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Deck Options

Your new house is done except for the deck. Now it's time to choose what you want that deck made of. Lee Smith, technical assistant at Kruse Lumber, describes characteristics of treated wood, cedar, composite and plastic.

Treated lumber costs the least, and it endures. "If you don't stain it, it will turn grey, but it'll last 40 years."

Cedar, the top-seller, craves attention. "Cedar decks look good, but it's hard to keep them that way.  They need fresh stain, at least on the flooring, about every other year."

Does no staining --ever --sound better? Consider composite lumber, a 50/50 blend of wood and plastic. Kruse's best-selling composite costs approximately half again as much as cedar.

Plastic disdains maintenance, too, and keeps on looking good. But plastic planks cost about three times more than cedar and react to temperature changes. "Plastic expands and contracts, and you have to calculate that when you install it."

Copyright 2003 Rochester Area Builders, Inc. No part of the Builder's Corner articles may be reproduced or printed without written permission from Rochester Area Builders. 108 Elton Hills Lane NW, Rochester, MN 55901. Phone 507-282-7698.