Wood Deck Alternative
|Wood Deck Alternative – Part of the procedure for constructing a deck is deciding which materials to use for the decking. Basically, you’ve got two choices – wood or composite. In this article, I’ll share the pros and cons of each one type that will help you select the right one to your deck. The main difference between wood and composite decking is the quantity of maintenance required. Wood decking requires more upkeep than composite, but looks nicer. The companies who manufacture composite decking are going to do their best to generate their product appear to be real wood, but so far haven’t achieved it. I personally don’t think they’ll ever be able to match the good thing about real wood. Because of the extra time had to maintain wood decking, you need to inquire about yourself if you’ve got the extra time forced to keep a wood deck sealed and looking good. If you DO have some time and are happy to spend it on your deck, great! Go with wood.
If, however, you don’t have extra time or wouldn’t like to spend on sealing a wood deck a few times 12 months, composite may be the most suitable choice. Even though wood decks require more upkeep, there is a form of wood you can use for decking which requires very little or no upkeep. That wood is cedar. I’ve actually laid wood decking and done absolutely NOTHING to it and had it last for many years without any problems. Cedar is naturally proof against rain, snow, and sunlight. It doesn’t warp or twist, and possess very little tendency to check on or cup.
The only drawback with cedar decking left unsealed is is will turn gray after a while. If you are against this look, you can decide to seal it a few times per year. It may still “gray”, nevertheless it will require longer to do this. Actually ALL wood decks will turn gray after a while, if you don’t apply sealer every month or two, which is a great deal of work. Composite decking, conversely, is virtually maintenance free. Once it’s laid down, it’s not going to change much even through extreme weather. Some composite deck colors will fade over many years, nevertheless the fading is uniform, so you won’t really notice it happening.
There are a few disadvantages to getting composite. First, composite decking is more expensive than wood. This could possibly be an issue if you’ve got financial restrictions. If you factor in the fee savings of not buying sealer for decades, it will normalize the fee increase somewhat. Another downside of using composite decking is the potential for the product failing. Just like any man-made product, composite decking could possibly be faulty. A few years ago, one major composite decking manufacturer create some defective material. This led to many decks going bad which designed a class action lawsuit. Even with compensation presented to consumers, many were stuck with high replacement costs. This doesn’t mean every composite deck product is likely to have problems, it is just a reminder that it COULD happen.
Overall, wood or composite decks are great. You just need to decide from your gray deck, a wood deck that requires maintenance, or even a composite deck which requires no upkeep, but is more expensive and it has the possible to travel awry.