There are a lot of choices when it comes to selecting a building material to use for a deck. The most common are-
Wood decks-Redwood, Southern Yellow Pine, Ipe etc are readily available in most markets.
Pro's-about the only pro Consumer Reports could come up with is authenticity. Real wood can make for a nice deck.
Cons-
- Ignitable Material-wood decking, described by a fire fighter as "organized kindling" burns. In Wildland Urban Interfaces, wood decking is vulnerable to wildfire embers igniting the deck boards. Grills dropping coals onto the surface can burn the decking and ignite the deck in the right conditions.
- Yearly maintenance. Cleaning, staining and sealing a wood deck is basically now a yearly maintenance item. Costs of maintenance must be factored into the buying process.
- Wood decking can crack, split and splinter, especially on cheaper wood decks. Exotic hardwoods don't split and check as much, but can.
- Changing colors. Wood can fade and darken, which for most buyers is an undesirable result.
- Stains-go ahead drop a cup of coffee on your wood deck. Unless it's been recently sealed, you'll see where that coffee landed for some time after as the coffee soaks into the wood and can't be removed.
- Expense-exotic wood costs a lot. North America has no hardwood lumber similar to mahogany or Ipe, so these materials have to be shipped from other locations around the world.
Composite/Plastic decks-often made from recycled plastics, wood chips and other materials, with the look of wood and the allure of less or zero maintenance, Azek, Fiberon, Timbertech, Evergrain, Trex and apx 12 other manufacturer's make a synthetic or composite deck product. Some or all of these are available in most markets.
Pro's-
- Consumer Reports again doesn't list many pro's, they say the look of wood without the need to stain and seal the decking.
- Ignition Resistant. Most composite decking has resistance to igniting. Meaning it is harder to ignite, but eventually it will.
- Decorative-using contrasting/complimentary colors, decks can be more visually interesting with some patterns and designs.
Con's-
- Not waterproof. If you want this material on a roof deck, you have to waterproof the roof first, adding substantial costs to building. Can't really be put on stairs over living space leading to a roof deck
- Recalls and Failures-a number of decking systems have failed in the past and we don't expect that to end anytime soon.
- Slippery-most composite decks are slippery when wet or with snow. Some more so, others less so.
- Limited colors in stock. Most lumber and building stores don't carry all the colors a manufacturer makes, except by special order, limiting you to what they carry.
- Stain resistance-Consumer Reports lists staining as a con for most composite decking if the spilled material isn't cleaned promptly. You won't want to look at stains on your deck after paying big bucks for the materials.
- Heavy-composite decking is heavier than wood. While typical framing can accommodate apx 50#'s per square foot, you may need to beef up your framing if you build with composite.
- Sags-complaints on forums and websites lists sagging as a problem with some, particularly in hot climates. Most decking is installed on joists 16" on center. Sagging can be eliminated by placing joists closer together, but that raises costs of building the deck.
- Expense-synthetic decking is expensive. Some are cheaper than others but all in all, the materials are expensive.
- Cheap looking-Consumer Reports listed on of their cons of plastic decking as looking cheap.
- Burn marks-go ahead drop a coal on a composite deck or let a cigarette burn out on it. You'll see that forever until you replace the board(s) affected.
Pro's-
- Toughness-aluminum decking is strong.
- Slip Resistance-built in grip helps resist slip and falls.
- Lockdry offers a locking aluminum deck that keeps water from dripping through the deck down below. (This is NOT a roofing system for over a house though!) Excellent for having a bit of dry area on a patio below.
- Fire resistance-aluminum doesn't burn so embers landing on the deck or a coal falling from a grill won't start a fire. If the fire is hot enough, aluminum can warp or melt, but that's much different problem.
Con's-
- Expensive. Of all the materials for decks, aluminum costs more than wood and composite/plastic decking and is similar in costs to solid surface decking.
- You won't mistake it for anything else.
- Hard to buy, many lumber and building material suppliers don't stock these deck systems.
Solid Surface Decking- available in a variety of materials-urethane, vinyl and concrete based, solid surface decking is available in every market in the US.
Pro's-
- Waterproof. Solid surface decking is waterproof - most are listed as roofing and decking materials at ICC-ES. Perfect for roofs and decks your home will be dry and free of water. Stairs, balconies and roof decks are instantly waterproof and ready for pedestrian traffic on them.
- Ignition Retardant or Non Combustible-The preferred decking for Wildland Urban Interfaces, all of the Division 7 decking systems are rated Class A and many are listed as One Hour fire resistant for roof assemblies as required by building codes. Concrete decking seems to be the preferred choice for Cal Fire for it's non combustible qualities. Embers and coals cannot ignite these systems.
- Unlimited designs/colors/textures/patterns. Want a deck to look like stone or tile? Many of the solid surface decking systems can be finished to look like other materials-including looking like wood.
- Tough- all of these decking systems offer damage resistance from heat, snow, hail etc.
- Slip resistance-solid surface decking is tested for slip resistance and meets the requirements set by ICC-ES.
- Durable- life spans of 25-30 + years are typical with many of these deck systems.
- Low maintenance needs-a yearly or bi-annual cleaning is necessary to keep the deck looking nice.
Con's-
- Expense-costs to buy initially are higher than other decks. Offsetting that is their long life spans.
- Requires an expert contractor to properly install. No one wants a leak so to help avoid that, most manufacturers only warrant their products when an authorized applicator installs the decking. Pretty much eliminates DIY, but when it comes to waterproofing, DIY'ers are usually out of their element.
READ MORE about decks in the Wildland Urban Interface at Univ of Berkeley's Builders Wildfire Mitigation Guide here http://firecenter.berkeley.edu/bwmg/decks-1.html
Read Consumers Reports info on decks here http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/decking/buying-guide.htm?pn=1
See our Pinterest page for design ideas and finishes available here https://www.pinterest.com/deckexpert/
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