When considering building a new outdoor deck for your home, it is crucial to select the appropriate material. There are numerous choices available for deck materials, each having its own maintenance requirements, long-term expenses, and overall investment worthiness.
When it comes to decking material, there is a variety of options available, including traditional wood and modern capped polymer (PVC) decking. However, it is important to recognize that not all deck materials are equal. To ensure the best choice for your home, it is crucial to find a deck material that suits your lifestyle requirements.
This guide will provide you with a step-by-step understanding of the various deck material options, enabling you to make the optimal choice.
1. Hardwoods and Premium Softwoods
When you are planning your deck, the first material that usually comes to mind is traditional wood. The reason for its popularity is that traditional wood decks are typically sturdy and provide the natural aesthetic that you desire. These decks can be crafted from various types of wood, ranging from softwoods to hardwoods.
Hardwood Decks
Hardwood, including Ipe, mahogany, and tigerwood, is one of the two types of materials used for wood decking. It offers moderate long-term value and is designed to outperform softwood, but it can still be affected by moisture and weathering from the elements.
Exotic hardwoods such as Ipe possess strength and durability due to their density; however, they undergo a rapid transformation from rich hues to silvery-gray when exposed to UV rays. Additionally, they tend to be initially pricier than certain composite and PVC decking products, but their performance is less optimal and they require extensive maintenance to preserve their aesthetics.
Softwood Decks
Cedar and redwood are among the other species of wood that fall under the category of softwood, which is another type of wood deck material.
Furthermore, materials of this nature possess the lowest long-term worth due to their inability to provide adequate protection similar to their engineered alternatives. As a result, softwoods will eventually accumulate higher expenses for repairs and/or replacements.
However, wood decking usually requires undergoing various processes to provide further protection for the surface of the wood.
- Staining: Tinted chemical treatments are applied to minimize fading and prolong the color of the boards.
- Sealing: Clear or semi-transparent sealants sit on the surface of the deck boards to provide a temporary protective barrier.
These processes, along with the wood deck as a whole, require a lot of upkeep. Every two to five years, you will need to sand and re-stain your wood deck, and every one to three years, you will need to re-seal it. This demonstrates that if you are seeking a deck that requires minimal maintenance, wood decking might not be your most suitable option.
Compared to leading composite decking, traditional wood decking offers less protection against weathering agents such as moisture, insects, and UV rays. To prevent damage to your traditional wood deck, it is necessary to ensure regular maintenance and apply stains and sealants regularly.
Traditional wood decks can be seen as the less expensive choice in terms of pricing. Nonetheless, the initial costs such as maintenance can be considerably high when it comes to upkeeping your deck.
Additionally, despite regular upkeep, traditional wooden boards will decay over time and necessitate replacement, thus increasing the overall cost of your deck.
2. Pressure-Treated Wood Decks
Pressure-treated wood is another common choice for decking material. Typically made from pine, this type of wood is placed in a chamber where pressure is applied and the wood is then sealed to ensure protection.
Pressure treating is often considered the most effective approach to safeguard traditional softwood boards as it prevents erosion and provides a deeper level of protection compared to solely sealing and staining.
Despite the impressive nature of pressure treating, it cannot change the fact that wood remains an organic material, and all organic materials are prone to erosion. In environments with moisture or oxygenated soil, very few treatments can effectively shield susceptible wood from bacteria or fungi.
Because these deck material options do not offer the same level of protection as other materials, they have a lower long-term value and will result in increased repair and replacement costs over time.
Pressure-treated wood is often chosen by people who are looking for a decking material that is more affordable. Nevertheless, it is important to note that this type of wood may require more maintenance due to its tendency to warp, crack, and rot over time, resulting in increased maintenance expenses.
The upfront cost of a pressure-treated deck, including labor, material costs, and the initial stain and seal, amounts to approximately $8,759. Additionally, there is an average annual expenditure of $348 for maintenance activities such as sanding, staining, and sealing.
