Composite vs. Wood: Which Is the Best Material for Decks?

As decks have become an important element of houses, newly developed materials have constantly emerged in the market. People no longer have only one option, namely, wood, which is still the most common material for decks, yet not the best material for decks.

Composite materials, especially wood-plastic composites, are winning over more and more people through their superior physical characteristics and ultra-low maintenance. Then which is the best material for decks? OK, today, we’ll be looking at a comparison between composites and wood.

There are a few factors that you may want to consider while deciding on which material to choose for your deck: performance, cost, maintenance, and aesthetics. Let’s take a look at each of them one by one.

Performance

Performance is vital to a deck that’s supposed to be constantly stepped on and weather in the outside. Some notable indicators relating to a deck’s performance are lifespan, color stability, termite resistance, water resistance, fire resistance, eco-friendliness, and safety.

Composite vs. Wood-Performance

	Composite	Wood
Lifespan	25 years or more	15-25 years under decent maintenance
Color Stability	Achieves weathered color within a few months then stabilizes	Fades easily, requiring frequent painting
Termite Resistance	Highly resistant to termites	Becomes food for termites
Water Resistance	Naturally resistant to moisture	Relies on painting or oiling to resist moisture
Fire Resistance	Self-extinguishing, fire-retardant	High risk of being lit
Eco-friendliness	Recyclable, made from recycled material	Contributes to deforestation
Safety	Non-toxic, 100% safe	Carries harmful paint

Cost

When it comes to the price, wood may have some advantages over composite although it’s worth noting that exotic hardwoods cost much more than composites. However, in the long run, wooden decks would eat up much more time and money spent on oiling, staining, cleaning while composite decks only require minimal maintenance.

Composite vs. Wood-Cost

Composite decks actually cost less than wooden decks.

Maintenance

Wood is no match for composites in terms of maintenance. Wood products, including exotic hardwood and pressure-treated lumber, all require costly, time-consuming, and troublesome maintenance every year. How about composites? Well, some scrubs and a thorough rinse, that’s enough.

Composite vs. Wood-Maintenance

Composite

Never needs sanding, oiling, sealing, and staining.

Only needs routine scrubs and a rinse with soapy water.

Wood

Require the use of power washers and toxic chemicals.

Needs to be stained, sanded, and sealed every year.

Requires constant repair and replacement throughout its lifetime, due to its vulnerability to the elements.

Aesthetics

Some people are worried that composite materials might look synthetic and unnatural. But that’s not the case with COOWIN^® 3D Wood Grain Decking. COOWIN^® Composite features Art Color Technology, offering a series of naturalistic colors and textures that gives you the feel of real wood.

Don’t believe us? See for yourself:

Which is the best material for decks? The answer is clear. Now you may want to have some samples for testing, COOWIN^® offers free samples that are available at any time, click the button down below if you would like more information.