Options for decking material: Trex, AERT, Ipe, Redwood, Mahogany, Teak and pressure treated lumber. Choose by durability, price, sustainability, and green building.
This is the seventh article in the deck design and construction series. The first took an in-depth look at deck design. Subsequent articles focused on framing concepts, lumber sizes and spacing, and post hole location and setting.
Although this article addresses decking material, keep in mind that the composite manufacturers also offer fence pickets and posts, something to look into if you are going for a LEED certified home.
Natural and Composite Decking Material
- Trex composite: Trex is a green, renewable building material. The company is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). It's a composite material that's made of of wood and plastic fibers from reclaimed or recycled resources. Many people who bought the product in the past felt that the advertising was misleading because mold showed up on it. The fact is that mold can grow on any outdoor product and the company now points that out. It's more expensive than strictly wood planks but there is no annual re-staining or refinishing.
- Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies (AERT) MoistureShield: MoistureShield decking is a high quality composite made by encapsulating scrap wood fibers in recycled plastic. For 20 years the company has never had a recall on its products, and so had avoided all the bad publicity that has plagued Trex. In addition to decking and components like posts, trim, and balusters, they also offer long-lasting composite pickets.
- Ipe hardwood: This is an exotic hardwood harvested in South America, Brazil in particular. This species encompasses over twenty sub-species. It's bending strength is 22,560 psi as compared to California Redwood at 10,000 psi. But what makes it so good for exterior projects such as decks, gazebos, and swimming pool surrounds? It holds the highest rating for termite and decay resistance of any other wood according to IpeDepot, a major importer. Price? 1” X 6” (2.54 X 15.24 centimeters) boards are about $2.74 per linear foot.
- California Redwood: Long popular for exterior projects, Redwood is resistant to warping, shrinking, cupping, and checking. And visually, it ages gracefully and is resistant to decay and damage from insects such as termites. Select heart and construction heart are the best grades, although there are two lower grades. Although there is widespread sentiment that Redwoods are an endangered species, currently 80 percent of Redwood forest areas that are designated as commercial are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI SM ) program. Price is determined by grade and availability.
- Mahogany: This species falls into two broad categories as far as deck building goes. The first is the Philippine Mahogany (Meranti), and the second is American Mahagony. The Meranti is not as durable or stable as its American cousin, but can be found in a wider spectrum of colors. The price varies but it can be found for as low as $1.15 per linear foot for 1” X 4” (2.54 X 10.16 centimeters) lumber.
- Teak: When thinking about teak, boat building comes to mind before decks or gazebos. But the same qualities that make it such a good fit for the harsh marine environment stand it in good stead in the backyard party environment. This wood hails from Southeast Asia and is rich in natural oils, which is what gives it its weather resistant character. In addition to planks, it is also sold as “tiles”, similar to parquet flooring.
- Pressure treated wood: This is the workhorse of the deck building industry and for good reason: it does an incredible job of resisting the environment and is cheaper than any of the exotic woods or composite materials mentioned above. The reason for its low price is that it starts with inexpensive wood and is infused with a preservative under pressure. Before 1983 the chemical contained arsenic and this gave it a bad rap. Today, amine copper quat (ACQ) and copper azone (CA) are used, which is deemed much safer.
Copyright Kelly Smith. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.
Kelly Smith - Kelly has over 30 years experience as a journeyman carpenter and 20 as a freelance writer and photographer.
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