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What are the Best Materials For Building an Outdoor Deck?

By
Home Builder with 3R's Construction & Remodeling 190818

Selecting the right deck materials for your outdoor living space is essential to create a space that is long-lasting, fashionable, and useful. Your deck's endurance and visual appeal will be greatly impacted by the materials you choose whether you intend to host guests, spend time with family, or just enjoy a quiet evening outdoors. The unique climate of Salem, Oregon, is a major factor for homeowners when making this choice. Its pleasant, dry summers and rainy winters make it imperative to choose materials with superior weatherproofing and temperature resilience. This guide will assist you in weighing your options, taking into account things like style, affordability, and the deck's capacity to remain cool in the summer.

Which Deck Materials Are Most Frequently Used?

To guarantee your deck's longevity, good looks, and usefulness, choose the right material. Because of their unique qualities and advantages, a number of materials are well-liked by homeowners. Examine the most popular deck materials and discover why people choose them. The following are the four more typical deck materials:

1. Composite:

Made of plastic and wood fibers, composite decking is an artificial substance. Because of how durable and minimal maintenance it is, it has gained popularity among many households.

Advantages of Composite Wood Decking:

  • Durability: Able to withstand weathering, rot, and insects.
  • Aesthetics: Available in a range of hues and textures, providing a timeless appearance.
  • Low Maintenance: Needs little maintenance; sealant and staining are not necessary.

2. Redwood & Cedar:

Both of these softwoods are prized for their innate beauty and ability to withstand degradation. Their organic appearance and vibrant hues make them popular.

Advantages of Redwood or Cedar Decks:

  • Durability: Inherently impervious to insects and deterioration.
  • Ecofriendly: There are solutions that are sustainably sourced and biodegradable.
  • Aesthetics: Use warm, rich hues to create a lovely, organic appearance.

Benefits of cedar or tropical hardwoods for deck materials is durability & luxurious appearance.

3. Tropical Hardwoods:

Because of their extraordinary endurance and opulent look, tropical hardwoods like tigerwood, cumaru, and ipe are highly valued.

Why Tropical Hardwoods Are Beneficial

  • Longevity: Exceptionally robust and impervious to rot, insects, and wear.
  • Aesthetics: Present a sumptuous, upscale look with rich, intense hues.
  • Strength: Is resistant to severe wear even under adverse weather and heavy traffic.

4. Wood With Pressure Treating:

Due to its chemical treatment, pressure-treated wood is a common and reasonably priced choice for decking. It is recognized for its resistance to insects and rot.

Advantages of Wood Decking Treated with Pressure:

  • Affordable: One of the most economical decking materials on the market in terms of price.
  • Durability: Protected against termite damage, rot, and fungal decay.

  • Versatility: May be painted or stained to get the right look and is simple to work with for do-it-yourself projects.

When choosing deck materials for your home, it's essential to understand how you plan to use your outdoor space to fit your lifestyle.

Knowing Which Decking Materials Are Best for Your House

It's important to consider how you want to use your outdoor space when selecting deck materials. various goals necessitate various approaches, and what suits one family may not work for another. The following are some essential uses for outdoor decks and how they impact the material selection:

Perfect Deck Materials for Relaxing On: 

The best deck materials for relaxing on are ones that provide both comfort and beauty for someone seeking to establish a peaceful haven. Because of their inherent beauty and comfort underfoot, wood species like redwood and cedar are great. The soothing atmosphere is enhanced by these materials' harmonious integration with the natural surroundings. Composite materials are also a great choice for lounging barefoot since they can offer a splinter-free, smooth surface.

  • Redwood and Cedar: innately beautiful, velvety to the touch, and harmoniously blending in.
  • Composite: a comfortable surface for bare feet that is splinter-free and smooth.

Principal Points to Remember:

  • Comfort and aesthetics are paramount.
  • The materials used should have a soothing atmosphere.

The Greatest Decking Choices for Greeting Visitors

If the main purpose of your deck is to host parties, you'll need materials that are both fashionable and low maintenance. Composite decking is distinguished by its extensive color and treatment selection, which emulates the appearance of real wood yet requires less maintenance. Additionally, it is stain- and scratch-resistant, keeping your deck looking great even after a lot of parties. Tropical hardwoods like ipe provide endurance and an opulent appearance for people who appreciate natural wood, but they also demand more upkeep. You'll want to put in a new grill on your patio after considering one of these alternatives!

  • Composite decking: minimal maintenance, comes in a variety of colors and finishes, and looks like real wood.
  • Tropical hardwoods: more upkeep, opulent appearance, and durability.

Principal Points to Remember:

  • Maintenance ease.
  • Present yourself stylishly to wow your guests.

The size of your family & the activities you enjoy can also influence your deck material choice

Which Decking Is Ideal For Activities With Big Families?

Your choice of deck material may also be influenced by the size of your family and the activities you participate in. Larger households or those with kids may give priority to easily cleaned and safe materials. Families will find composite decking excellent because of its low maintenance requirements and non-slip surface. For individuals who enjoy do-it-yourself projects or frequently require repairs, pressure-treated wood may be a more affordable and workable choice.

  • Composite decking: easy to clean, safe, and resistant to slips.
  • Pressure-treated wood: affordable and suitable for do-it-yourself projects.

Principal Points to Remember

  • Select the Best Option for Your Deck for Kids
  • Choose the right deck materials to build an attractive, long-lasting, and useful outdoor area.

Selecting the Best Option for Your Deck

Choosing the right deck materials is crucial to building an attractive, long-lasting, and useful outdoor area.

We've looked at how various uses—such leisure, entertainment, and high-traffic areas—affect material selections and discussed the advantages of common materials like composite, pressure-treated wood, cedar redwood, and tropical hardwoods. To pick the finest choice, take into account the demands placed on your deck as well as the climate in Salem, Oregon. When you're prepared to hire a Salem deck builder, get advice from 3Rs Construction & Remodeling to make sure your deck fulfills all of your requirements.

Jeff Masich-Scottsdale AZ Associate Broker,MBA,GRI
HomeSmart Real Estate - Scottsdale, AZ
Arizona Homes and Land Group/ Buy or Sell

Thank you for the informative article on decking choices. Those photos of the materials were beautiful as well as illustrative. Jeff

Jul 30, 2024 06:53 PM
Duane West

Thank you!

Jul 30, 2024 08:49 PM
John Pusa
Glendale, CA

Hello Duane West very good helpful report about what are the best materials for building an outdoor deck.

Jul 30, 2024 09:25 PM
Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
Pasadena And Southern California 818.516.4393

Hello Duane - so many choices.  Perhaps, too many.  Thanks for sharing. 

Personal preference is wonderful as is decisiveness.   Combining them into a solution that makes sense seems to be a conundrum for many.  

Jul 31, 2024 04:54 AM
Richard Weeks
Dallas, TX
REALTOR®, Broker
Great information, thanks for sharing.  I hope you have a great day.
Jul 31, 2024 05:19 AM
Joe Jackson
Keller Williams Capital Partners Realty - Columbus, OH
Clintonville and Central Ohio Real Estate Expert

It’s a great post. Thank you for sharing!

 

Have a super fantastic week!

Joe Jackson, Realtor-KWCP

Aug 02, 2024 11:03 AM