In decades past, pretty much every deck was built with wood, and your choices were limited to choosing between different species of wood.
This is no longer the case as the options for materials used to build decks have exploded in recent years.
From several species of wood like cedar, redwood, and pressure-treated southern pine to composite, PVC [Vinyl], and aluminum, there is something for everyone.
Each material has its own advantages and disadvantages, so it’s important to choose the right one for your needs.
Before you start building, you want to make sure that the material you choose matches the exterior of your home and fits your lifestyle.
This guide on some of the most popular decking materials will help you decide on the best decking material for you.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at each decking material to provide you with the information you need to make the most informed decision.
First, let’s take a look a the factors that you should take into consideration when choosing the best decking material for your project!
How To Choose The Best Decking Material For Your Project
Choosing the best decking material for your project might seem overwhelming at first.
The number of decking material options available can make starting a deck renovation or new deck build feel pretty intimidating.
To help you choose the best decking material for your project, picture your dream deck in as much detail as possible.
Once you have a detailed vision of your ideal deck, you can work backward to find the best decking material to fulfill your vision.
Here are some important considerations that you should keep in mind when comparing decking materials:
- Cost & ROI
- Durability of Material
- Aesthetics / Appearance
- Maintenance Requirements
- Personal Preference
Below we’ll take a closer look at the different decking materials available to help you determine which is the best decking material for you.
Before getting into the specific decking materials, let’s try to get a clear picture of what you want in a deck.
Then we’ll explore the style and functional differences between decking materials to help make your decision clear.
What Will You Do On Your Deck?
Decks come in an infinite variety of shapes and sizes.
Some decks are a place to relax and get away from the stress of the day.
You may enjoy a hot cup of coffee while watching the sunrise, or a glass of wine as the stress of the day fades away with the evening light.
Other decks are designed for entertaining friends, family, and neighbors over a meal or sizzling grill.
- Do you have a specific activity you want to do on your deck?
- Will your deck be central to family activities?
- Will your deck provide a quiet & shady escape from noisy kids?
Knowing what you want to do on your deck helps you select the best decking material to deliver on your deck goals.
Where is Your Deck Located?
Different decking materials react to sunlight in different ways along with temperature changes and regular exposure to water.
- Will your deck be exposed to the glaring sun throughout the day?
- Will your deck be covered by trees for shade?
- Is it in close proximity to a pool, lake, or other body of water?
- Is it a north-facing or south-facing deck?
- What is the climate like in your area?
Take your deck’s location and setting into account as we move on to each material’s natural qualities.
Who Will Use Your Deck?
Below are just a few of the questions to consider when choosing the best decking material for you.
- Is your deck a quiet, peaceful escape for solitary relaxation?
- A cozy space for bonding with a few friends or a small family?
- Will you host large gatherings like grill-outs or outdoor dinners?
- Will you have children or elderly relatives enjoying your deck space with you?
You’ll want to choose decking materials that make your deck feel welcoming and comfortable to you and your guests while keeping everyone safe.
Common Types of Decking Materials
The variety of decking materials to choose from can be a bit overwhelming at first.
You have several types of decking materials to choose from such as wood, composite, PVC, exotic tropical wood species, etc.
Before choosing which type of decking material you want for your project, it’s important to explore the options available to you.
It’s important to understand the pros and cons of each type of decking material, as well as the level of ongoing maintenance that will be required to keep your deck looking good for years to come.
To help you to narrow down your decision, we’ve outlined some of the most popular decking material options along with the pros and cons of each.
Redwood Decking
Redwood offers a wide color range with a tight grain that gives it an appearance unique to any other species of wood.
While it will weather to a yellowish-gray or gray color, some redwoods will turn black over time if exposed to water.
If you choose to go with a redwood deck, you should strongly consider applying a sealant.
Redwood Decking Pros:
- Holds it’s shaped well & isn’t prone to warping or splitting
- Resists mildew, insects, and rot
- Easily absorbs and retains all types of finishes
- Typically available and used in the Pacific Southwest
Redwood Decking Cons:
- It may require more maintenance in high-moisture areas
- Can be costly for large deck spaces
Tip: When building a wood deck or other outdoor space, use corrosion-resistant metal screws, fasteners, and joist hangers that can stand up to the elements.
Cedar Decking
A very popular wood for decking, cedar offers a natural look and is one of the best wood decking materials available.
Cedar is a soft wood that’s also very durable.
By adjusting to the moisture in the air, cedar is less likely to develop problems in colder temperatures like warping or cracking.
Cedar Decking Pros:
- Resists moisture, rot, and insects
- Easy to seal or stain surfaces
- Weathers to an attractive silvery gray if left untreated
- Typically available and used here in the Pacific Northwest
Cedar Decking Cons:
- Can be dented by heavy furniture and outdoor grills
- Easily scratched by pets and kids
Pressure Treated Lumber Decking
Pressure-treated lumber is a popular choice for decking because it is affordable and durable.
