There are plenty of decking products on the market today for you to choose from. Which one is the best deck material can depend on the look you want and the budget you have. But with decking it pays to spend a little more up front to save a lot down the road.
Natural Choices
Pressure Treated lumber being the most widely used, mostly due to the fact that it is the cheapest of decking material. Pressure treated will need the most maintenance. It will need to be cleaned and resealed on almost an annual basis. Even though it is chemically treated to prevent rot, it will still dry and splinter in the sun, causing it to need replacing the soonest.
Staying in the natural category. you also have a choice of Cedar, which comes in notty and clear, Redwood and IPE, there are a few other less used types of hardwoods if you wish to research them.
ManMade Choices
There is a whole list of manufacturer making decking out of all types of material, composites are made mostly of wood and resin, while others are made from PVC, recycled plastic or pure vinyl. While these decking materials will out last most natural materials and require less maintenance, they have there draw back. The biggest issue with these products are they get extremely hot on a sunny day, walking on them in bare feet is near impossible.
Aluminum Decking
Aluminum decking is a new product to the home building industry that has so many advantages over the other types of decking. It is 2-3 times lighter, yet 2-3 times stronger than most other types of decking, installation is faster and less backbreaking. Another big advantage is it comes in lengths up to 40′ reducing or eliminating but seams on most decks and has hidden fasteners, so never a screw or nail to step on. It also stay much cooler than most decking materials.
If you would like to take your deck from this.
To This:
Aluminum decking will cost you more than a wood deck to install, but the long range cost of never having to scrape, sand, stain or replace it will pay for itself every year.
Aluminum decking comes in a variety of colors and patterns to make any deck look great!