Skip to main content
Cladding Sawn Timber Fencing Oak Beams Oak Framed Buildings Decking Wood Fuels Shop & Woodworking Burnblock®
Completed Projects
The Workbench
Lava Logs
Contact

Choosing The Perfect Decking Colour: 6 Stylish Options

5 min read

Wooden deck with a stepped platform in a garden, featuring a stone ball fountain on white gravel, orange flowers, and green shrubs.

The colour of your decking is probably the most important design choice — you want to make the right call to complement your garden and property.

So, what are the options? What will look best? Our team of decking experts have pulled together six of the most popular, on-trend colours.

We’ve included a mix of solid timber options, some factory-finished ideas as well as a couple of composite decking choices — so there’s sure to be something that looks fantastic in your space

1. Grey – for on-trend, modern, Scandi-inspired minimalism

When it comes to garden and home design, grayscale is certainly having a moment. It’s minimalist and closely tied to the ever-popular Scandinavian style.

As such a neutral colour, grey is incredibly versatile, blending well with your home’s exterior and any existing features. It provides a canvas for statement pieces to take centre stage, such as feature walls, garden furniture or that expensive new outdoor rug.

Another bonus: grey hides dirt well — possibly a consideration for households with mess makers in their ranks!

Outdoor wooden deck with a bamboo-framed daybed, two wicker chairs, white cushions, patterned pillows, and potted plants along a green hedge.
  1. Composite decking: Composite decking is where wood and plastic elements are blended together. Products such as WeatherDek Grey and ReversaDek allow homeowners to choose either medium, light or dark grey. Be sure to check out our comparison of wood and composite decking!
  2. Natural weathering: Another way to go grey is by choosing a naturally-durable timber species, like European Oak, Iroko or Siberian Larch and allowing it to weather naturally. Over time, the effect of moisture and the sun’s UV will bleach the wood, giving a marvellous, natural weathered look. Note that this greying is not necessarily a sign of damage; you can prevent any moisture-related dangers by applying a transparent preservative treatment, like Owatrol H4 Wood.
  3. Factory finishes: Heat-treated softwoods like Thermo-Pine can be professionally finished during production for a beautiful, high-performance product. One of the most popular factory-treated technologies for this grey look is SiOO:X. You can learn a little more in our article about pre-treated timber.
Modern wooden house with large glass doors opening to a warmly lit dining area; a freestanding bathtub sits on the deck beside a grassy yard.
Grey cladding can be achieved by allowing a quality timber species to naturally weather.
Three tall, narrow windows in a chevron wood-clad wall, gray-framed, with a wide wooden deck in front.

2. Darker brown – for luxury and intrigue

The tropics offer us some stunning timbers. One such species is Iroko, native to the west coast of Africa. It has two well-earned nicknames: ‘African teak’ and the ‘Rolls-Royce of decking’. Suffice it to say, this wood looks the part and performs exceptionally.

There’s quite a bit of colour variation with Iroko, adding to its appeal. Honeys, caramels, golden browns and darker brown hues all make for an elegant, stylish choice. It has a stunning intricate grain pattern, typically with some light fleck markings. 

Wooden deck along a beige stucco house, edged with small lights. Glass doors and a window open onto the deck; gravel, lawn, and a stone wall nearby.
Elevated wooden deck with grooved boards attached to a beige house, white-framed glass doors, stone wall, gravel ground, and countryside beyond.
Iroko’s gorgeous golden browns and exceptional strength and durability mimic teak at a fraction of the cost.

Another popular way to achieve the luxurious, tropical darker brown look is with a heat-treated decking products, like Thermo-Pine and Thermo-Oak.

During manufacture, the wood undergoes a chemical-free thermal modification. This not only improves the wood’s properties, but also imparts a gorgeous, rich darker brown colour.

