Good Material For Long-lasting Decks

By Author: Blue Star Carpentry
Total Articles: 35
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Tips and advice on deck installation and care to make sure your outdoor retreat stays in great shape.
A long-lasting deck should be made from quality pressure-treated deck boards or vinyl composite boards. With wood boards, the thicker the better. You want wood with fewer knots. There are specialized deck boards with rounded edges and grooves cut into the bottom so they're less likely to warp.

Wood is cheaper than composite, but in the long run you'll save money with composite. Composite boards are usually made from recycled material and will last forever. You don't need to do any maintenance except to hose it down every so often. It doesn't get beaten up by the weather or from use. It's particularly good near pools, where kids might be playing and you don't want splinters from the deck. A composite deck will still look brand new years later.

How Do I Seal My Deck?
A few weeks after installing a new wood deck, you should have it sealed with a UV inhibitor. That'll extend the life of the deck. The sealant wears off, so you'll probably need to do it every three or four years. When water's not beading ...
... up on the deck anymore, that means it's time for a new sealant.

As the deck gets older, five years or so, you might want to power wash it and put a semi-transparent stain on it. After eight years, you might have to paint it with an opaque stain. That stain needs to fill in all the cracks, as wood decks get beaten by the weather, sun and irregularities.