There’s nothing inherently wrong with a good old-fashioned wood deck. If you love the smell of wood outside, and the feel of it beneath your feet, then you’re obviously naturally drawn to wood decks. We’re not here to discourage you – we just think you should know why composite decks last longer in our four season Michiana weather.
Going through severe temperature changes every year means moisture levels rise and fall, materials shrink and expand, and the rain and snow generally batters whatever coating you’ve added in the summer. It’s a lot to go through for a deck.
Michiana weather can be brutal. You deserve a deck that can withstand the elements!
With wildly changing temperatures, wood is most vulnerable. It’s not just that cold can cause materials to crack is they expand, but the suddenness with which these changes occur. Old fashioned wood decks are particularly vulnerable to this cyclical bashing by the weather because of their ability to absorb water. No matter how many coats of water resistant paint you slap onto your wood deck, water will inevitably find a way inside. It’s an unfortunate reality for a material that, when living, naturally sucks up water to support the tree it belongs to. At the chemical level, it’s already primed for sucking up moisture over time.
Composite decks circumvent most of this issue because of their ability to completely and perpetually resist water. You can submerge a piece of composite decking in water for a month, take it out, and it will still act as a sturdy support beam for you and your family. This is a big part of what makes composite decks so hardy year round.
The recipe for composite decking material includes many different polymers that act to both allow the resulting material to bend when necessary AND support more weight than traditional wood. One of the commonly overlooked aspects of wood degradation over time is its inability to hold heavy loads indefinitely. Over time, weight tends to bear down on wood beams like a slow but determined karate chop. Composite material both bends to that weight when needed and supports it longer than wood. This means you can rest easier when it comes to weight distribution overall tensile strength.
If you’re tired of re-staining your deck with water-resistant chemicals every spring and/or fall, building a composite deck will probably sound like a good investment. Because composite decks completely resist water, there’s no need to treat them every year. They simply work. Once installed, there’s very little that will need to be done to keep them in order. If you’re still on the fence as to whether or not a composite deck is right for you, we’ve written a complete breakdown of both composite and wood decks – simply click this link to read it.
If you’re ready to take the plunge and build your composite deck, we’re here as a resource and partner to help you realize your goals! Give us a call today: (574) 210-5951
