Building your deck is meticulous, and you want to do it correctly. Doing it wrong could mean needing to replace it sooner rather than later, which is more expensive in the long run.
The three best kinds of wood to use for long-lasting decks include the following:
- Cedar
- Douglas Fir
- Treated Pine
Deck building doesn’t have to be a difficult process. Knowing the best woods and what makes a good piece of wood can help you succeed and prevent your deck from rotting in a short ten years or less. Here’s everything you need to know.
What Makes Good Wood For Deck Building?
It is important that you choose good wood for your deck. You don’t want to get just any kind of wood. Even woods of better material may have flaws that you need to look out for.
Here are some things that make a good piece of wood that would be perfect for building your deck:
- Long-lasting that withstands the elements.
- Treated wood.
- No warps
- No cracks or splinters
- It is the right size.
- Avoid heartwood for treated wood.
- For untreated wood, choose heartwood or wood closer to the heart of the tree.
You can find good wood within the cheaper options. Just ensure that you aren’t getting any with major anomalies like cracks, splinters, warpings, twisting, and other flaws.
When picking treated wood, you want to avoid heartwood because it also doesn’t absorb the chemicals. This is because the wood is dense and so the chemical isn’t absorbed.
Because of the heartwood’s density and strength, it makes for long-lasting wood. So if you go for other types of wood, try to get planks from the center of the tree.
What's the Best Wood For Building a Deck?
Now that you know what to look for in wood to make sure it’s good for deck building, you may be wondering what the best wood for the job is.
One of the best types of wood for building a deck is Redwood. Redwood is naturally resistant to:
- Moisture
- Rot
- Bugs
To maintain its structure, you will need to power wash it. This preserves your wood and it will last so much longer. With any type of wood, you will need to maintain it to make it last longer.
It also has a beautiful color to it. To preserve the natural color and presentation of the wood, think about staining it. You would only have to do this every couple of years, but it will keep that beautiful look.
The 3 Best Woods For Building a Deck
Besides Redwood, there are 3 other kinds of woods that are perfect for building your deck. Each one has their perks and not all are too expensive so if you are on a budget,you don’t have to worry.
The 3 best woods to build your deck are the following:
- Cedar
- Douglas Fir
- Treated Pine
You can’t go wrong using any of these woods when building your deck and as long as you maintain the wood, it can last you quite a while!
Cedar
One of the most popular options when building a deck.
Some benefits of using cedar wood for a deck include:
- It is naturally durable and resistant to water so it doesn’t rost as easily.
- It also is great at deterring infestation.
- Warping with cedar doesn’t happen very often and is really good when you have freezing weather.
- The lifespan of this type of wood is almost 20 years when you take care of it properly.
Water oftentimes will warp wood especially when it is cold and cedar is great at resisting moisture which makes it perfect for these types of areas.
You just need to continue pressure washing and staining it every few years.
Douglas Fir
Douglas Fir is a great type of wood to build your deck with due to its resistance to the elements. It ages well and will not rot and decay easily.
This type of deck can be exposed to the heat and freezing weather. It is a little cheaper than cedar so you can save a little more money if you go this route.
There have even been homes made with douglas fir that still stand after decades even almost a century attesting to its durability.
Treated Pine
Treated pine is one of the most affordable wood for your deck while also still being durable and lasting. It is versatile when you’re trying to match with your house.
Here are some of its benefits:
- You can paint it or stain it.
- The chemicals within the wood help repel bugs so you don’t have to worry about infestations.
- You don’t have to spend a lot of money to replace any of the decking because the material is affordable.
Ensure that you treat it regularly or you will get splintering and cracking. You do have to maintain it more than cedar or douglas fir. It will start to deteriorate if you don’t keep up with the maintenance.
It does not compare to some of the attributes of the previous woods but it is a great alternative. This is especially true when you are on a budget and you need something reliable.
What Is Pressure Treated Wood?
Pressure treated wood is just how it sounds. It is where the lumber goes through a process so that it preserves the quality of the wood and ensures it will withstand the elements.
The lumber is put under high pressure and injected with chemicals that will protect it. This will make it resistant to:
- Moisture
- Sun damage
- Insects
It is always good to purchase treated wood when you use cheaper and lower quality wood because without the treatment, it doesn’t last as long as better quality wood. Lower quality of wood requires you to treat it more often so that it doesn’t warp or decay.
Outro
It is important to pick the right kind of wood for your decking. You don’t want to go too cheap because then the wood won’t last. These types of wood are the best options when building your deck so that you don’t have to treat it too often and you know it will last. Here is our detail guide to find lumber yard near by for you.