When you are ready to build your decking, you are going to be putting a lot of time into the planning. You are going to need to worry about things like foundations, style, sizing and design, but have you thought about the kind of wood that you are planning on using? The truth of the matter is that your choice of wood can really affect how well your deck comes together, and you will certainly discover that it will affect the longevity of your deck. When you are looking at building a deck that you will love and which will last you for years to come, the wood choice is going to be very important so see what your choices might be.
The most common wood that is used for building decks is that of Western red cedar. This kind of wood will start out as reddish brown and then it will go to silvery gray as it continues to age. This wood will splinter rather easily, but it will do great in the rain, heat, sun and cold. It will take a stain relatively well. You will also discover that cedar is a natural repellant for insects. You can make a very attractive deck with this wood and one that you will enjoy for years to come. In order for you to give a bit more strength to this wood, you may wish to consider an extra-strong sealant.
Redwood is another option that you might find useful when you are thinking about building your deck. Like red cedar, it ages from reddish brown to silver gray, though if this wood is untreated and left to the elements, it will blacken over time. While this is another wood that is fairly resistant to rot, do be aware that a sealer will keep it looking better for a longer period of time.
Another type of wood comes from South America and is known as Ip. It goes by two other names – Pau Lope and Ironwood. This wood resists rot as well as bugs and is very difficult to burn. You can get some sound relief when you go to do any barbecuing on your deck. You should take extra special precautions that your wood has been harvested responsibly in South America because there have been cases when harvesting wood from South American forests has raised a red flag.
When you are looking for different kinds of wood for you deck, you must want a wood that is characteristic for being resistant to insects and rot. Now you may want to take a peek at some Philippine mahogany. This is a very tough and tightly-grained hardwood and you will find that this wood is harvested from good supplies that can easily be replenished. You will always want to look for the FSC trademark. In order to treat Philippine mahogany you may just want to let it age to a beautiful silver. However, you can treat it with marine oil so that you will get an effect that is not unlike teak.
You should be ready to take some time to figure out what your deck is really going to look like. Be sure not to neglect the importance of wood when you are making plans to build a deck.