Hardwood Deck Stain
|Hardwood Deck Stain – Part of the procedure for 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 type that will help you select the right one for the deck. The main difference between wood and composite decking will be the volume 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 to date haven’t achieved it. I personally don’t even think they’ll ever be capable of match the good thing about real wood. Because of the extra time necessary to maintain wood decking, you need to ask yourself if you’ve got the extra time needed to keep a wood deck sealed looking good. If you DO have time and they are willing to stand on your own deck, great! Go with wood.
If, however, you don’t have extra time or don’t wish to agree to sealing a wood deck a few times annually, composite might be a good choice. Even though wood decks require more upkeep, there exists a form of wood that 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 for many years without problems. Cedar is naturally resistance against rain, snow, and sunlight. It doesn’t warp or twist, and still have very little tendency to check or cup.
The only drawback with cedar decking left unsealed is always that is will turn gray as time passes. If you are against this look, it is possible to opt to seal it a few times a year. It may still “gray”, nonetheless it is going to take longer to do this. Actually ALL wood decks will turn gray as time passes, unless you apply sealer every month or two, the industry lots of work. Composite decking, however, 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 several years, though the fading is uniform, which means you won’t really notice it happening.
There are several disadvantages to getting composite. First, composite decking is more expensive than wood. This could be a problem if you’ve got financial constraints. If you element in the price savings of not buying sealer for years, it might normalize the price increase somewhat. Another problem with using composite decking will 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 released some defective material. This triggered many decks going bad which developed a class action lawsuit. Even with compensation presented to consumers, many were bound to high replacement costs. This doesn’t mean every composite deck method is gonna 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 a composite deck which requires no upkeep, but is more expensive and possesses the possibility to travel awry.