Wooden deck with a stepped platform in a garden, featuring a stone ball fountain on white gravel, orange flowers, and green shrubs.
Cozy outdoor patio with wicker furniture, string lights, lanterns, cushions, a patterned rug, and potted plants.
Brown wooden deck on a green lawn, with evenly spaced horizontal planks and a slightly raised edge.
Thermo-Oak smooth-face timber decking: heat treatment imparts a darker brown colour and boosts outdoor performance.
Wooden garden shed with large glass double doors and black frames, built on a wide wooden deck, fenced on both sides with a green lawn behind.
Wooden terrace of a modern white house at sunset, with outdoor dining table and chairs, string lights, and potted plants by a large glass door.

3. Golden brown – for timeless, versatile beauty

The warm, honey-like golden brown colour of timbers like European Oak are perennially popular. Whatever sort of outdoor space you’re creating, oak is sure to offer a beautiful, high-performance solution.

The species’ distinctive, wavy grain pattern — featuring prominent knots and swirls — offers timeless, rustic beauty. Whilst it’s a more traditional choice, it’ll never go out of fashion.

Close-up of light wood planks with prominent grain and grooves, laid in a long surface; a seam runs along the length, with a wooden wall in the background.
European oak flat and fluted finger-jointed decking.
Outdoor wicker sofa and coffee table on a wooden deck, cream cushions and striped pillows, with baskets, candles, and a breakfast spread of croissants and coffee amid greenery.
Close-up of light brown wooden slats with narrow grooves running along their length, resembling a slatted outdoor deck or bench.

Another similarly characterful species, but this time offering a more straw yellow-golden appearance, is Siberian Larch. Its occasional knots and swirls are a cherished feature, making it perfectly at home in a rustic, nature-connected outdoor space.

Close-up of three light-brown wooden boards with pronounced grain patterns and narrow gaps between them.

4. White – for Mediterranean vibes and smaller spaces

Factory treatment can be used to create any colour of decking or, of course, you can buy a quality white stain! One particularly trendy choice is all-white decking.

Whilst any spills will be immediately apparent, white decking is clean and refreshing — almost like the coastal sands of the Mediterranean. Like grey, its neutrality as a colour makes it naturally versatile and at home in any space, easily complementing brick, plants or other outdoor features.

By adding the illusion of size, white is also particularly useful for smaller gardens.

Backyard pond with a stone edge and wooden deck; two people sit at a table on the deck, surrounded by lush plants, trees, and a wooden fence.
Source: Sioo:X (www.sioox.org.uk)
Light wooden deck in the foreground, a sunlit green park beyond with blurred trees and colorful foliage, framed by overhanging leaves at the top.

Also remember that the colour of your decking can be subtly changed with a quality woodcare finish, like Owatrol Aquadecks or Owatrol Textrol HES. It’s available in a range of tint and shades and also allows you to retain the beauty of the wood.

5. Reddish brown – for warmth and character

Hailing from Malaysia, Balau’s exotic mixture of reds, light browns and golden browns make it another design-led choice. The variance in colour provides warmth and character, allowing you to make your decking the star of the show. Needless to say, it’s also remarkably dense and scratch resistant.

Wide wooden deck attached to a modern glass-walled house, with white dining chairs around a table and a rocky border along the edge.
Close-up of brown wooden slats with narrow vertical grooves; a thin white gap runs between two adjacent panels on the right.
A wooden deck with reddish-brown planks extends into the distance, bordered by tall green ornamental grasses on the right.

6. Black – for a dramatic, head-turning touch

Not afraid to make a statement? Factory-finished or painted black decking might be the sophisticated, sleek option you’re after. To complement it, you can channel the popularity of grayscale with white garden furniture or light-coloured decking trims.

Got a decking project in mind?

Whichever decking colour you’re digging, we can help – take a look through our range of quality timber decking.

Our woods are sustainably sourced from around the world and machined to profile by us.

For more inspiration, have a gander at some of our case studies, or to start your project, drop us a message using the button below.

Get in touch

Ready to start your project?

Join our mailing list

Sign up to our mailing list to receive the latest updates, discounts and articles.