Deck Your Halls in July – Best Materials for Your Deck

So Many More Options Than You Thought

Ho Ho Huh? Merry (almost) July, friends! Time to gift yourself with a halfway to Christmas present of new decking for your outdoor living space. You’ve been looking to create a space to live in rather than pass by on your way to your back door, and a new deck (or refurb of your old one) is a great jumping-off point.

But with what? As you start surveying your options, you may come to realize your selection choices are much broader than originally thought. Many of your options may depend on climate, use, and preferences. Let’s dive deeper into your choices!

SharkProWash is available for all your cleaning needs for your deck, house, roof, screen enclosures, patios, and much more! Since we want to be a part of improving your home, we thought we would educate you on some deck materials and how resistant they are to the elements! How much maintenance the material requires may affect your decision! 

The Natural: The Woods

Far and away, the most common of decking materials, wood has reigned supreme for years. Its durability, natural insect repellant, and hardiness make it a classic and excellent choice for your deck. Wood offers a massive selection in and of itself. Offering itself in a plethora of colors and textures, wood is a natural choice for many to create the perfect deck.

Pressure Treated Wood

As an integral part of your outdoor living space, your deck needs to be able to handle the pressure. Pressure-treated wood offers a sustainable solution as decking material and is carefully crafted to be able to handle a great deal of weight and wear and tear.

Treated wood is also fantastic for acting as a natural insect repellent and stays fairly resistant to the dangers of mold and mildew. Treated wood also can be fairly easy to clean and one of the more inexpensive options.

Tropical Hardwoods 

Highly resistant to rot, tropical hardwoods are a great option if you create a deck space based on a certain aesthetic. These are some of the best-looking woods and come in various textures and colors to suit any particular palette.

Weather in Florida tends to impact what type of materials you use around your property. Tropical hardwoods are a great option due to their weather resistance, especially here in the state of liquid sunshine.

Cedar & Redwood 

We all know that cedar has a fantastic smell and is excellent at repelling insects. It also makes for fabulous decking and weathers to some cool colors as it naturally matures. Cedar tends to have a very natural look that presents well in decking also.

A more expensive but more durable option is Redwood. Also naturally resistant to insects, it also repels mildew very well. Redwood is a truly durable wood, hardly ever splits, making it harder than some other woods.

The Creative: The Other Than Woods

Woods are not the only answer to great decking. Many other options and materials create an excellent-looking deck and one that will last you for many years to come.

Maybe you’re looking for a deck that comes with lower maintenance. Or perhaps would doesn’t meet the sleek and modern look you are going for. Whatever reasoning you may have for materials not comprised entirely of wood, here are a couple of great options for you.

Composite Decking

Borrowing from the benefits of wood, composite decking blends wood material with plastics to create an often excellent solution in decking. This low-maintenance option is excellent at repelling insects and refusing to splinter. 

Composite decking is quickly becoming one of the most popular decking options because it is relatively cost-effective.

PVC & Vinyl

Possibly the lowest maintenance option is something like a vinyl jacking made of PVC. This is typically a greener option as well, considering it is recyclable and sometimes recycled materials. PVC decks last a long time and don’t often require many repairs.

PVC and vinyl decking can also work within your aesthetic. If you’re looking for a look that doesn’t change over time and stays uniform and “fin” tastic looking, PVC or vinyl may be just the look for you.

Concrete Decking 

If you enjoy low maintenance, concrete is sometimes the way to go. Depending on your property and how it is situated, concrete may be just the right choice for a very sleek aesthetic. Concrete is incredibly easy to clean and can be very durable.

The Unique: Alternative Decking

Some decking options are newer to the market and more unheard of. This doesn’t make these options any less worthy of note, however. Sometimes the previously mentioned options won’t work for your property, and that’s when it’s a good time to consider alternatives.

Aluminum

Aluminum seems like it would be an odd option for decking as it has a reputation for getting very hot, but you may be shocked at the effectiveness of a metal option for decking material. Light and incredibly strong, it’s cooler to the touch than many people realize and is ridiculously easy to clean and maintain.

Bamboo

Bamboo is sheer beauty. But it’s not all about the aesthetic with this material for decking. Bamboo is incredibly weather resistant making it a fantastic choice for decking. Bamboo is also a great solution for those who may suffer from many wood allergies.

Stone

Stone decks are becoming increasingly popular as well. There are many different types of stone that provide unique solutions to creating a gorgeous and durable deck. The texture that comes with natural stone also provides a safe environment for decking as it tends to be nonslip.

The Necessity: A Pro to Clean It Right 

Eventually, every single one of the materials we’ve mentioned will require some sort of maintenance or cleaning. While many of these materials resist bugs, mold, mildew, and rot, resistance doesn’t mean that these baddies can’t affect the decking at all.

Proper pressure washing or soft washing to ensure that your deck is long-lived is part of a regular maintenance routine that you should be engaging in year after year. SharkProWash “chews” es only the most effective equipment and techniques to keep your deck looking like a world-class “chomp” ion. Our deck washing service makes JAWS drop!