You've decided on composite decking for your Melbourne home. Good call. No oiling, no splinters, no rotting boards every five years. But then you start shopping and two names keep popping up: ModWood and Ekodeck. Both are Australian-made. Both use recycled materials. Both claim to be the best composite decking for our climate. So which one actually suits your deck?
Over 10 years of building decks across the inner west, we've installed both brands on everything from small Seddon courtyards to large Williamstown alfresco areas. Here's how they genuinely compare.
What they are and how they're made
Both ModWood and Ekodeck are wood-plastic composite boards made from a mix of recycled wood fibre and recycled plastic (typically HDPE). The idea is the same: combine the look of timber with the low-maintenance properties of plastic. But the formulations and manufacturing processes differ, and those differences show up in how the boards perform over time.
ModWood
ModWood is manufactured in Melbourne by ModWood Technologies. It was one of the first composite decking brands in Australia, launching in the early 2000s. The boards use a refined wood-plastic blend with a brushed finish that mimics timber grain. ModWood offers several product lines, including the standard range, the XL range (wider boards), and the Mini Board for smaller profiles. All ModWood boards are bushfire rated to BAL-29, which matters if your property is in a designated bushfire-prone area like those near Newport or the western fringes.
Ekodeck
Ekodeck is manufactured by Ekodeck in Queensland. It launched later than ModWood but has grown quickly, partly on the back of its Ekodeck Ultra range, which uses a different resin blend for improved scratch and stain resistance. Ekodeck boards feature a wood-grain embossed surface and come in a range of colours designed to mimic Australian hardwoods. Ekodeck is also rated to BAL-29 for bushfire zones.
Board sizes and profiles
Board width changes the look of your deck more than you'd expect. Here's how the two brands compare:
- ModWood: Standard boards at 88mm and 137mm wide, all 23mm thick. The XL range runs 137mm wide. Board lengths go up to 5.4 metres, which reduces joins on longer decks.
- Ekodeck: Boards at 86mm, 138mm and 172mm wide (the 172mm is the widest composite board on the Australian market). Thickness is 22mm. Lengths up to 5.4 metres as well.
If you want wider boards for a more modern, architectural look, Ekodeck's 172mm profile gives you options ModWood doesn't. For a traditional timber-look deck, both brands' 86-88mm boards are close enough that you won't notice the 2mm difference once installed.
Colour range and UV performance
Melbourne's UV is harsh even when the temperature isn't. Both brands will fade slightly in the first few months as the surface oxidises, then stabilise. This is normal for all composite decking, not a defect.
- ModWood colours: Black Bean, Jarrah, Mahogany, Slate Grey, Silver Gum, Walnut. Tonal range from deep browns to cool greys. The brushed surface holds its colour well after the initial fade.
- Ekodeck colours: Slate, Black Bean, Silver Maple, Wild Jarrah, Tallowwood, Walnut, Mountain Ash. The embossed grain is slightly more pronounced than ModWood's, which some homeowners prefer and others find too uniform.
Neither brand offers true colour matching to a specific timber. If you're trying to match an existing Merbau deck, composite will always look different. But for a new deck where you're choosing the colour fresh, both ranges have enough options to suit Melbourne's period and contemporary homes.
Heat retention on Melbourne summer days
This is the question we get asked most. Composite boards get hotter than timber in direct sun. On a 38°C Melbourne summer day, both ModWood and Ekodeck can reach 55-65°C surface temperature in full sun. Bare feet will feel it.
Ekodeck's lighter colours (Silver Maple, Slate) tend to run slightly cooler than the darker tones, and the same is true for ModWood's Slate Grey and Silver Gum. If your deck faces north or west and gets all-day sun, choose a lighter colour regardless of brand. Darker boards like Black Bean or Mahogany will be noticeably hotter underfoot in January.
If you have kids or pets who'll be running barefoot in summer, ask us about lighter colours. Both brands perform similarly on heat, but colour choice makes a bigger difference than the brand itself.
Scratch and stain resistance
Both brands are harder to scratch than oiled timber, but they're not immune. Dragging furniture, dropping tools, or letting grit build up will mark any composite board. Ekodeck Ultra uses a higher-density surface layer that resists scratches better than the standard Ekodeck range, and in our experience it holds up better to heavy foot traffic and furniture movement. ModWood's brushed surface can show scratch marks more readily because the texture gives scratches a visible edge.
For stain resistance, both handle red wine, coffee, and food spills well if cleaned promptly. Ekodeck's surface is slightly less porous, which helps with stubborn stains. ModWood requires a bit more attention with grease stains from barbecues.
Installation: fixings and frame requirements
Both brands use hidden fixing systems, which means no visible screws on the deck surface. ModWood uses a proprietary clip system that requires specific spacing. Ekodeck uses its own clip range with pre-grooved boards. Both clip systems work well, but they're not interchangeable, so you can't mix brands on the same deck.
Frame spacing matters more than which brand you pick. Both ModWood and Ekodeck require joist centres at 450mm maximum for standard boards, and 400mm for the wider profiles. This is tighter than many timber decks use, so if you're replacing an old timber deck, the subframe may need extra joists added to meet composite specifications.
Price comparison
Composite decking sits at the premium end of the market. At 2026 Melbourne rates, composite decking supply and installation starts from $550 per square metre. Both ModWood and Ekodeck fall within this range, with Ekodeck Ultra commanding a slight premium over standard Ekodeck and ModWood XL.
For a straight price comparison on materials alone, the two brands are within 5-10% of each other. The bigger cost driver is board width (wider boards cost more per linear metre but cover more area) and colour (some premium colours carry a surcharge). Your final quote will depend more on deck size, height, access, and subframe requirements than on which brand you choose.
For context, hardwood decking starts at $440/m2 and treated pine from $290/m2. Composite costs more upfront but saves on maintenance over time. We cover this trade-off in detail in our composite vs timber comparison.
Warranty and longevity
Both brands offer warranties on their products:
- ModWood: 10-year warranty on standard boards, 15-year on XL range
- Ekodeck: 10-year warranty on standard boards, 15-year on Ekodeck Ultra
Warranties cover manufacturing defects, not installation errors or damage from improper cleaning. Having your deck installed by an experienced builder matters as much as the brand choice. A poorly installed composite deck will warp, squeak, and gap regardless of which board you pick.
Which should you choose?
For most Melbourne inner-west homes, either brand will serve you well. Here's our honest guidance:
- Choose ModWood if you want a subtle timber-look texture, a local Melbourne manufacturer, and you're drawn to the Slate Grey or Silver Gum tones
- Choose Ekodeck if you want wider board options, better scratch resistance (Ultra range), and a more pronounced grain texture
- Choose either in a lighter colour if your deck gets full sun and barefoot use matters
The brand decision matters less than the colour, the subframe quality, and the installation. We've seen beautiful decks from both brands and disappointing ones from both too, always traced back to poor installation rather than the board itself.
Want to see samples of both before deciding? We bring ModWood and Ekodeck colour swatches to every on-site quote across the inner west. Call 0420 412 616 or request a free quote below.