Wood Decking vs. Composite Decking

Wondering what decking material to choose for your new deck or maybe a porch? You have two categories of deck materials to choose from: natural wood or man made products – but there are lots of options within each of these categories. The most popular wood products are treated lumber and cedar. You can now get a pressure treated pine that has cedar tones.  Man made deck material products include composites, PVC and vinyl from manufacturers such as Azek, Trex, Timber Tech, and Fiberon.
Most of the decks built today are made of pressure treated (PT) wood. The reason people choose wood is for the initial cost savings. The main reason people choose composite or man made deck materials is for the minimal to low maintenance required.
So what deck material is best to choose? There are a few factors to evaluate before making a decision. You’ll need to ask questions like: How will the deck be used? Is it in a shaded area or a sunny one? How long do you plan to live in your home? Do you plan on doing your own deck maintenance or hiring a company to do it for you? As you can see, the questions are endless. Like most deck builders, I can’t recommend the right deck material without talking to you and answering these questions first.

Lets compare.. Pricing is based on the same size deck for all options. 

• A Pressure treated wood deck - $6,500 
• A Cedar wood deck  $8,000
• Composite Material Deck $11,500
• PVC deck - $13,000

The same size treated lumber or cedar deck mentioned above costs $600-$800 to stain the first year. You’ll need to stain it every two years after that.  Stripping and sanding will be done every five to six years before you do the the yearly deck stain, which will cost about $1000 total.

Upfront a wood deck is less expensive. However if you plan to enjoy your deck, year after year, it will not be the less expensive option. Even with regular maintenance you are still looking at possible splintering and cracking. 

​Happy building!