Choosing material for your wooden deck

Posted on: 18 April 2016

Building a deck is a fairly simple way to up the value of your house, while also creating a spot for you and your family to relax in. There are many considerations you need to take when planning to build a deck, but one of the most important ones is what material you want to use. The material decides the qualities of your deck, as well as it decides how much maintenance you need to put down on your deck continuously. In order to choose the right material for your deck, there are a few things you need to think about.

Redwood

Redwood is a popular luxury material for decks. It's hard and sturdy which makes it impervious to warping. It's also beautifully coloured in a red shade that makes your deck stand out from other decks while also making your deck aesthetically pleasing to look at. However, redwood can be very expensive as it has to be imported. It's also not very kind to the environment, as redwood is a fairly rare type of wood. A good option if you want to incorporate redwood in your deck without having to spend too much money is to just let some details be made out of redwood, such as the rails.

Cedar

Cedar is a common material for decking and other wooden structures. It's quite inexpensive and is naturally resistant to insects and rot. This means it won't have to be treated or painted very often, which cuts down on maintenance costs. The downside of cedar is that it's a soft material, which can misshape and warp quite easily. Therefore, if you plan to have heavy furniture such as a barbecue or dining room furniture on your deck, cedar might not be the best option. It's also more prone to splinters than other materials due to being so soft.

Pine

Pine is a cheap material that is soft enough to be easily handled when building, but hard enough to not misshape easily. It's also a common type of tree, meaning it's rather environmentally friendly to use. The downside of pine is that it needs to be treated and sealed quite often in order to not be affected and possibly ruined because of moisture. You could, however, opt for treated pine and cut down on maintenance from the beginning. Treated pine decking might need to be topped up now and again, but not as rigorously as untreated pine, and is still cheaper than most other types of decking materials available. 

For more information, contact companies like Australian Treated Pine.

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