How to Buy Wood for a Deck

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

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A new deck may be just the addition your home needs. Patios are perfect for relaxing evenings, backyard barbeques and family gatherings. The process of constructing a deck can be time-consuming and expensive, especially when it comes to buying the lumber. Take advantage of these wood-buying tips and you'll be well on your way to deck dreamland.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Step1

Check your town's building codes to make sure your deck plans are within the city's guidelines.

Step2

Consider the purchase of pressure-treated wood. This type of wood is made primarily from southern yellow pine and is preserved with chemicals to last longer. It is a heavy wood, readily available at lumber stores and the most popular wood for decks.

Step3

Think about western red cedar for your patio wood. Cedar weighs less and is less dense, but its elasticity makes it very durable in all types of weather. As cedar wood ages, it changes colors. Most people chemically seal decks made from western red cedar.

Step4

Weigh the option of using redwood. Redwood will fade very quickly, but is great at resisting decay. If you go with redwood for your deck, make sure you use B-grade, or "clear-heart-grade", wood.

Step5

Inspect ipe. Ipe is a South American hardwood. Ipe is great for its hardness, resistance to bugs and refusal to rot, but the wood is from the rainforests of South America and can be an unsustainable material, depending on your environmental views.

Step6

Recognize the possibility of using fake wood. Decks can be constructed from wood imitations, such as wood-polymers or plastics. This "mock lumber" can be useful, but it will not look like real wood.

Step7

Call your local lumber yard or hardware store to check the availability of your chosen patio wood. Bring along your drawings and dimensions so that the employees can assist you accurately.

Tips & Warnings

Ask yourself who will be utilizing the deck most often. If there are children involved, avoid western red cedar, which splinters easily. If you are concerned about maintaining color, go with a wood that is pressure-treated or can be chemically sealed.
Real wood will always be more expensive than mock lumber. Go with wood-polymer mixes if you're on a budget. Additionally, chemically-treated wood will always be more costly than naked wood.