How to Choose the Type of Decking to Use

Are you planning on building a deck in the near future and trying to decide what type of decking to use? As someone who has had extensive training in many different types of decking materials, maybe I can help you decide. There are many different types of decking to choose from; redwood, cedar, treated, and the many different types of composite decking. Now obviously the different types of decking are used in different markets, for instance in the southern region of the United States treated decking is still used regularly, where in the western region it is not used much at all anymore. Take that into account as you read this, you may want to do a little research to make sure the product you are using is appropriate for the region that you live.

The composite decking craze in this country really made people believe that composite decking was the best thing since sliced bread. Composite decking is a great thing and has several benefits, but it also has its drawbacks. The biggest problem with composite decking is that it is not wood, it doesn’t look like wood and never will, no matter who tells you any different. I’m not saying that is a bad thing but some people (myself included) like the look of wood. Yes you have to maintain a wood deck but to me it is well worth it to get the look of real wood. I do have some composite decking on my front patio and it looks pretty good, but it doesn’t look like wood no matter how you slice it.

The different woods you can use are many; my favorite is redwood because it is absolutely beautiful on a deck. You can also use cedar southern yellow pine (depending on region) and of course treated. If you want a real wood look than there is no other option than real wood. Yes, there are drawbacks to wood and these would include that fact you need to take care of a wood deck. You need to sand it, stain it and power wash it on a consistent basis. If you don’t do these things to a wood deck you will have an outdoor living area that is very hard to use. So, in short, with a wood deck you get the beauty of real wood but you also get the hard work that goes into keeping the real wood beautiful.

Composite decking is a real good idea and is real easy to take care of. Pretty much all you have to do is sweep it off once in a while and maybe take the hose to it once a year. The things you have to do to choose a composite deck may be just as difficult as putting one in. There are near 100 different composite decks out on the market right now and choosing one can be like going to the dentist. The one thing I can tell you is to do your research, there are some real bad products out there and you really have to watch out for these. There are also some really good products out there that will perform really well. No matter what anyone tells you the composite decking will fade, it will scratch, and it will weather. Don’t buy a composite deck thinking it’s going to look the same 10 years from now, it won’t!!!!!!! So the pros of a composite deck are that it is virtually maintenance free and looks half way decent. The cons are that it’s really hard to find the right one, it fades just like anything else (once composite decking fades there is no bringing it back). So it really is a hard decision so I hope this will help a little. I would still go with redwood but that’s just me.