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The Best Decking Material for Your Investment

December 11, 2020

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Choosing the best decking material for your outdoor living space can ensure you get the most durable and beautiful deck for your budget. But with a number of decking material options to choose from, it’s important to evaluate how each choice will contribute to the bottom line.

Need a Guide for All Things Decking Boards? Learn about your options, so you make the right choice for your outdoor living space. READ THE GUIDE

When choosing the best decking material for your investment, you’ll need to evaluate:

These Materials

These Factors

Capped polymer deck boards.
Capped composite deck boards.
Exotic hardwoods.
Pressure-treated wood.

Performance
Aesthetics
Long-term value

To begin the process of finding the best decking material for you, first consider all your available options. Then, choose based on your budget, needs, and tastes.

Step 1: Learn Your Decking Material Options

Decking material options fall into two broad categories: traditional wood decking and composite decking. And these two categories can be broken down even further. Within traditional wood decking, there are non-pressure-treated options like cedar, pressure-treated wood, and exotic hardwoods — among others.

When it comes to TimberTech composite decking, our durable and beautiful capped polymer and capped composite decking lines go above and beyond competitive composite and PVC decking to create a category all their own: capped composite and capped polymer innovation.

TimberTech Composite Decking & Traditional Wood Decking Categories

TimberTech^® Capped Polymer Decking

Product line: TimberTech AZEK® decking.
100% synthetic material, from core to cap, for superior moisture and weather resistance.
Lasting beauty, with a 50-Year Fade & Stain Warranty.
A deck that needs minimal maintenance.
Performance you can count on with a Lifetime Limited Product Warranty.

TimberTech Capped Composite Decking

Product Lines: TimberTech PRO® decking, TimberTech EDGE® decking.
Blend of polymers and wood fibers.
Capped with 100% synthetic material for premium moisture and weather resistance.
Beauty that doesn’t fade, with 30- and 25-Year Fade & Stain Warranties.
Minimal maintenance, with top product warranties.

diy decking materials traditional hardwood decks

Exotic Hardwoods

High upfront cost and high cost for maintenance over time, even for the densest hardwoods like Ipe.
Beauty that fades quickly.
While somewhat naturally resistant to fungus growth given its porous texture, it is still vulnerable to mold, mildew, and rot.
Can crack, buckle, and warp with weathering.

Traditional Pressure-Treated Wood

Potentially low upfront cost, but ever-accumulating cost for maintenance over time.
Beauty that fades quickly.
Requires staining and sealing, which can involve harmful Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).
Vulnerable to mold, mildew, and rot.
Will crack and splinter with wear and tear.

Step 2: Evaluate Best Decking Material for Performance

When it comes to performance, you want your decking material to last you for the long-term without losing its beauty or structural integrity.

Pressure-treated lumber, exotic hardwoods, and traditional PVC decking are often touted as high- performing — but when you compare their performance to TimberTech, the benefits begin to crumble.

TimberTech capped polymer and capped composite decking is designed to last you decades — and look good while doing it.

Type of Decking Material	TimberTech Capped Polymer	TimberTech Capped Composite	Exotic Hardwoods	Traditional Pressure-Treated Wood
Moisture Damage & Weathering	TimberTech® AZEK® Alloy Armour Technology® protects boards from moisture damage and weathering.	TimberTech PRO® & TimberTech EDGE® 4- and 3-sided capping; PRO made with Mold Guard® Technology protects boards from moisture damage and weathering.	Even dense exotic hardwood will ultimately experience fading and damage from exposure to moisture and weathering agents.	As an organic material, wood is highly vulnerable to fading and deteriorate from moisture damage and weathering, even if pressure treated.
Intense Temperatures	TimberTech AZEK Stays up to 30° F cooler than competitive products so you can maximize your time out on your deck (and use for the cost), despite the heat.*	TimberTech PRO & TimberTech EDGE Won’t crack, buckle or warp in the heat.	Because hardwoods are so dense, they retain heat much longer than composite deck boards.	Absorbs and radiates heat throughout the deck board.
Warranties	TimberTech AZEK Lifetime Limited Product Warranty (the best in the industry). 50-Year Limited Fade & Stain Warranty	TimberTech PRO 30-Year Limited Product Warranty. 30-Year Limited Fade & Stain Warranty. TimberTech EDGE 25-Year Limited Product Warranty. 25-Year Fade & Stain Warranty.	Warranties for exotic hardwoods typically only cover craftsmanship issues, rather than material defects (which are more likely to occur). No fade/stain warranties.	May have craftsmanship warranties like exotic hardwood, but these do not cover material defects such as warping, cracking, or rotting. No fade/stain warranties.

*Although TimberTech AZEK deck products are cooler to the touch than many other deck board products, all decking products will get hot in the sun. Additionally, the darker the decking color, the hotter it will feel. For hotter climates, consider choosing a lighter color.

