Would you buy a car without test driving it first?
Heck, no!
The same can be said for home improvement projects, in regards to choosing your materials. Imagine the ideal scenario of lounging in your back yard atop a deck in the midst of summer, with a cool drink and not a care in the world. You won’t be able to fully enjoy this scenario if you make an un-informed decision about your materials, which is why we’re giving you another comparison profile for decking materials!
For today’s comparison, we will be looking at Redwood, a traditional softwood, and another composite material, Fiberon. While both can be effective decking materials, you’ll want to know the differences between the two so you can determine which will be right for your project.
Material Background
- Redwood: Redwood is known for its regal, natural beauty as well as its durability. Our Redwood stock is directly imported from their mills as a means of cutting out the middle man and saving money across the board. Redwood also cuts and drills with ease, making it an ideal material for DIYers. Fun fact about Redwood: it tends to store more carbon than it emits, so if you’re looking for a green solution, Redwood is the choice for you.
- Fiberon: As a composite material, Fiberon decking materials are manmade and consist of plastic materials compressed and molded to wooden fibers. The purpose of these materials is to imitate the highly popular look of natural wood, while adding in some extra features.
Lifespan
- Redwood: Like any traditional wood, if you want to see the most years out of your materials you’ll need proper maintenance (which we’ll cover momentarily). If you do perform the necessary upkeep when needed, you shouldn’t have any issues seeing your deck make it past 15 years.
- Fiberon: Fiberon products will always have either a 20 or 25 year warranty, depending on if you buy railing or decking. Regardless, a warranty doesn’t guarantee that it will last that long. So be sure that you perform proper cleanings and repairs as need be.
Maintenance and Durability
- Redwood: Being a softwood, Redwood will require a bit more maintenance on a regular basis. What does this entail? It’s recommended that you perform a check-up every month to 2 months and look for splitting, cracking, or warping. Also clean of the dirt and debris, the time frame isn’t strict on this as you can sweep your deck when needed. And finally, you’ll need to perform a re-stain on an annual basis.
- Fiberon: Like other composite materials, Fiberon products are advertised as little-to-no maintenance and upkeep. Even though it’s said that you only really have to sweep off debris every now and again, you’ll still want to do regular check-ups to make sure there aren’t any imperfections or issues with your deck.
Cost
- Redwood: traditional softwoods, like redwood, make the most cost effective decking materials. You’ll also want to take into account the stains or any other extra materials you’ll need to accurately estimate your budget.
- Fiberon: composite materials are the most expensive decking material, but the trade-off is that you won’t have to deal with labor of maintenance.
So which will you choose? Throughout this guide, we hope that you are able to better determine which material is right for your project. There is an incredible amount of information out there, so feel free to contact us with inquiries. Or you can download a free eBook or Brochure right on our sidebar. This extra content will provide more in depth looks into different facets of the industry.