Often made from southern pine, a wood variety known for its load-bearing strength and durability, pressure-treated materials can be the best wood for decking in high-traffic spaces.
It’s also one of the most popular, least expensive woods per square foot, which is one reason it’s used to make pressure-treated lumber.
It is treated with a preservative that makes it resistant to rot and decay, making it a good choice for areas that are prone to moisture.
Pressure-treated lumber is also easy to maintain, and it can last for many years with proper care.
To prolong the life of pressure-treated lumber, it should be sealed and treated on a regular basis to protect it from the elements.
Pressure Treated Decking Pros:
- Pale in color, easy to stain
- Pattern accentuates landscape designs
- Resists rot and termites when treated for outdoor use
- Common throughout U.S.
Pressure Treated Decking Cons:
- Can develop a greenish tint when exposed to the elements without regular sealant application
- Can dent, split, and splinter over time
Tip: Not sure about using pressure-treated lumber for your whole deck due to weather conditions? Consider using it primarily for framing and choose other woods for deck boards and rails.
Composite Decking
Composite decks are made from a mixture of wood fibers and synthetic fibers.
This mixture gives composite deck boards the look and feel of natural wood.
Improvements in manufacturing technology have resulted in composite boards that feature incredibly realistic and unique wood grain patterns that match just about any wood imaginable.
Available in a wide range of colors, composite decking is even able to match the looks of exotic hardwoods, delivering color tones you can’t find elsewhere.
Durable and long-lasting, composite decking requires very little maintenance.
Unlike wood decking, which requires yearly investments of time and money, you’ll never need to stain, paint, or apply a sealant to composite decking materials.
Composite boards hold their looks extremely well, without fading or discoloring.
It’s highly resistant to water damage like mold or mildew, and doesn’t warp, splinter or crack the way wood does.
Composite decking is usually capped with a tough synthetic layer on the outside to prevent scratches while locking in the color and texture of the board.
Some manufacturers now offer “Mineral-Based Composite Decking,” which as the name implies contains minerals.
The mineral-based composite decking resists thermal expansion and contraction when exposed to extreme changes in temperature, making for an extremely stable decking surface.
Mineral-based composites also provide the best strength-to-weight ratio on the decking market, coming in around 35% lighter than traditional wood-plastic composites.
Composite Decking Pros:
- Easy to maintain
- Doesn’t warp, split, crack, or splinter
- Doesn’t require painting, staining, or refinishing
- Can last 25 years or longer
Composite Decking Cons:
- It may not have the natural beauty of cedar or redwood
- Costs more with little return on investment compared to natural wood
Price: About $300 to $700 per 100 square feet.
PVC Decking [Vinyl]
Polyvinyl Chloride [PVC] decking is a 100% synthetic material that does share some traits with composite decking.
Also commonly referred to as “Vinyl,” PVC is an extremely durable and low-maintenance decking material.
It’s an eco-friendly decking material that’s perfect for those that love the look of traditional wood decking but aren’t keen on the upkeep required.
Smooth and splinter-free, PVC decking will last a long time and will hold up to whatever weather mother nature can throw at it.
With no organic material, it offers better water resistance than composites, which means complete resistance to mold, mildew, and insect damage.
PVC decking is also lighter than composite decking, and it cools down a bit faster if your deck is in direct sunlight and tends to retain heat.
PVC Decking Pros:
- Very durable material
- Can withstand heavy foot-traffic
- Easy to maintain
- Doesn’t warp, split, crack, or splinter
- Can last 20 to 30 years
- Made to repel and resist insects and pests
- Available in many different styles
- Usually recyclable
PVC Decking Cons:
- Can be relatively expensive for a whole deck system
- Typically looks like plastic and doesn’t mimic natural wood as well as composite decking
- Harder to install than other types of decking materials
- Can get uncomfortably hot in warm climates
Price: About $525 to $1,200 per 100 square feet.
What is the Best Decking Material for Your Project?
Now that we’ve run through the differences in decking materials, let’s return to the ideal deck you pictured earlier and connect some of its qualities to a specific deck board material.
As we’ve established, each material has its own advantages and disadvantages, so it’s important to choose the right one for your needs.
So, what is the best decking material for your project?
Before making a decision, remember to weigh the factors mentioned above like cost, durability, aesthetics, maintenance requirements, and your personal preference.
We can make recommendations based on our experience, but ultimately the decision is yours.
Remember to also consider your budget, lifestyle, and climate before making a decision.
Below, we’ll provide our recommendations for the best decking material for different priorities like achieving a natural look, living in a high-moisture area, cold climate, etc.
For the sake of time, this is just a sampling of some of the priorities you might be weighing in your deck vision.
