If you’re looking for a deck, you’ve likely come to find that there are a variety of different materials that you can make the deck out of. Picking the right deck material for your deck mostly comes down to preference; preference about how much you’re willing to spend, preference about the look of your grill, preference about the appearance of the wood. If you’re searching for the right material for your deck, here is a bit of insight into what choice may be best for you.
The Purist Option
For those who like the look of a classic deck, there are really only two wood options; red cedar or redwood. Even today when you have a wide variety of choices, these two kinds of wood are a good material for making your deck from. They’re softwoods that are commonly loved for their natural beauty, and both contain tannins and oils that make them resistant to rot and decay. Those some oils and tannins also make them less prone to targeting from insects.
Redwood and red cedar also tend to contain fewer chemicals than other woods, which is nice for those who are looking for a more ‘natural’ deck. These woods will still need an annual power washing to keep them looking good, and if you want the wood to last you will need to apply a water-resistant preservative. In the long term, preserving the natural color of the wood will require applying a stain, or else the wood will eventually dull to a silver-gray color.
For a purist, this is the only option.
The Economical Option
Some people want a deck, but they have a budget that they need to stick to. For those people, pressure-treated lumber is the best option. Even with the exponential growth in the variety of wood available, pressure treated lumber remains the most popular option for building a deck, with nearly 75 percent of decks finished with such lumber.
Pressure-treated lumber is so popular because it is easy to work with, it’s easy to find, and it is affordable in comparison to almost every other material out there. Pressure-treated decking lumber is generally milled from southern yellow pine, which is then chemically treated with substances that resist rot and deter bugs.
There is, however, a downside. Pressure-treated lumber has a tendency to warp, crack, or split, and it will require a lifetime of maintenance. You’ll need to power wash it every year, and you’ll need to apply a stain or wood preservative every two or three years in order to prolong the lifespan of the wood.
This is a very affordable way to build a deck, usually costing around a fourth as much as the redwood and red cedar choices.
Other Options
There are still more options for building your deck, from exotic imported woods that can be a real strain on the wallet to PVC and aluminum decking. If you’re looking to build a new deck, consulting an expert is always a good idea. If you’re in the Denver or Littleton area in Colorado, contact National Home Improvement for more information on what deck may be the best for your home and your budget.
