Wood Deck Pattern
|Wood Deck Pattern – Part of the means of 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 to help you pick the best one on your deck. The main difference between wood and composite decking is the level of maintenance required. Wood decking requires more upkeep than composite, but looks nicer. The companies who manufacture composite decking do their best to make their product seem like real wood, but so far haven’t achieved it. I personally don’t think they’ll ever be able to match the beauty of real wood. Because of the more time needed to maintain wood decking, you need must yourself if you’ve got the more time needed to keep a wood deck sealed looking good. If you DO have enough time and are prepared to wait in your deck, great! Go with wood.
If, however, you do not possess more time or don’t wish to spend on sealing a wood deck a few times annually, composite could be the most suitable choice. Even though wood decks require more upkeep, there’s a type 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 along it last for many years without any problems. Cedar is naturally proof against rain, snow, and sunlight. It doesn’t warp or twist, and also have hardly any tendency to check on 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 a few times per year. It may still “gray”, however it will take longer to do this. Actually ALL wood decks will turn gray with time, if you do not apply sealer every couple of months, that is a great deal of work. Composite decking, alternatively, is virtually maintenance free. Once it’s laid down, it will not change much even through extreme weather. Some composite deck colors will fade over a few years, nevertheless the fading is uniform, which means you won’t really notice it happening.
There are a few disadvantages to using composite. First, composite decking is more expensive than wood. This may be a challenge if you’ve got financial constraints. If you element in the charge savings of not buying sealer for a long time, it could balance the charge increase somewhat. Another drawback to using composite decking is the potential for the product or service 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 ended in many decks going bad which made 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 likely to have problems, it is just a reminder that it COULD happen.
Overall, wood or composite decks are fantastic. You just need to decide between a gray deck, a wood deck that will need maintenance, or perhaps a composite deck which requires no upkeep, but is more expensive and possesses the opportunity to go awry.