For an even more personalized approach, call a friendly deck project planner at (509) 213-2700 for a free consultation and a timely ballpark project estimate!
Best Decking Material for Durability: PVC
The best decking material for homeowners looking for durability is PVC decking.
This is due in large part to the water resistance of PVC.
Wood decks are most often compromised by absorbing moisture which results in the wood splitting, cracking, warping, growing mold or mildew, and being damaged by insects.
Composite decking is a close second in terms of durability, far exceeding the qualities and capabilities of traditional wood decking.
But PVC stands above all of the other decking materials as the best decking material for durability.
Best Decking Material for All Climates: Mineral-Based Composites
Living in a climate with a wide range of temperatures, decking materials are compromised when they expand and contract with temperature changes.
The expansion and contraction of deck boards isn’t visible to the naked eye but causes materials to warp, move, and slowly work fasteners loose.
The best decking material for a variable climate is mineral-based composite decking.
The mineral-based composite decking resists thermal expansion and contraction when exposed to extreme changes in temperature, making for an extremely stable decking surface.
Mineral-based composites also provide the best strength-to-weight ratio on the decking market, coming in around 35% lighter than traditional wood-plastic composites.
Best Decking Material for Natural Look: Composite
For many homeowners considering building a deck, having a natural-looking material is an important factor.
Balancing that desire with the practical considerations of ongoing maintenance, the best decking material for a natural look, is composite decking.
The real wood fibers, mixed with the synthetic fibers in composite decking create beautiful, unique wood grain patterns.
Depending on the look you want, you can find composite deck boards with classic surface-level cathedral graining or with a more textured, deep-grooved surface.
Best Decking Material for Foot Traction: Composite
In general, the best decking material for foot traction is composite deck boards.
The amount of traction will depend largely on the specific board you choose for your deck.
Different lines of composite or even PVC decking has their own unique wood-grain texture.
Some of these textures offer better foot traction than others.
Best Decking Material for Staying Cool on Hot, Sunny Days: PVC
An unavoidable fact of decking materials, whether wood, composite, PVC, etc., is that the deck boards will heat up in direct sunlight.
If you have a south-facing deck or live in a hot, sunny climate, you may find it difficult to walk on your deck with bare feet during the heat of the day.
The best decking material for staying cool on hot, sunny days is PVC decking, which tends to cool down faster than traditional composites.
That means that your deck’s surface will still get hot with prolonged exposure to intense sunlight, but it will cool down faster than other materials as the sunlight fades and temperatures drop.
The biggest factors that contribute to hot deck boards, regardless of the material are color, sunlight, and temperature.
Therefore, if you live in a hot, sunny climate or have a south-facing deck you should opt for light-colored deck boards.
A color like cool gray will help to prevent your deck’s surface from getting too hot.
Best Decking Material for Style & Color Options: Composite
In recent years, we’ve seen an explosion of composite decking, resulting in a seemingly endless variety of options for homeowners.
If you’re looking for a range of style and color options for your project, the best decking material for style and color options is composite.
There are countless brands offering composite deck boards in multiple decking lines, each with a distinct color and style.
Best Decking Material for Water Resistance: PVC
The biggest threat to most decking materials is moisture and water, so if you live by the water it’s essential that you choose a moisture-resistant material for your project.
As mentioned previously, when decking materials like wood absorb moisture, it results in warping, cracking, splitting, growing mold or mildew, and insect damage.
The best decking material for water resistance is PVC decking.
PVC deck boards don’t absorb water, giving them the best resistance to mold and mildew, which thrive on moisture.
A close second place to PVC is composite deck boards.
Most premium composite decking is capped with PVC material.
This outer layer of PVC around the outside of composite deck boards protects the deck board surfaces from moisture.
A significant improvement over the moisture resistance of traditional wood decking, composite deck boards will work just fine near water.
If you live near water and decide to go with composite decking, make sure to get boards that are capped on all four sides.
Final Thoughts on Choosing the Best Decking Material
Installing a deck will not only instantly increase the value of your home, but will provide a versatile addition to your living space.
Whether for entertaining guests, hosting private gatherings, or increasing curb appeal with an aesthetically pleasing addition, a new deck is a solid investment.
Decks offer a great way to enjoy the outdoors, make use of a backyard, and reduce maintenance costs for landscaping.
Customizing the area to suit your needs starts with assessing the area or location, desired functionality, and budget.
There are many different decking materials to choose from, and each material has its own advantages and disadvantages.
We hope that this guide has empowered you to choose the best decking material for your needs.
For help in making this decision, feel free to contact us or give us a call: (509) 213-2700 to discuss your decking needs.
Spokane Valley Fence Installers is one of Easter Washington’s leading installers of fences and decks and we’re happy to answer any questions that you have.