Which material is best for your new decking?
Choosing the best materials for your deck?
For most customers, aluminum decking is one of the best, if not the best, decking material for all purposes.
While aluminum decking has a slightly higher initial cost, it requires much less maintenance and is much more durable. It won’t crack or rot like wood or plastic. Therefore, it is a better long-term value alternative.
Aluminum decking is the most weather resistant material and requires little maintenance. If you’re looking to build a beautiful deck that will last, aluminum decking is the best choice, both in terms of long-term investment costs and time saved on maintenance.
Sometimes the best deck material for you may be another material, such as pressure-treated wood or plastic decking. We’ll explain these materials in more detail later.
Why is Choosing Deck Materials Important?
Some of the common decking materials we see are: composites, plastics, wood, and aluminum. Deciding which material to use is important because it will affect the appearance of your home. The amount of time you will need to maintain it in the future and the amount of money you will spend on the installation.
So installing a new deck or upgrading an old one can be a daunting task. Understanding the advantages and disadvantages of each material is necessary. The following information about deck materials can go a long way in helping you choose a deck.
When designing a deck installation plan, you will need to choose the material, the color and the location and mounting height of the deck. Even the house and property amenities that need to match.
Composite Decking
Composite decking is a building material made from a mixture of materials (mainly wood fibers and plastics) blended through a specific process (e.g. extrusion process). This material combines the look of traditional wood with the benefits of engineered composites.
Composite decking is extremely low maintenance and requires no sanding or refinishing. Typically, the only maintenance necessary is cleaning the deck a couple times a year.
Composite decking costs between $35 and $55 per square foot. Its exact price depends on your local market.
Advantages of composite decking:
No maintenance required:
Compared to traditional wood decks. composite decking does not require frequent painting, waxing, or other maintenance work, and only needs to be cleaned regularly to keep it looking great.
Durability:
Due to the nature of the material, Composite Decking has excellent weather, corrosion and abrasion resistance. It is resistant to UV rays, rain, snow and other natural elements, and is not susceptible to deformation, cracking or rotting.
Environmentally friendly:
The raw material of Composite Decking contains a large amount of recycled plastic and waste wood, which is conducive to the recycling of resources and reduces the damage to the natural environment.
Aluminum Decking
The material of aluminum deck is mainly composed of alloy material mixed with aluminum and other metal elements (such as magnesium, manganese, titanium, etc.). Such as aluminum alloy 6063 or 6005. these aluminum alloy materials are processed by aluminum extrusion, which gives aluminum decking the characteristics of light weight, high load strength and corrosion resistance.
Aluminum decking is a new decking material in recent years. It has impact resistance, high load bearing capacity and nice appearance.Hugh Aluminum manufactures aluminum decking that has a service life of 15 years or more. It is capable of holding up to 2,000 pounds per square foot.
Its maintenance cost is almost nothing. But it will sell for a higher price than wood and composite decks. It will sell for $30-$60 per square foot.
advantage of aluminum decking
Excellent corrosion resistance:
The surface of aluminum deck has high abrasion and scratch resistance. It can maintain its luster and beauty for a long time. Meanwhile, its corrosion resistance is excellent and can resist the erosion of acidic substances.
Nice heat dissipation performance
Aluminum alloy material is able to absorb heat. It can help you lower the temperature in summer or by the pool. If it is a hot environment it can protect your feet from burns. This is something that wooden floors cannot do.
Excellent load bearing and strength
Aluminum decking is the strongest decking available. Decks made of other materials cannot hold too much weight. Aluminum decking is strong enough to handle typhoons or extreme weather outdoors.
Here is a table about aluminum deck strength:
| Aluminum deck/alloy | tensile strength (MPa) | hardness (HB/HV) | yield strength(MPa) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6061-T6 | 241-310 | 70-95 (HB) | 124-230 |
| 6063-T5 | 170-276 | 60-70 (HB) | 110-210 |
| 7075-T6 | 503-572 | 130-150 (HB) | 455-552 |
Tensile Strength: indicates the maximum tensile stress a material can withstand before breaking.
Hardness: usually expressed using Brinell (HB) or Vickers (HV), it reflects the ability of a material to resist localized indentation deformation.
Yield strength: indicates the minimum stress at which significant plastic deformation of the material begins to occur
Wood Decking
Wood Decking is mainly made up of timber, which can be of various hardwood or softwood species such as beech, pine, cypress and others. The choice of wood depends on factors such as the specific application scenario, design requirements and budget.These woods undergo certain treatments such as drying, preservation and insect control to increase their durability and longevity.
Wood decking serves as a favorite decking material for consumers. It has a natural ambiance that can be paired with a log home.
In addition, it is the cheapest of the deck materials. It usually sells for $10-$20 per square foot. This is the main reason why consumers love it. But its maintenance cost is much higher than other deck materials. If you don’t want to worry about maintenance, or don’t want to update your deck. Aluminum decking will work better for you than wood decking!
Advantages of wood decking:
The beauty of the wood:
The wood deck is made of oak or camphor wood. This gives the deck a more natural appearance. It goes well with wooden houses and is popular with middle-aged and elderly consumers.
Easy to install:
Installation of wood decks usually only requires nails and a hammer. The deck and beams are secured by nails, which makes it the easiest deck material to install. Contrast this with composite decking which requires glue and connectors. It will be much simpler.
Which deck material should I choose?
To learn about the best deck materials for your deck project. It should be based on the quantity required for your project. The environment in which the deck will be used and the project budget.
aluminum decking
If you have a higher budget and the usage scenario is outdoors. Then it will be the best choice. Because aluminum decking has excellent strength and corrosion resistance. You don’t need to worry about its maintenance and safety of use.
When you want to build docks, pontoons and outdoor platforms. Aluminum decking will be a good choice because its material can fight against salt water and responsible environment for a long time.
wooden deck
If you are on a very limited budget, or if your deck design is so large that finding ways to save money is critical. Then a wood deck is definitely a benefit for your project.
Wood decks are perfect for installing in the backyard of a house. Wood decks may look more natural and blend in better with the natural shawls around them. You can match the type of wood used for your wood deck with the trees in your backyard.
Composite Decking
While composite decking materials are typically more expensive than wood planks. However, you can save money on long-term maintenance by not refinishing or painting your deck. As a composite material it combines the benefits of plastic and wood.
When you need to install decking on your balcony, by your pool or on your stairs. Composite decking will be a great choice. Because of its resistance to wear and tear and excellent durability it can be an alternative decking material to wood.
Currently with the upgraded surface process of composite material, it is hard for us to distinguish it from wood decking. If you want the look of wood but don’t want to maintain it. Composite decking will be your goal.
Aluminum decking would be a good choice
Hugh aluminum manufactures aluminum decks that offer outstanding performance. Aluminum decks are able to be designed to look the way your project requires. It is available in over 100 exterior colors. In the face of acid, seawater or eggplant juice for long periods of submersion. It maintains the surface’s off luster and color like no other material can.
Excellent physical properties make it a great decking material for docks and pontoons, and it can support up to four adults per square foot. This performance is necessary and excellent at marinas.
Contact Our Team for aluminum decking
Now you are fully aware of the materials and types of decks. If you are looking for aluminum decking or looking for quality aluminum decking suppliers?
Don’t hesitate to contact us! We offer great service and good deck prices!
