The 5 Most Popular Decking Materials

With the summer season in full flight, you and your family might want to start spending more time outdoors. If by chance your patio deck needs work or doesn't yet exist, this might be the perfect time to put getting your patio deck up to speed on your to-do list as a summer project.

Before you get started, you want to make sure you get all of your ducks in order. For a lot of families, building or repairing patio decking would be considered a major household project. Since it could put a strain on your budget, you will want to make sure that whatever you put in place is going to last for the next few years. Silvaris can help keep your budget in check by offering the public Wholesale building materials online.

The Most Important Decision

Some of the things you will want to consider will be the design of your deck, the exact location of your deck, the size of your deck, and any extra amenities you want to include to enhance the experience of being outdoors. All of these things are important considerations.

When it comes to building a deck that will last at a price you can afford, you will come to realize that the most important decision you will face is what kind of decking material you will want to use.

The decking materials you choose will affect you, your family, and your home in many ways, including:

• The amount of money you will need to invest
• The ability of your decking to withstand harsh weather conditions
• The value the decking could add to your home
• The way the deck could detract or enhance the way your home and yard looks
• The amount of time, effort, and money you will need to spend on the upkeep of your deck

That's a lot to consider when simply deciding to build or repair decking outside of your home. If it really comes down to the materials you choose, you will want to choose materials that are popular and will help you meet your goals.

In an effort to help you with the selection process, here are five of the most popular decking material on the market today.

1. Tropical Hardwoods

As the name implies, hardwoods are very dense pieces of lumber. Because of the durability issue, these materials can stand up to even the harshest weather conditions, including immense heat, year-round rainfall, and icy conditions.

Some of the most popular options from the tropical hardwood category include:

• Tigerwood,
• Cumaru,
• and Mahogany.

With this option, there are tradeoffs. On the positive side, tropical hardwoods will last many years if oiled once or twice a year. Because they often come in rich colors, that adds a sense of elegance to the outside of a home. On the downside, hardwoods can be very expensive because of how long they take to grow and the expense of cultivating them into lumber.

2. Pressure-Treated Wood

Manufactured materials might warn of being expensive but in fact, pressure-treated wood is quite affordable. What makes this type of lumber ideal for outdoor decking is the fact is gets treated with chemicals that make it insect and rot-resistant.

The negatives with this option are minor. The biggest issue is the light green hue that many pieces carry. Making that issue even more concerning is the fact this kind of lumber should be weathered for a couple of months before staining to get the desired color. The other marginal issue with this option is pressure-treated wood requires regular maintenance.

3. Cedar Decking

If color and visual effects are your primary focuses, cedar decking might well be your best option. Coming in rich-looking red and brown hues, cedar lumber can add to the elegance of your home as a higher quality wood should.

FYI: Cedar comes in four types, including:

• Architect clear,
• Architect knotty,
• Custom clear,
• and Custom knotty.

If you go with this option, you will want to make sure all the wood you choose is heartwood, wood that was cut from the center of trees. On the plus side, cedar is naturally resistant to environmental decay. On the negative side, cedar should be stained at installation and will require a fair amount of maintenance.

4. Composite Decking

If you would prefer an affordable option that requires little to no maintenance, composite lumbers could fit the bill. From a maintenance standpoint, they are naturally durable, requiring very little ongoing maintenance beyond hosing off. Also, they come in a wide range of colors without the need for sanding and staining. Finally, selecting composite materials is good for the environment because a lot of the manufacturing process makes use of recycled materials.

5. Redwood

Because of its natural–non-chemically treated–attributes, redwood is a favorite material in the east and northeast part of the U.S. This naturally oily lumber requires very little maintenance and has claims to being rot and insect resistant. The lumber can come in a wide range of red hues, which makes it easy to find an option that will fit well outside your home. Deckbuilding experts recommend that you choose B-grade redwood that contains heartwood and stain the lumber immediately to help the lumber hold its coloring.