3. Ipe Wood Deck Boards
Ipe is a type of hard and exotic deck board that is known by various names including Brazilian Walnut, tabebuia serratifolia, pau d’arco, ipe tabaco, or bethabara.
Ipe is a beautiful wood with a dark-brown color that stays looking good without much upkeep. It is very durable and tough, making it highly resistant to damage from use. Since it doesn’t splinter or crack, ipe is a safe option for outdoor activities like walking barefoot. Additionally, ipe can withstand moisture and UV rays, which helps prevent it from fading or weathering.
Ipe has few disadvantages as a decking material once it is installed. However, its sheer hardness makes it challenging to work with and can cause tools to become blunt.
The installation of Ipe is most effectively done by decking companies with professional expertise. The use of clips is required in order to securely attach the boards to the joists, increasing the expenses. Moreover, unless one resides near an Ipe supplier, expensive shipping fees will contribute to the overall cost of the product.
4. Redwood Deck Boards
Redwood, which was once widely utilized for fences, play structures, and decks, is increasingly difficult to come by. However, when it is accessible, redwood remains a fantastic option for deck floorboards. The heartwood of redwood is approximately 25-percent more expensive than the less desirable sapwood. To preserve redwood, there is no need for preservatives.
An attractive deep red color is achieved as redwood weathers. Due to its scarcity in the open market, redwood becomes a less desirable option for decks. Moreover, redwood gradually develops splinters with time, rendering it unsuitable for barefoot walking.
5. Red Cedar Wood Deck Boards
The primary use of red cedar is for fence boards. Due to being an oily wood, red cedar belongs to the same category as redwood and other woods that can be left untreated and allowed to weather naturally. Red cedar also has the option of being painted or stained, if desired. Regardless of whether it is treated or untreated, red cedar will retain its structural strength for an extended period.
Red cedar wood possesses a reddish-brown hue that gradually transforms to a silver-gray shade as it ages. Furthermore, it showcases a fine, straight grain alongside a consistent texture.
Red cedar initially retains its appearance, however, within as little as two weeks, it will start changing to its unique silvery-gray hue. Hence, the application of a preservative is necessary for preventing the gray coloration if desired. The majority of kiln-dried cedar is typically found in a thickness of 1 inch, whereas locating two-inch thickness kiln-dried cedar wood can be challenging.
Red cedar wood’s superior strength-to-weight ratio qualifies it as a suitable option for deck flooring. Similar to other decking materials, it is crucial to refer to a span chart for deck-specific details regarding size and spacing. In instances where the deck will endure heavier loads, like a hot tub, the joists must be spaced more closely and potentially require a larger size.
6. Hem-Fir Wood Deck Boards
Because inexpensive pressure treated wood and other decay-resistant materials are readily available, untreated dimensional lumber like hem-fir is not commonly used for decking boards. Nevertheless, provided that proper measures are taken to prevent insects and deterioration, hem-fir can indeed be utilized as an affordable option.
Hem-fir is not a hybrid breed; instead, it consists of Western hemlock and Amabilis fir that coexist in the same forests and have a strikingly similar appearance. As a result, sawmills handle them collectively and consider them to be exchangeable. Hence, when encountering a pile of hem-fir at your nearby home center, expect to find a mix of hemlock and fir boards.
Hem-fir wood is popular for outdoor applications because of its strength, durability, and versatility. It is commonly used in constructing roofs, walls, and floors. Hem-fir wood is resistant to decay and insects, which contributes to its frequent use.
With the exception of pallet wood, untreated hem-fir is the most affordable option for wood decking boards. Its strength allows for a significant joist distance span.
If you are looking for a deck that has a solid paint color, one option is to select a wood such as hem-fir. The preservation of hem-fir can be challenging, as it requires immediate treatment with a preservative. Another alternative is to prime and paint the wood. Wood that is treated on-site, rather than being pressure-treated in a factory, requires ongoing maintenance.
