What Material Should I Build My Deck From?

A deck can greatly enhance your outdoor space and give you the ability to enjoy your home, business, or building in a way like you never have before: without the roof over your head. However, before you add a deck or patio, there are several things you need to ask yourself in order to make sure you make the best decision regarding what material to build your deck out of. Here are a few of these questions that can help you make a better-educated decision regarding your deck.

What do you want your deck to do?
If you’re looking to enhance your home, you may want a deck that you can use for things like grilling or hosting parties. You may also be looking for a deck to surround that brand new swimming pool you’re installing. If you have a business or commercial structure, your needs are going to be different. What you want to do with your deck is the first place you should start when coming up with a design.

How can your deck be accessed?
Looking to have an easily-accessible deck that loads of different people will use on a daily basis? Or do you want a private, secluded area that you use pretty much exclusively on your own. The way you access your deck will heavily influence how it’s used and therefore how it should be constructed.

How do you want your deck to look?
Almost equally as important to the functionality of your deck is its design. A deck that looks ugly will bring your property value down significantly and probably won’t be used all that much. Conversely, a beautiful and functional deck will be one of the highlights of a property. Make sure you choose a design that satisfies your desire for beauty as much as functionality.

How much will your deck be used?
How much you use your deck will affect what materials you should be using to build it. Heavy foot traffic? You’ll need something durable. Less foot traffic but lots of elemental exposure? Something different still. This will also impact how often you’ll need to resurface or re-seal your deck.

What kind of budget do you have?
Think pristine marble beautiful? It does, but it’s also tremendously expensive to both install and upkeep, so it’s not for the average deck builder. Knowing about how much you have to spend on a project will heavily influence what materials you choose.

Will your deck be covered?
Decks that take a lot more abuse from the sun, rain, and other elements will wear out faster than those that don’t. If you want your deck to serve as an oasis, you should plan on combatting the sun with a covering of some sort. Where you situate a deck on your property should also influence what kind of covering you’ll need—if it’s a mostly covered area, you won’t need nearly as much covering as one out in sunlight constantly.

Need assistance waterproofing and preserving your brand new deck? Call the Los Angeles deck waterproofing experts at Capital Deck & Stair Waterproofing today at (888) 508-2966 !