Comparison of Decking Materials
Material |
Pros |
Cons |
Pressure Treated Wood |
- Lowest initial cost in material options
- Reasonable labor costs
|
- High maintenance
- Guaranteed to warp, split, splinter, and crack
- Stains and scratches easily
- Lowest life expectancy (10-15 years and only if properly maintained)
- Will most likely need replacement of boards and railing during that time
|
Cedar and Redwood |
- Less expensive than hardwoods and manufactured materials
- Naturally resistant to rotting and insects (if older heart wood is used)
- Lower labor costs than hardwoods
|
- High maintenance and requires sealing for best performance
- May crack or splinter
- Stains and scratches easily
- Newer growth wood is more subject to deterioration
- Life expectancy is 15-20 (again, only if properly maintained)
|
Hardwood (Ironwood) |
- Best performance among natural woods
- Very hard and dense making it scratch and stain resistant
- Life expectancy of 40 years or more if properly maintained
|
- Moderate maintenance and requires regular sealing
- High material cost
- High labor costs (pre-drilling is required)
|
Composite Decking |
- Low maintenance
- Resistant to deterioration and insect damage
- Won't splinter
- Not prone to cracking or splitting
- Good warranties and life expectancies with reputable manufacturers
|
- More expensive than pressure treated wood or cedar
- Subject to mold in moist conditions
- Screw holes may swell with moisture
- Subject to fading
- Stains and scratches easily
|
Vinyl/PVC |
- Low maintenance
- Won't fade or splinter
- Highly resistant to deterioration, cracking, splitting, mold, insect damage, stains and scratches
- Excellent warranties and life expectancies with reputable manufacturers
|
- More expensive than pressure treated wood, cedar, and some composites
- Color selection more limited
- Some railing products flex and expand/contract more than wood or composites
|
Capped Composite |
- Lowest maintenance
- Won't fade or splinter
- Also resistant to deterioration, cracking, splitting, mold, insect damage, stains and scratches
- Same environmentally friendly and solid-under-foot benefits of composites with the performance of PVC
- Excellent product warranties with reputable manufacturers, plus it often has a performance guarantee
|
- More expensive than pressure treated wood, cedar, and standard composites
- Somewhat subject to mold in moist conditions if improperly installed
- Color selection more limited than standard composites
|
Decking Material Brands and Manufacturers
Below are some leading brands for decking products. You can click on the logos to open their web sites in a new tab or window, but inclusion on this list does not represent an official endorsement. However, brands like TimberTech, Trex, Fibron, and Azek are widely favored by professionals for product quality, reputation, warranty, and reliability.
Additional Notes
All deck materials require maintenance, especially cleaning and routine safety inspections. The idea of no maintenance is a myth and low maintenance can be misleading if the required maintenance is not considered important. However, the difficulty of the maintenance varies. For example, cleaning and maintaining wood is much more labor intensive than composites or vinyl/PVC.
Breyer Construction has a page detailing additional decking resources in Berks County PA.
