How to Select Decking Material

There are dozens of decking materials to choose from.

With the advent of the 'staycation' more and more people are investing in making their homes a comfortable and pleasant place to spend time. Decks add both functional beauty and value to homes and have become a popular home improvement project. To ensure lasting enjoyment, home owners should carefully select the decking material used to construct their deck. Durability, maintenance and aesthetics should all be considered when choosing decking materials. There is no single best deck material as best is defined how well a decking material fits individual home owners' needs.

Instructions

1. Use wood as a decking material if saving money is important. Some woods are expensive--Iron Wood and Cedar cost almost $8 per square foot-- but other woods are not and perform just as well. Consumer Reports ranks Southern Yellow Pine as a good choice for wood decks and it averages around $2 per square foot. Wood decks are attractive and popular, up to 80% of decks are built out of wood. However wooden decks do require restaining every 2 to 3 years. In addition, individual boards may need to be replaced or repaired as the deck ages. (Note: Prices are approximate and do not include installation costs.)

2. Select composite decking material if a low maintenance deck is the goal. Composite deck material is a combination of wood and plastic. It is durable and made to look like wood. However, it can get mildew if it gets wet a lot. The best rated composite decking materials are Symmatrix, Veranda and Tamko Evergrain. Trex deck is an ecofriendly composite deck material that utilizes recycled plastic. Expect to pay between $4 and $6 per square foot. (Note: Prices are approximate and do not include installation costs.)

3. Consider Vinyl, plastic, or aluminum decking material if no maintenance is the goal and money is available to invest in these materials. Vinyl, plastic, and aluminum can be slippery when wet and cause falls a factor that should be taken into consideration when selecting this decking material.Average cost is $6 to $7 per square foot.(Note: Prices are approximate and do not include installation costs.)

4. Choose decking material that complements your home and backyard. For example, vinyl would look odd next to a century home with cedar shingles. Also take into account the kind of patio lighting you will be using. Deck post end cap lighting or in-deck lighting may not be possible with certain deck materials.

5. Calculate the square footage of the deck design and multiply by the average cost per square foot given here to roughly estimate how much the selected decking material will cost. Labor will add an additional $10 to $15 per square foot.

Resources

• Patio Lights Guide
• Selecting Decking Material: Pros and Cons