Faux Wood Decking
|Faux Wood Decking – Part of the process of developing 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 every type that may help you select the right one on your deck. The main difference between wood and composite decking may be the level of maintenance required. Wood decking requires more upkeep than composite, but looks nicer. The companies who manufacture composite decking are going to do their finest to create their product look like real wood, but so far haven’t achieved it. I personally don’t believe they’ll ever be capable to match the beauty of real wood. Because of the more time had to maintain wood decking, you first need to inquire about yourself if you’ve got the more time forced to keep a wood deck sealed and seeking good. If you DO have time and they are willing to wait on your deck, great! Go with wood.
If, however, there isn’t more time or don’t want to spend on sealing a wood deck a few times per year, composite may be your best option. Even though wood decks require more upkeep, there exists a sort of wood which can be used 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 coupled with it last a long time 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 the fact that is will turn gray as time passes. If you are against this look, you’ll be able to choose to seal it a few times annually. It may still “gray”, however it will require longer to do this. Actually ALL wood decks will turn gray as time passes, until you apply sealer every couple of months, that is a large amount of work. Composite decking, however, is virtually maintenance free. Once it’s laid down, it won’t change much even through extreme weather. Some composite deck colors will fade over a long period, however the fading is uniform, and that means you won’t really notice it happening.
There are a few disadvantages to getting composite. First, composite decking is more expensive than wood. This may be a difficulty if you’ve got financial restrictions. If you take into account the charge savings of not buying sealer for years, it may balance out the charge increase somewhat. Another disadvantage of using composite decking may be the chance of the item failing. Just like any man-made product, composite decking may be faulty. A few years ago, one major composite decking manufacturer create some defective material. This ended in many decks going bad which made a class action lawsuit. Even with compensation provided to consumers, many were tied to high replacement costs. This doesn’t mean every composite deck technique is gonna have problems, it is just a reminder that it COULD happen.
Overall, wood or composite decks are great. You just need to decide from the gray deck, a wood deck that will need maintenance, or possibly a composite deck which requires no upkeep, but is more expensive and has the possibility to go awry.