Composite Deck Price per Square Foot

Adding a deck to your home can add to the resale value of your property, but before you finalize plans for your deck, you should compare wood versus composite deck price per square foot, along with other pros and cons, to make the best choice.

Composite decking is a durable, but expensive, choice.

A deck is a great way to enhance your backyard enjoyment. Deck designs come in just about any shape and even offer multiple levels. The thing to remember as you choose your deck design is that every enhancement adds to the cost of materials and labor.

To help with your plans, visit your local Lowe's Home Improvement Store or Home Depot for information, or choose from a variety of free deck plans available online, complete with how-to guides.

Among the considerations to ponder when planning your deck are what products to use. In recent times, outdoor deck components including decking, railings, spindles, and post wraps have started to be made from a mixture of plastic and wood. These wood look-alikes are known as composites and are rapidly growing in use within the building trade.

Some people prefer the look and feel of real wood. When choosing wood for your deck, another cost consideration to figure into your cost is the yearly maintenance. This includes checking for loose boards and protruding nails as you thoroughly clean and reseal the wood. Deck cleaning entails removing dirt, algae, moss, and other organic matter before resealing.

Resealing a wood deck involves applying a clear or semi-clear liquid sealant. If you don't want to do this job yourself, professional painters usually offer these services for a fee of $300-$600.

When building your wood deck, prices fall within the following ranges:

• Around $15 per square foot installed for pressure-treated yellow pine decks.
• More than $30 per square foot for cedar and redwood.
• When doing it yourself, figure about $1.50 to $5 per square foot for the planks and add another $4 to $6 per square foot for joists and posts.

Although composite decking is an attractive decking option, it's important to note that not all composite materials are created equal. Take time to analyze composite decking prices, touch and feel samples and do your research. Even the most helpful salespeople may be misinformed. Composites do offer benefits over wood, but it's good to know what the manufacturer offers in the way of warranties and what steps will be taken if the product does not live up to the claims.

With that in mind, once you decide on a composite deck, you can figure in the savings in maintenance over time as you tally the composite deck price per square foot. Claims of manufacturers of composite wood products usually include such things as:

• Doesn't rot (Ask what the manufacturer includes to prevent wood rot)
• Doesn't warp
• Doesn't splinter
• Never needs staining
• Never needs sealing

With these benefits in mind, you'll still want to be sure to know the details of the warranty covering your composite deck and the materials used. Talk to friends and ask about people's experience with composite decks. Before you make a purchase, be sure to find out what steps will be taken if by chance your deck does experience rot.

As with any home improvement project, it's best to make an informed decision. To aid you in making your choice of a composite deck or a wood deck, here are the positives and negatives for a composite deck:

• Doesn't warp, split or crack
• Yearly maintenance involves sweeping and spraying with a hose
• Easy to work with
• Each piece is manufactured to quality standards so there is less waste
• Comes in an assortment of colors that don't fade
• Recycled materials are used in the manufacturing process

• More expensive than pressure-treated lumber
• Heavier than wood
• Not available in longer lengths and thus requires smaller joist spacing
• Special fasteners are often necessary
• Extreme temperatures may amplify flexibility

As stated above, the construction of a composite deck is more expensive than wood. Pricing can vary, but the range is usually around $10 to $20 per square foot for composite decking, and $5 to $7 a square foot for wood. That's of course if you're just buying the materials and building it yourself; installation can add as much as $20 or as little as $5 a square foot in labor costs, depending on how fancy your deck is.

If you want to figure the difference yourself, an online deck calculator can help you to estimate your total cost including railings, landings and stairs.

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