It’s a cool summer evening, the sun is on its way down, and you’re standing in your back yard soaking in the pure, natural beauty of Colorado. Look to your left and the you see the the gorgeous mountains. Look to your right and you see your family lounging, also enjoying the incredible view. You look down and what’s beneath your feet? A nice wooden deck that’s keeping your feet cool in the summer heat. You take a seat and take a deep breath to immerse yourself in peaceful tranquility.
Sounds pretty nice, right? This situation doesn’t just have to be an imaginary scenario, with our help you can achieve moments like this for the rest of your life by building a deck of your very own. However, you can’t just immediately have a deck and be done in a matter of seconds. These projects take time and careful planning, so let’s start with the first step: choosing a material.
These are the different types of decking materials that are at your disposal:
- Traditional Decking – softwoods like Cedar and Redwood, high durability for a low budget.
- Exotic Decking – hardwoods like Tigerwood and Mahogany, incredibly high durability for a slightly higher budget.
- Composite Decking – Man made materials that require less maintenance but are significantly more expensive.
For the sake of this article, we’re going to look at traditional decking and give the 5 reasons as to why you should be using traditional softwoods.
1) Traditional Decking is the most workable material
Due to the nature of softwoods, obviously being softer or less dense than materials like hardwoods, they are incredibly easy to cut, saw, nail and screw. Despite the name, softwoods are an incredibly strong, yet lightweight material that allows any DIY’er or contractor to shape their deck into any design that he or she chooses. And you coupled this with the wood’s ability to hold primer and paint more effectively than other materials, and you’ve got the ideal material for deck builders.
2) Traditional Decking is the most cost-effective material
If you’re building your project on a lower budget or just don’t want to spend the money for the premium materials, you can’t go wrong with traditional decking. Being the lowest cost material on the market, you’ll still achieve a beautiful, natural deck that has a strong durability and resistive characteristics while not completely draining your wallet. For a significantly cheaper price, you can buy traditional decking materials that will last just as long as its competitors.
3) Traditional Decking is highly resistant
Perhaps one of the most intriguing features of natural, softwoods is that they are naturally resistant to things like rot, moisture, and wood damaging insects like termites. So if you buy softwoods, you won’t have to worry about the weather or pests harming your investment. Softwoods are also very at home or comfortable being in an outdoor environment, so the extreme weather variables that we experience in Colorado won’t be an issue.
Note that softwoods are resistant and not proof. You’ll still need to perform regular upkeep and maintenance, but that goes for all materials, not just softwoods. Left untreated, traditional wood decks can last 10 years plus. They will silver out over the years, but the natural resins inherent in Cedar and Redwood will help prevent rot and decay for some time.
4) Multiple grades, same resistance and classic look
For some of our softwoods, like Redwood, we stock multiple grades. This means that you can choose between a construction grade and premium grade, both of which retain the high resistance softwoods are known for. You can choose the material that will fit within your budget while still having a strong, durable, long lasting deck.
5) Traditional Decking is long lasting
Despite what you’ve heard, traditional decking materials can last just as long as composite decks. As mentioned in an earlier section, no matter what deck material you choose there will always be some sort of maintenance and upkeep that will need to be done.
The general consensus is that traditional materials require the most while composites require the least. However, the actual amount can vary greatly. Variables such as sunlight, moisture, and foot traffic all play a part in determining how often you’ll need to perform cleanings or repairs. In the end, if you are able to keep your deck clean and check it every now and again for possible repairs, you should have no issues seeing your deck live for 20 years.
So imagine yourself standing in your back yard again. When you look down at your feet, what’s beneath them? A cedar or redwood deck?
Navigate our site to learn more about the different decking materials we offer. For even more information with some content not found anywhere else, download a free brochure from the sidebar, today!