The Takeaway: TimberTech believes in Better Tech, Better Deck™. From cap to core, our composite decking is designed to perform.
DISCOVER OUR TECHNOLOGY

Step 3: Evaluate Best Decking Material for Aesthetics

Best Decking Material for Aesthetics featuring TimberTech AZEK Vintage Collection

Aesthetics is more than just a desired look. If the decking material fails to retain its attractive appearance for the long-term, is its fleeting beauty really worth the investment? While traditional wood requires a lot of maintenance to retain its appearance, TimberTech composite decking offers effortless beauty and a nature-inspired aesthetic, making it the best decking material in terms of aesthetics.

*Although AZEK decking products are cooler to the touch than many other deck board products, all decking products will get hot in the sun. Additionally, the darker the decking color, the hotter it will feel. For hotter climates, consider choosing a lighter color.

Type of Decking Material

TimberTech Capped Polymer

TimberTech Capped Composite Decking

Exotic Hardwoods

Traditional Pressure-Treated Wood

Nature-Inspired Aesthetics

TimberTech AZEK Vintage Collection®

Advanced color blending technology for high variation between boards.
Low-gloss wire-brushed finish for a premium hardwood visual.

TimberTech AZEK Harvest Collection®

Monochromatic colors with a cathedral wood grain pattern to achieve a chic painted wood look.

An exciting portfolio of options. Among others, includes:

TimberTech PRO Legacy Collection

Cascading color blending and variable grain pattern so no two boards are the same.

TimberTech PRO Reserve Collection

Advanced color blending and cathedral grain pattern for a rustic wood look.

LEARN MORE

Varied looks are only available through painting or staining.
Even the densest hardwoods will begin to fade, turning to gray soon after being installed.

Varied looks are only available through painting or staining.
Looks beautiful on day one, but immediately begins to fade thereafter.

Maintenance

Won’t require much maintenance to retain its appearance — a periodic cleaning is all that’s needed.

Won’t require much maintenance to retain its appearance — a periodic cleaning is all that’s needed.

Exotic hardwoods need routine maintenance including staining and power-washing — but will also fade in time.

Wood needs regular sanding, staining, and sealing to retain its beauty — but will still fade in time.

The Takeaway: TimberTech captures the beauty of nature in every board.
EXPLORE DECKING

Step 4: Evaluate Best Decking Material for Long-Term Value

In terms of long-term value, the best decking material will be one that stands the test of time — retaining its structural integrity and its beauty for the long-haul. Traditional wood requires costly maintenance and repairs over the course of its life, and traditional PVC decking can incur high replacement costs.

TimberTech composite decking, on the other hand, ends up saving you on cost over time due to its durability and enduring beauty.

cost to build a deck after 10 years ipe premium hardwood vs vintage start your journey v2

Ipe Hardwood vs. AZEK

While the upfront costs for Ipe hardwood and TimberTech AZEK decking are similar, over time, you can see the difference in maintenance needs over a 10-year period.

Maintenance costs for Ipe hardwood are almost 4x more expensive than for TimberTech AZEK capped polymer decking over that same 10-year period.

Based on a 16' x 20' deck.

Pressure-Treated Wood vs. EDGE

When looking at the differences in cost between pressure-treated lumber and TimberTech EDGE, the upfront costs are similar, with TimberTech EDGE coming in slightly higher.

However, maintenance costs over a 10-year period, show that pressure-treated lumber costs over 3x more than TimberTech EDGE.

Based on a 16' x 20' deck.

cost to build a deck over 10 years pressure treated lumber vs. edge prime boards start your journey

When it comes to comparing traditional PVC decking to TimberTech composite decking, you can find similar disparities.

Type of Decking Material	TimberTech Capped Polymer & Capped Composite Decking	Traditional PVC Decking
Upfront Costs	TimberTech offers several collections within our three decking lines so you can find the right decking to fit your budget.	Fewer options for different budgets.
Long-Term Costs	High durability and minimal maintenance mean you save on long-term costs, when compared to traditional PVC decking and traditional wood.	Can warp, crack, and bow — and even melt — in the heat, which means high replacement costs in the long-term.

The Takeaway: TimberTech composite decking wins on value.
EXPLORE DECKING COSTS

The Best Decking Material for the Overall Cost? TimberTech Composite Decking

Best Decking Material Featuring TimberTech PRO Legacy Collection in Tigerwood

TimberTech capped polymer and capped composite decking shatters the myths of composite decking costs by being highly cost-efficient over time.

Ready to learn more about calculating cost? Numerous factors contribute to your overall deck cost. Explore the costs to build a deck and start budgeting sooner rather than later.

Now that you know TimberTech offers the best decking material for the cost, you’re ready to start calculating your overall deck budget. Launch our Decking Cost Calculator to get started.