Decking Begins With The Best Materials

Adding a deck to your home is an excellent way to increase its value and add comfort. The materials that are available to do your decking project now come in a large variety of options. The best materials for your project for creating your deck will take a little knowledge to allow you to make the best decisions of choices that match your desired budget restraints. In a moment we will discuss some of the most sought after options in decking materials, the choices that will match your budget and what to look for.

Probably the most popular choice is the pressure treated or PT Yellow Pine. This is a wood that will last on your deck for around fifteen years if you treat it with a water repellent every couple years. On an average the price per square foot of this wood is between ten and fifteen dollars in order to have this constructed for you or around two dollars if you just buy the wood.

The downside to this particular wood is the chemical that it has been treated with can for some individuals cause health issues. To avoid this you can look for PT pine that comes from a factory that only used a water repellent to treat the wood.

Another very popular choice in wood for your deck is either Redwood or Cedar. Both of these types of woods are naturally resistant to both insects and rot. Because of this distinct feature of these woods they do not have to be treated with any chemicals to preserve them. When used to make a deck they are expected to last a good twenty years and really do not need to be treated.

The pricing of these types of woods can run between eighteen and twenty-two dollars per square foot to be constructed or around five dollars to buy the wood. The cost will accelerate as the grade of the redwood increases. The downside to these types of woods for your decking is that they are very expensive and just may not be a good fit to your budget. Also, the cedar sapwood is not good if used in areas where there is a lot of moisture.

Another very popular wood is the resilient tropical hardwood. The strength of this wood is double that of oak and the lifespan is usually about forty years. To have your deck constructed with this wood the average cost is about twenty-two dollars per square foot or around five dollars to buy the wood. The wood is so hard that is will need to be pre-drilled to install it before the nailing can be done. It is also rather costly so it may not fit within the average budget.

Plastic wood composites are also a popular choice for building decks. The wood is a combination of thirty to fifty percent plastic that has been recycled along with the fibers of wood. This is a very low maintenance wood because it naturally resists insects, UV rays and rot. These types of woods are found under a variety of different brand names. Having the decking installed using one of the composite woods averages about twenty dollars and three dollars per square foot to buy. Possibly the down-side to these kinds of woods is that they actually have the look of plastic and over time the colors tend to fade. Some joist spacing may be necessary which adds to the pricing.

Using vinyl decking materials are low maintenance and the pricing varies considerably. They do tend to be expensive and may not fit the average budget.