Wood Deck Railing Ideas
|Wood Deck Railing Ideas – Part of the technique of building a deck is deciding which materials to use for the decking. Basically, you have two choices – wood or composite. In this article, I’ll share the pros and cons of each and every type to assist you pick the best one to your deck. The main difference between wood and composite decking is the amount of maintenance required. Wood decking requires more upkeep than composite, but looks nicer. The companies who manufacture composite decking are performing their very best to make their product look like real wood, but to date haven’t achieved it. I personally don’t think they’ll ever be in a position to match the best thing about real wood. Because of the extra time had to maintain wood decking, you need to ask yourself if you have the extra time forced to keep a wood deck sealed looking good. If you DO have some time and they are prepared to wait on your own deck, great! Go with wood.
If, however, you do not have extra time or shouldn’t spend on sealing a wood deck maybe once or twice 12 months, composite might be the most suitable choice. Even though wood decks require more upkeep, there exists a form of wood that can be used for decking which requires little or no or no upkeep. That wood is cedar. I’ve actually laid wood decking and done absolutely NOTHING to it along it last for many years without problems. Cedar is naturally resistant to rain, snow, and sunlight. It doesn’t warp or twist, and have little or no tendency to check or cup.
The only drawback with cedar decking left unsealed is that is will turn gray as time passes. If you are instead of this look, you are able to choose to seal it maybe once or twice each year. It may still “gray”, nevertheless it will take longer to take action. Actually ALL wood decks will turn gray as time passes, until you apply sealer every several months, which is a lot of work. Composite decking, alternatively, 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 a few years, however the fading is uniform, which means you won’t really notice it happening.
There are some disadvantages to presenting composite. First, composite decking is more expensive than wood. This may be a challenge if you have financial constraints. If you take into account the price savings of not buying sealer for years, it will normalize the price increase somewhat. Another disadvantage of using composite decking is the chance for the product failing. Just like any man-made product, composite decking may be faulty. A few years ago, one major composite decking manufacturer released some defective material. This led to many decks going bad which designed a class action lawsuit. Even with compensation presented to consumers, many were bound to high replacement costs. This doesn’t mean every composite deck product is likely to have problems, it’s only a reminder that it COULD happen.
Overall, wood or composite decks are perfect. You just need to decide from your gray deck, a wood deck that will require maintenance, or possibly a composite deck which requires no upkeep, but is more expensive and has the potential to go awry.