Comparing Wood Decks vs. Composite Decks

Decking: Wood Vs. Composite Decks

It’s hard to deny the beauty of wood. Wood has been the most widely used material used to build decks and porches, gazebos and pergolas. Wood decking is flexible – it can be stained, painted or sealed in a wide variety of different colors, while retaining its unique look.

Composite decking, such as Trex,  Timbertech or Fiberon is a blend of real wood and plastic polymers. Composite decking give the appearance of real wood, but without the negatives of wood maintenance, splintering, staining and more.

Deciding Between Wood and Composite Decking Material?

Wood Decks and Splintering

Wood decks are beautiful with lots of character. Unfortunately, wood decks will always splinter, no matter if you paint, stain or seal it. That’s just the fact of the natural product. A distinct advantage to composite decking is that you will not have to every worry about durability of composite decks as they will never splinter. 

No More Deck Stains

Wood decks are unfortunately easy to stain, and not in a good way. Wooden decks easily soak up environmental stains, from wine to leaf stains that will last until you paint over it.  No more staining with a composite deck. They are easy to clean and won’t hold any stain as they are designed to be impervious to stains with proper care.

Mold Damage on Decks

Mold can damage a beautiful deck. The best wat to enjoy your deck for many years, you need to protect it from mold. Mold can grow on any surface, even on composite decking, however wood decks begin to sustain mold damage once mold grows.

If mold grows on the surface of a wooden deck, the fungus can grow into the wood, spread, and destroy the deck. In contrast, if mold grows on the surface of a composite deck, it’s harmless and can be simply washed to clean it up.

Composite Decks Come in a Wide Range of Colors

Many homeowner’s backyards often coordinate the color of the home with the style, design and color of the deck. When you build with Rocky Mountain Decks, you have unlimited options for color. Whether you want to match a modern design or looking for an natural tone feel, you’ll need flexible decking material to complement those goals and composite decking is the only choice when style is of the essence.

Composite Decks Keep Their Color

Wood is beautiful but, here in the Rocky Mountains, the UV and weather can cause it to quickly fade. Not only do you want to be able to enjoy your deck for decades, you want to enjoy the original color.

The sun and the elements cause wood decks to lose their original color over time, Composite decks may look like wood, but they don’t have the downside of wood’s weaknesses. Composite decks keep their color over their entire 25+ year lifespan.

Maintenance, Maintenance, Maintenance

Wooden deck require a lot of maintenance. At the minimum, you’ll likely need to refinish your wood deck every year to keep it lasting. With any neglect in maintenance, you won’t get the much of a lifespan out of your deck.

On the other hand, composite decks are extremely low-maintenance. To keep your composite deck looking great, you’ll just need a quick power wash once a year. You’ll never need to stain or seal to keep it looking great!

Composite Stands up to Sunlight

Spending day after day baking in the hot sun has an effect on your deck. Wooden boards will noticeably warp over time, whereas composite deck boards stay strong.

So, if you like the look of composite decking, you’re in the right place. Rocky Mountain Decks is one of Summit County’s premier deck builders, and composite decks are one of our specialties.