Five materials, what each costs, how long each lasts, and the honest answer on maintenance, which is where wood and composite really part company in our humidity.
Material cost, published lifespan and what each one asks of you every couple of years.
| Material | Material cost | Lifespan | Maintenance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pressure-treated pine | $15 to $25 per sq ft, material | 20 years or more with upkeep | Sanding and staining every two to three years |
| Cedar | $4 to $9 per sq ft, material | 20 years or more with upkeep | Sealing every two to three years |
| Redwood | $4 to $6 per sq ft, material | 20 years or more with upkeep | Sealing every two to three years |
| Composite | $15 to $36 per sq ft, material | Up to 50 years | Washing, nothing else |
| PVC | $15 to $36 per sq ft, material | Up to 50 years | Washing, nothing else |
Material costs and lifespans from Bob Vila's decking cost comparison. Labor is on top, published at $15 to $35 a square foot for wood and $10 to $14 for composite.
The cost column is the easy part. The maintenance column is the one people regret.
$15 to $25 per sq ft, material. Lasts 20 years or more with upkeep. Sanding and staining every two to three years.
The default, and the cheapest way to get a deck that lasts. It moves and checks as it dries, and it needs real maintenance, but it is structurally sound and every crew can build it.
$4 to $9 per sq ft, material. Lasts 20 years or more with upkeep. Sealing every two to three years.
Naturally resistant to rot and insects, softer underfoot and better looking than pine. It grays handsomely if you let it, and it is the sweet spot for people who want real wood.
$4 to $6 per sq ft, material. Lasts 20 years or more with upkeep. Sealing every two to three years.
Similar case to cedar with a warmer color. Availability on the east coast is the limiting factor rather than the price, so lead times can be long.
$15 to $36 per sq ft, material. Lasts up to 50 years. Washing, nothing else.
Wood flour and plastic, capped on the better boards. No staining ever, no splinters, and the published lifespan is more than double wood. The upfront cost is the whole objection.
$15 to $36 per sq ft, material. Lasts up to 50 years. Washing, nothing else.
All plastic and no wood flour, so nothing in it can absorb water or feed mold. The lightest and the most stain-resistant, and it stays cooler underfoot than dark composite.
Strip out availability and taste and there are two camps: wood you maintain, and composite you wash. The upfront gap is real and so is the gap that opens up afterwards.
Wood is published at 20 years or more with regular maintenance, and that last clause is doing heavy lifting in Carolina humidity. Composite is published at up to 50 years and asks for nothing but a wash. Bob Vila puts the running cost of maintaining a wood deck at around $1,000 a year.
Run that out and the arithmetic flips faster than people expect. Ten years of upkeep on a wood deck is comparable to the entire upfront premium of going composite in the first place, and at the end of it you still have a wood deck with ten years on it.
Wood still wins on two things: it costs less today, and it feels like wood. Neither is a small consideration. But if you are staying put, the boring answer is usually composite.
Pricing a build? The deck cost calculator puts a size and a material together into an installed range.
Four things that decide it here rather than in a catalog.
Our summers are hard on untreated wood. Whatever you pick, the gap between the published lifespan and what you actually get comes down to how honestly you keep up with sealing.
Dark composite on a south-facing deck gets uncomfortable barefoot in July. Lighter colors and PVC run cooler, and it is worth standing on a sample in the sun before you commit.
At around $1,000 a year on a wood deck, ten years of upkeep is roughly the premium you would have paid for composite at the start.
Whatever goes on top, the joists and the ledger underneath are pressure-treated lumber and they are what actually fails. Composite boards on a rotten frame is money in the wrong place.
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Composite for most people who are staying put, because it is published at up to 50 years against 20 or more for wood and it needs washing rather than staining. Pressure-treated pine is still the right answer on a budget.
If you are staying more than about ten years, usually. The maintenance on a wood deck runs to roughly $1,000 a year, which closes the upfront gap faster than people expect.
Twenty years or more with regular maintenance, and rather less without it. Humidity here is unforgiving, and a deck that misses two sealing cycles will not reach the published figure.
Cedar and redwood show the lowest material costs at $4 to $9 and $4 to $6 a square foot. Pressure-treated pine is the usual budget build once labor and availability are counted in.
Dark boards do, noticeably, on a south-facing deck in summer. Lighter colors and PVC stay cooler. Stand on a sample in full sun before you choose a color.
Pressure-treated joists and a ledger bolted to the house, whatever the boards on top are. That frame is what actually fails over time, and it is the part worth getting right.
Still have questions? Call (984) 224-7182 or email clients@lamarhomes.net.
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