Home » Wood Deck » Composite Versus Wood Decking

Composite Versus Wood Decking

Wood And Composite Decking Pros And Cons within measurements 2122 X 1415Wood And Composite Decking Pros And Cons within measurements 2122 X 1415

Composite Versus Wood Decking – Part of the means of building 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 type that may help you select the right one to your deck. The main difference between wood and composite decking could 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 very best to make their product seem like real wood, but to date haven’t achieved it. I personally don’t believe they’ll ever be capable of match the advantage of real wood. Because of the an extension cord required to maintain wood decking, you first need to question yourself if you’ve got the an extension cord forced to keep a wood deck sealed looking good. If you DO have some time and therefore are ready to wait on the deck, great! Go with wood.

If, however, you do not have an extension cord or don’t want to invest in sealing a wood deck once or twice a year, composite could possibly be your best option. Even though wood decks require more upkeep, you will find there’s kind of wood which 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 coupled with it last for many years without problems. Cedar is naturally resistant against rain, snow, and sunlight. It doesn’t warp or twist, and have little or no tendency to evaluate 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’ll be able to opt to seal it once or twice a year. It may still “gray”, nevertheless it will take longer to do so. Actually ALL wood decks will turn gray after a while, until you apply sealer every month or two, the large amount of work. Composite decking, however, 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, which means you won’t really notice it happening.

There are several disadvantages to presenting composite. First, composite decking is more expensive than wood. This could possibly be a challenge if you’ve got financial restrictions. If you element in the price savings of not buying sealer for years, it might normalize the price increase somewhat. Another downside of using composite decking could be the chance of the product or service failing. Just like any man-made product, composite decking could possibly be faulty. A few years ago, one major composite decking manufacturer released some defective material. This resulted in many decks going bad which developed a class action lawsuit. Even with compensation given to consumers, many were tied to high replacement costs. This doesn’t mean every composite deck method is planning to have problems, it is simply a reminder that it COULD happen.

Overall, wood or composite decks are fantastic. You just need to decide from a gray deck, a wood deck that will need maintenance, or perhaps a composite deck which requires no upkeep, but is more expensive and contains the possibility to look awry.