For Housing

Decks: Wood vs. Composite

When you are building a home, there are so many details and costs involved that many times the deck, patio or porch gets put on the back burner to be dealt with later.  While both interior and exterior details get most of the attention, don’t overlook or forget to include, somewhere in your house plans, an outdoor patio, porch  or deck.  Outdoor decks can change the entire feel of a home giving it a warm and inviting ambiance.

Regardless of when you actually build your deck, it is important to consider all materials available during the planning stages.  At this date and time, at least in the US, wood remains the most popular material of choice.  However, composite lumber is steadily gaining popularity.

Composite deck materials are manufactured using a compound of both wood waste and recycled plastic products.  Two of the most appealing features of composite decking are its durability and low-maintenance.  On the other hand, some disagreeable features are its unnatural and artificial appearance.   Some homeowners claim that the wood grain of the composite lumber will hold water and requires occasional cleaning.   There is also concern that when the homeowner is ready to change or dispose of the composite deck, it will most likely have to be dumped in a landfill since the materials are not easily recycled.

The most common complaint of natural wood decking is the maintenance required for its upkeep.  Cleaning and sealing the wood is an absolute necessity to sustain the life of a wood deck.  How often this is done depends on many factors including percentage of exposure to outside elements, climatic and environmental conditions, as well as personal utilization and function.   Additionally, natural movement of the lumber can cause nails to pop and boards to bend or split.  This is not uncommon and does occasionally happen.   However, natural wood is unmatched in beauty and appearance and when it is time to be replaced, wood is easily disposed of by either burning or recycling.

In the end, when you are choosing your decking material, whether you pick natural wood or a composite, the most important thing is to understand the pros and cons of each.  Wood is high maintenance but provides beauty, embellishes the home and is environmentally friendly.  Composite deck owners will spend much less time maintaining and more time relaxing and enjoying their deck, and most likely, for a longer period of time.  But when it comes time to change it out, they will be visiting the dump.

Regardless of which material you choose, always pick what is personally most suitable to you and your family and that which will complement your home design and landscape surroundings.

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