Decking Showdown: Composite VS. Wood

As more and more people adopt composite and PVC decking for their Edmonton deck project; it’s a good idea to see how they stack up against traditional wood decking options.

The most common wood decking on the market used to be western red cedar but pressure treated has eclipsed cedar long ago as old growth cedar forests have been milled out and costs for cedar continued to climb.

There are many varieties of maintenance free decking on the market – uncapped composite, capped composite, bamboo composite, mineral based composite and PVCs, but we’ll focus our discussion on the two most popular boards (capped composite & PVC). 

Often when we start a new client consultation, they have already visited a retail showroom or researched online and short-listed certain deck boards, typically based on price and colour but without much consideration for the characteristics of the board itself.

We applaud the initiative, but the most important consideration has been missed; who is the client and what exactly will the deck board be used for? In addition to price and colour, there are other factors to consider when selecting a deck board – durability, slip resistance, heat absorption and manufacturer warranty come top of mind.

A young couple who needs a simple deck to put their BBQ on has many more choices compared to clients with a south facing deck that gets constantly hit with sun, especially if they intend to spend every weekend lounging in bare feet on their deck. An elderly couple who needs a new front staircase will prioritize grip and durability over colour options and price. The married couple with two young kids and a large dog may want durability and price above colour options and heat absorption.

Once you’ve identified your priorities based on your situation, apply those filters when you start shopping for deck board options.  If you need help figuring out the best board options for your situation, contact us to get started and see how we can bring your project to life.

Deck board attributes

• Price

• Durability

• Features

1. PRICE

When comparing deck boards prices, there are two price factors to consider – the initial cost and ongoing maintenance cost. It goes without saying that wood decking is less expensive than composite & PVC decking initially, but what about over the long run?

Any quality composite or PVC deck board comes with a minimum 25-year warranty and although wood decking doesn’t have a warranty, we regularly see them last 10-15 years before being replaced. To reach 25+ years with a wood deck board, you’ll have to plan for on-going staining costs every 3-5 years depending on the location and use of the deck.

Based on the costs below, if you hire a company to stain your deck every 4 years, you’ll eclipse the initial costs of a composite deck within the first 8-12 years, but then you must continue paying past 12 years. If you’re going to stain it yourself, costs are closer to $0.60 per sq.ft which still adds up to be a significant investment over the life of your deck. Not to mention the significant amount of time and labour involved which most homeowners don’t have.

Initial cost per sq.ft

Deck board	Pressure treated	Western Red Cedar	Fiberon goodlife – escapes collection	Fiberon promenade PVC
Cost per sq.ft	$2.56	$4.93	$8.58	$18.37

Maintenance cost per sq.ft

Deck board	Pressure treated	Western Red Cedar	Fiberon goodlife – escapes collection	Fiberon promenade PVC
Cost per sq.ft	$4	$4-6	$0	$0

2. DURABILITY

Composite & PVC deck boards are manufactured to much higher tolerances than wood decking and extruded through a mold to ensure consistent quality with every board. Once installed, they have minimal fading over time (~5%), maintain the same gap between the boards, get installed with hidden fasteners and have no splinters or exposed screws to cut yourself on. Not to mention the board itself has a harder exterior “cap” which is much more durable and can stand up to life in Alberta a lot better than wood decking.

Contrast that with wood decking where milled dimensions can vary wildly making installation more difficult, fading is much more substantial (80%+), and the boards will shrink after installation resulting in larger, uneven gaps. They also have exposed screws, knots and splinters that make using your deck in bare feet much less appealing. Long term ownership will require sanding down rough spots or replacing chipped / splinters boards further driving up costs.

3. FEATURES

This is where composite & PVC deck boards continue to stack up their advantages above traditional wood decking. The colour options, patterns, and design flexibility that composite decking affords you is only limited by your imagination and makes it much easier to compliment your existing house siding colours or future renovation. The number of colours available nowadays is akin to shopping for paint with choices like neutral modern tones, streaked multi-colours and the most extreme bright colours ensuring there is absolutely a board on the market to match your project.

The surface texture of composite decking comes in a variety of patterns to suit all styles and preferences with modern technology offering incredible designs. From contemporary smooth boards, irregular wood grain, wood grain embossed, hand-scraped or 3D embossed deck boards that have printed images to mimic real wood patterns. Aside from aesthetics, some of these designs have unique anti-slip properties that increase grip substantially, making them ideal choices for front veranda decks or staircases, especially for our elderly clients.

Overall, mineral based decking and PVC’s offer the best grip on the market but come with a higher price point. If you need help figuring out the best board options for your situation, contact us to get started and see how we can bring your project to life.

With so many colour options available, another consideration is how much heat the deck board retains on those hot summer days. Heat reacts differently with composite & PVC decking compared to wood boards, especially dense composite boards or dark coloured boards in general, so consider that before using a dark grey main body board on your full sun exposed deck.

With traditional wood decks, you nail or screw through the deck board surface without aesthetics being much of a concern. Over time these fasteners trap dirt and become little irregular halos spattered throughout that can occasionally pop up or become raised when the decking shrinks. With composite and PVC decking that unsightly feature is eliminated with hidden fasteners clip systems, colour matching surface screws and screws with hidden plugs that are made from the same deck board material creating an invisible fastener look. Most maintenance free decks have virtually no visible fasteners and present a much cleaner, more professional finished product. These fasteners have another distinct advantage and give the option to remove or replace a deck board in the future relatively easily if needed.

Most importantly, all major composite decking manufacturers offer warranties to protect your investment. Warranties vary considerably depending on which line of decking you purchase but typically even low-end boards start at 25 years. However, the unspoken part about warranties is that they only cover the physical deck board and not any fasteners or labor to remove and re-install railing, decking, hidden clips nor any disposal costs of the existing damaged materials. There are labor warranties available from reputable decking brands for certified contractors that achieve high volume installations like Northern Grain Builders which makes it crucial to work with pros.

Conclusively, maintenance free decking is by far the superior choice based on almost all criteria. Wood decks still appeal to certain clients, and we encourage them to use cedar decking or exotic hardwoods like Kayu Batu if they want a wood deck. If you have more questions or want to get started today, contact us for a deck quote to see how we can bring your project to life.