Thread: Finger jointed merbau

I am planning on building a 50 square metre deck and have been offered finger jointed merbau to use. I have never come across this type of merbau and wonder if this would be suitable to use. Do the joins fade when the deck is oiled, or is it always visable? I understand that this product is cheaper and may be easier to work with as it comes in standard lengths, but if it doesnt look as good as standard merbau then i wont use it.

Any thoughts?

It depends which type it is. There is some that has visible joins as you describe and if it's like the screen slats in laminated merbau I've seen there should be one side which has far less visible joins. I'm not sure how these would hold up over time.

The second lot has a veneered face so it looks like standard merbau. There isn't a lot wrong with it and it's lighter and easier to work with than proper merbau but as both these are relatively new to the market I would be wary about their longevity in the harsh Australian conditions decks in the country are subjected to.

Think long and hard about it before you make your decision because the last thing you want to do is have to pull your decking boards up in a few years and lay new ones. You will have to look beyond the sales pitch!