Treated vs. Cedar deck

[Tim]

I'm replacing a deck at my house. Is it worth an extra $500 ($3000 going to $3,500) to use Cedar vs. regular treated lumber?

 

[BurnedOutGeek]

I'm replacing a deck at my house. Is it worth an extra $500 ($3000 going to $3,500) to use Cedar vs. regular treated lumber?

Our cedar fence is going on 15 years old and is still good to go. Our treated deck boards on the other hand have had to have some replacements here and there, but nothing major. However, the fence is completely exposed and the decks are under covers. All that being said I guess I'm really no help at all. LOL

@bigfelipe @concepthomes1

 

[Ghost1]

Heart (red) cedar will last a long time and require less maintenance, so I understand, with a life span of 20 years or more. Treated will last 20 years or more if its under a roof. Treated decking without a roof over it will require sealing/painting every year or two. Our covered porch is treated and has only been sealed twice in 13 years and still look great. Our uncovered rear deck has already been rebuilt once, on top of yearly sealing.

 

[Friday]

My carpenter buddy set a new mailbox for a customer yesterday. A 8' cedar 4x4 was $24.
He's also building a bath house for Grandpa out back. I'm wiring it. He used composite decking there and it looks great. It will also outlast any other decking with no maintenance. As expensive as cedar is, you might wanna consider composite for about the same coin.

 

[thrillhill]

Eastern red cedar or Western cedar? There is a difference. If it's Eastern, for that price I would do it. If it's Western I would stick to the treated.

 

[Tailhunter]

Cedar and splinters go hand in hand.

 

[Burt Gummer]

It'll look better . Isn't aesthetics worth $500?

 

[J R Green]

Have you done the calculations on synthetic? You won't be as young the next time it needs replacing you know.

 

[NCFubar]

If the deck is less than say four feet high I vote rip it down, pour a concrete patio and build brick stairs. No more wood treating or such ... just power wash it in the spring.

 

[Ghost1]

If the deck is less than say four feet high I vote rip it down, pour a concrete patio and build brick stairs. No more wood treating or such ... just power wash it in the spring.

This for the win

 

[bigfelipe]

I have never actually built a cedar deck or fence now that I think about it... Couldn't say...

I know composite is overrated. For the cost you can rebuild your deck 3-4 times. It's also not as durable as claimed.

 

[Scsmith42]

Properly maintained, both will last a long time. Deck boards live in a much more harsh environment than fencing boards, due to the water retained on the face of the boards as well as the sun baking.

Cedar is softer than pine, and more likely to splinter, but the heartwood of cedar is more naturally rot resistant.

PT pine is available as either ground contact rated or non ground contact rated. The ground contact rated is superior in terms of rot resistance and would be the best choice if you want to ignore seasonal maintenance.

Kiln Dried after treatment PT Pine will not shrink and warp after installation the way that standard PT will.

Cedar can look spectacular though. At the end of the day, if you are willing to do the maintenance on both it comes down to the aesthetic that you desire.

 

[Silver_Bullet]

What ever you use , go # 1 kiln dried for a deck.

 

[Gray]

I'm about to build a 20x20 deck off the back of the house. I'm all ears for real life experience. I've been around construction for a while and have my opinions formed on products.

I'm glad a good friend is in wholesale pt lumber bizz

 

[Qball]

I rebuilt a deck last year. I had some Trex boards in certain places on my deck when I started the project. They had been on there for about 5 years. When I started the demolition process, the pressure treated boards held up very well when I used a demolition pry bar to pull up the 11 year old planks. The 5 year old Trex boards I installed 5 years prior as a test, not so good. They were brittle and would easily break if I had to put the pry bar under the faux board because of a stripped screw or whatever. They were also very faded and looked worse than the 11 year old planks that had never been stained, sealed, or pressure washed.

I don't have pics to post yet, but I just applied some Cabot Australian Timber Oil to my deck. It is the natural tint which basically results in your deck looking like wet boards when it isn't raining. It is a mix of tung oil, linseed oil, and alkyd. Basically a preservative oil that soaks into the wood instead of sealing it. Very good stuff and easy to apply. The natural tint has good UV protection as well while enhancing, not hiding, the woodgrain. Just thought I'd throw this out there in case it could help.