We need to replace a small deck and I'm researching treated yellow pine vs cedar/redwood vs composite. The pine is by far the least expensive, and the hardwoods look less prone to warpage but are less available. I've read that cedar and pine my not by ideal for moist climates (we get a fair amount of rain) but it is in an area that also gets a fair amount of sun exposure. Composite would be much less maintenance, but costlier.

To further complicate the situation we may not be staying in this house for a lot longer, so I would prefer to have good quality without spending a ton of money. We have had estimates ranging from 3K for treated yellow pine to 25K for composite.

Any advice would be appreciated.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: NOCkid,

How big of a deck are we talking?

We went with Trex with hidden fasteners; no regrets but it isn’t a huge deck, either. It’s seen 3 years of NM sun and still looks brand new. While it’s not exactly your situation, I’m happy with it.

14' x 12'

It's more expensive, but two years ago we rebuilt our 18'x24' deck and went with composite with hidden fasteners.
We're very happy with it so far. It looks good and will last longer than wood, plus you never have to worry about splinters when barefoot.

I had a new deck built a few years ago, I went with Trex's Highest end material.
The bill was painful but I figured I would done with the deck forever. Very little maintenance other than scrubbing it (power wash) once or twice a year.
My neighbors that have wood decks are all envious.They seem to have a constant losing battle with upkeep to attempt to keep there wood decks looking good. Eventually they hit a point where its a losing battle and the deck needs to be replaced, same with wood fences.
Splinters is another reason to consider a "plastic" deck over wood, especially if you have kids.

Trex
Buy once, cry once
My dads cousin has a 20yo deck finished inTrex. It looks new

Not cheap, but worth it - LockDry aluminum decking. Polyester coated in a variety of colors. Space below is absolutely waterproof - if that is a concern. It was for us. Going on 10 years and all it takes to keep it clean and new looking is to pressure wash it.

Adios,

Pizza Bob

I MUCH Prefer Fiberon to Trex for composite decking

https://www.fiberondecking.com/

Any cover/roof over the deck? If I recall I have 1300 sq.ft of deck, almost all under roof. I used pressure treated 2x6’s for the decking. Most of it is 25+ years old and still in good shape.

Prices you mention (high end) are ridiculous. That size is a one or two day job.

No cover/roof and we do get a fair amount of sun and rain. The 20K+ prices seem crazy to me too. Several of the contractors here didn't even consider the job as it was too small. Maybe the high estimates were from firms that didn't want the work. One wanted $180 just to do an estimate.

If you go composite the stringers need to be 12 inches apart, where the 2X6 decking can go 24 inches.

My wooden deck lasted 9 years. Need to replace several rotted deck boards. You may find wood perfectly suited for the job.

quote:

Originally posted by Mr.Brooks:
If you go composite the stringers need to be 12 inches apart, where the 2X6 decking can go 24 inches.

Maybe joists could be 24”OC for really short ones, but stingers would be no more than 16"OC. Some composite decking allows for 16” spacing, but most does require 12” spacing.

I wouldn’t pay $25k for composite over $3k for wood for the same deck. That doesn’t seem right at all. I certainly wouldn’t do it on a house I wasn’t staying in. Price the material out for yourself and see if the composite is really over 8x the cost of PT wood.

Our dock cost $20k with composite decking. Part of it is 30x12 and part is 40x5. That price was the whole thing including pilings with wrap, joists, ledgers, permits, and the decking. That was about 5 years ago.

Not sure how much a composite deck adds to resale. How long are you planning to stay? Composite is absolutely the way to go if you either want the best or are staying put. If you’re out in 5 years or less and don’t mind re-sealing the deck at least twice, that’s the way I’d go. If you have wood and plan to reseal every year or every other year, composite pays for itself in less than 10 years.

quote:

Originally posted by MikeinNC:
Trex
Buy once, cry once
My dads cousin has a 20yo deck finished inTrex. It looks new

It gets hot and warps, it is not a true composite. We went with wolfe decking w hidden fasteners on a 100' dock in a salt water environment and the deck still perfect after 7 years. no maintenance, whatsoever. Best investment I ever made.

I built a new back deck 25 years ago, soon after Trex came out. It's withstood all kinds of weather, power washing, and salt/ice melt. One small complaint is that I spaced the planks roughly 1/4" apart, and over time the planks expanded, or flattened out & closed the gaps. I had to open the gaps up again using a circular saw, so the water wouldn't pool on the deck.

The newer composite (not sure if it was Trex or not) that I used on the front deck 15 years ago hasn't expanded like the older stuff. But, yes, I'd recommend using composite if you want it to last.