix-and-matching and unique designs. Decorative ceiling panels If your outdoor area features an overhanging ceiling, this can be incorporated into an atmospheric backyard design by adding a cladding product to it. Cladded ceilings can be a visually pleasing statement feature, as well as creating designs where undercover areas seamlessly transition into the rest of the outdoor space. DECO’s timber-look cladding product, DecoClad, offers an aesthetically stunning alternative to timber-clad ceilings. Made from solid aluminium, it requires no maintenance, will not weather like real timber, and is safe for use even in bushfire areas, while retaining the natural timber aesthetic Australians adore. DECO recommends choosing lighter ceiling colours for a cladded ceiling, as being on the underside of the roof, ceilings always appear darker once installed. A functional opening roof A twist on the cladded ceiling, timber-look opening roof systems allow an alfresco to be opened and closed as desired. This allows your outdoor space to transform with the seasons, keeping it sheltered from strong sunlight and rain, while providing shade and shelter for a space that can be enjoyed whatever the weather. DECO partners with Opening Roof Specialists to create luxurious opening roof systems finished in DECO’s timber-look finish for aluminium, DecoWood. Mixed materials for unique designs Make a unique statement with your outdoor area by combining different materials, colours and textures, to create contrast, add a modern look to your outdoor space, or create a one-of-a-kind statement. Combining different timber grains can add extra warmth, colour and contrast, while combining timber-look finishes such as DecoWood with neutral, urban colours such as DECO’s edgy concrete-look finish, DecoCrete, can create an on-trend classic-meets-modern aesthetic. For more information visit www.deco.net.au.

Hi Blake, Timber can be a very good choice in exposed seaside areas. You are right it will still require maintenance. I will leave the question of type of timber to the experts, I would also have to do my research to understand this one. Find a good timber supplier or a few and shot these questions to them, you will soon find out who knows their stuff and who is just selling. One pointer that I would give for a sealer is lanotec. It which is lanolin base timber sealer which still allows the timber to grey off and still seal the timber. There maybe other brand of this type of sealer out there these day, I used this many years ago now on a project close to Sydney harbour. An absolute must is the use of Stainless Steel fixings and any accessory. Hope this help in some way.