Modern Wood Deck
|Modern Wood Deck – Part of the means of constructing a deck is deciding which materials to use for the decking. Basically, you might have two choices – wood or composite. In this article, I’ll share the pros and cons of each one type that may help you select the right one for the deck. The main difference between wood and composite decking may be the amount of maintenance required. Wood decking requires more upkeep than composite, but looks nicer. The companies who manufacture composite decking are performing their utmost to create their product look like real wood, but thus far haven’t achieved it. I personally don’t even think they’ll ever be capable to match the best thing about real wood. Because of the additional time needed to maintain wood decking, you first need must yourself if you might have the additional time required to keep a wood deck sealed and looking good. If you DO have some time and they are ready to stand on your own deck, great! Go with wood.
If, however, you do not have additional time or don’t wish to agree to sealing a wood deck once or twice a year, composite could be your best option. Even though wood decks require more upkeep, you will find there’s sort of wood you can use for decking which requires hardly any or no upkeep. That wood is cedar. I’ve actually laid wood decking and done absolutely NOTHING to it and had it last for years with no problems. Cedar is naturally resistant against rain, snow, and sunlight. It doesn’t warp or twist, and also have hardly any tendency to evaluate or cup.
The only drawback with cedar decking left unsealed is that is will turn gray with time. If you are against this look, it is possible to choose to seal it once or twice a year. It may still “gray”, however it is going to take longer for this. Actually ALL wood decks will turn gray with time, unless you apply sealer every month or two, that is a great deal of work. Composite decking, on the other hand, is virtually maintenance free. Once it’s laid down, it certainly can’t change much even through extreme weather. Some composite deck colors will fade over a few years, nevertheless the fading is uniform, so you won’t really notice it happening.
There are a few disadvantages to using composite. First, composite decking is more expensive than wood. This could be a difficulty if you might have budget constraints. If you element in the price savings of not buying sealer for years, it may balance the price increase somewhat. Another downside of using composite decking may be the possibility of the product failing. Just like any man-made product, composite decking could be faulty. A few years ago, one major composite decking manufacturer created some defective material. This led to many decks going bad which designed a class action lawsuit. Even with compensation provided to consumers, many were saddled with high replacement costs. This doesn’t mean every composite deck technique is planning to have problems, it is simply 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 requires maintenance, or perhaps a composite deck which requires no upkeep, but is more expensive and it has the potential to visit awry.