Compare How Much A Wood Vs Composite Deck Costs In 2020

Nowadays, the choice between both comes down to your own budget and personal preferences. While they often cost more than wood, composite materials offer the promise of greater durability and less maintenance. Wood is still the most common choice for deck material,1 but it doesn't last forever.

• However, it’s easy to install and clean, durable, low maintenance, and lasts a long time—and that can’t really be said for wood.
• Unfortunately, wood decking is just not meant to last forever.
• While composite decking is eco-friendly, it’s still not a natural material like wood.
• And it’s sure to have natural imperfections, like splinters and knots, which may not appeal to homeowners.
• However, as durable as wood decking is, it’s still far more susceptible to maintenance costs, time and effort.

Wood Decks Vs Composite Decks

Specific types of wood need specific treatments and cleaning schedules. Patios and concrete, however, need the odd clean every now and again. Sometimes, what really drives up the cost of decking is the fact that you’re paying for the wood treatment, as well as the quality and construction of the material itself.

Now, Lets Talk About Composite Decking:

It comes with varieties of designs as well in comparison to wood decking. If you prefer to save yourself the trouble of oiling your deck, then go with composite materials. With installation methods varying, the most popular one is using pre-drilled boards. One of the cheapest hardwood materials, pre-drilled and with basic design, will cost anywhere between £190 and £220 per square meter.

Crafted from PVC, the strength of this type of decking can withstand the elements, and is free from bugs and rot. Tongue and groove installation can be applied over existing surfaces, and are constructed in ridged design to ensure hardness. Like most things plastic, the cost is a little more affordable than some other materials, at $4 per board. A very popular option which is synonymous with composite decking is Trex decking. Available in a wide range of colors, offers very low maintenance, and looks good year-round.

Decks Vs Patios: Which Option Is Cheaper?

If you compare the installation costs of patios vs. decks, it is quite clear that patios are generally cheaper, but that’s just half the story. Depending on the materials used, it is still possible for patios to cost more to install than decks.

Wood Involves A Lot Of Maintenance

However, manufacturing advances have led to composites thatemulate the rich, natural look of woodwithout the hassles of maintaining a wood deck. If you’re on a budget and the price tag of a composite deck is just too much, then a wooden deck is a great alternative. The lowest cost per square foot for a pressure treated pine deck sells for about half the price of composite, $15 versus $30 installation, respectively. Even high-end wood like cedar and redwood still come in under the price for the lowest composite decking. The original and oldest choice for decking materials, decks have been using wood for their makeup since their existence, so we know it’s a proven material that looks great.

Whats Better: Real Wood Or Composite Wood?

Other than that, most composite decks come with long warranties, which can’t be said for the wooden ones. Make sure to choose high-quality composite decking boards to ensure longevity and durability. You can check this site out if you’re interested in browsing through some great examples. Yes, wood has a lower initial cost when purchasing the materials. Giving wood an advantage, and using a very low estimate of $115 per square metre for wood, on a 20 square metre deck, the initial cost is only $2,300 in materials.

Depending on your budget and the needs of your project there are lots of options available. What to Look for in Quality Waterproof Composite Decking Materials. Composite decking is a blend of synthetic and natural materials. Although non-permeable plastic was a large part of the mix, these weren't waterproof boards.

How Are Composite & Wood Decking Different?

Over the last decade or so, the popularity of composite decking has waged a new question for future deck owners everywhere – wood or composite decking? While each have its own share of pros and cons, including cost, durability, maintenance/labor and lifespan, the checkmarks in the pro-composite decking column seem to be stacking up. However, there are many dedicated wood users who advocate for the material, and thus the composite decking vs wood debate is still in full force. The battle between wood and composite decking materials has been going on for decades with mixed results. While wood decks were clearly winning the bids until some ten years ago, the composite decking materials improved immensely in terms of structure, durability and safety.

Thus, instead of having to put dozens of options head-to-head, your choice becomes simpler, whether it is cedar vs. composite, redwood vs. composite or treated lumber vs. composite. Easy to use online tools can also help youestimate the costswhether you use wood or composite wood decking. Unlike most wood decking, composite decking is not prone to damage from termites and other wood-destroying insects. The result is composites that more closely resemble wood deck boards, like MoistureShield’s Vision decking line. As more builders and homeowners learn of wood decking problems, many are turning to high-performance composite decking. Invented in the late 1980s, wood-plastic composite decking (also called “composite wood decking”) is made of wood fibers encased in plastic. Composite decking is readily available at big box home improvement stores like The Home Depot and Lowe’s, as well as local lumberyards throughout the U.S.