Patio Replacement With Wooden Deck Or Composite Decking? 10 Great Reasons

. Environmentally Friendly

. Natural looking

. No Need to Remove Old Concrete

. Can Do It Yourself

. No Heavy Equipment Needed

. No Permit Required

. Choice of Materials

. Ease of Design

. Cooler Ventilated Walking Surface

. Stain to Match Environment

- When looking at a Patio Replacement, Wooden Deck or Composite Decking is a good alternative to concrete. It is naturally Environmentally Friendly and can be more ecologically balanced since it comes from renewable sources. Cracked Concrete will be in a Landfill for many years to come unless you are lucky enough to have a concrete recycling plant close by. The manufacturing of concrete can also leave a large carbon foot print.

- Wood and Composite Decking materials are also more Natural looking and can blend with the surroundings and create more of a natural flow. Tell the truth, have you ever seen concrete do this?

- No Need to Remove Old Concrete. This old concrete can be used as a very stable footing for your new Wood or Composite Decking and therefore you can go right over the top of it. Out of site out of mind. This can also save you the cost of disposal.

- You Can Do It Yourself if you have basic carpentry skill to read a tape and level, hammer a nail and operate a skill saw. If you choose this route please be sure to take safety precautions when using power tools and remember to wear safety glasses to protect your eyes. Have you ever tried to bust up cracked concrete and remove it? You had better be very physically fit!

- No Heavy Equipment Needed. Have you ever tried to remove concrete without Heavy Equipment. It takes skill not to mention the mess that it can make to your yard while using it. You do want to have a nice yard to look at while enjoying your new deck don't you?

- No Permit Required. Here in the Dallas Texas metro area the majority of the cities I have worked in do require a building permit when pouring a concrete foundation but when you are installing a deck that is not elevated over a certain height does not require one. You do want to check with your municipality to make sure that it is or isn't required in your area.

- Choice of Materials. You have a wide variety when it comes to choice of materials to construct with. For Wooden Decking you have Cedar, Redwood, and Pressure Treated Pine and then you have several choices in Tropical Hardwoods. With Composite Decks you also have several choice and styles. It would take 2 more articles to explain the advantages and disadvantages of all these but I would recommend that you do your research so that you get the kind that fits your budget and needs.

- Ease of Design. Using wood or composite material for you Patio Replacement gives you ease of design. The different types of wood can installed in a variety of designs from mitered angles to using shapes that are cut out with a band saw, jig saw or a laser cutter. The composite materials are a little more flexible and can be curved and shaped to get really unique designs.

- Cooler Ventilated Walking Surface. A Patio Deck needs to be able to expand and contract with temperatures and moisture. To allow this natural process when installing the top boards you leave a gap of 1/8" to 1/4" depending on the type of materials used. This also allows for some airflow that will make a cooler ventilated walking surface.

- Stain to Match Environment. There are so many different stains and weather sealants available that it might be hard not to come up with a color Stain to Match Environment. If you really wanted to make your patio replacement unique you can use different colors and your artistic imagination to give it the look and feel to match your environment.

As you can see there are a lot of advantages using Wooden Deck or Composite Decking when you are looking at Patio Replacement. If you are to ever sell your home it also adds to the salability.

Which ad sounds more enticing "Concrete Patio" or "Beautiful Backyard Deck"?

If you like to learn more and see some backyard environments that have been created by a 30 year veteran CLICK HERE

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Reasons to Choose Composite Decks Instead of Wooden Decks

There are several reasons that a homeowner may decide to add a porch or deck to their home. They are a universal and extremely versatile space that can serve many different functions, from an outdoor barbecue area to a child's outdoor play area. It's no wonder they are in high demand. When completing the addition, a homeowner has several choices to make about the area, the finishing, the posts, etc. All of the choices and options can become confusing and overwhelm many. However, a homeowner should not be confused about what to make the structure from. Composite decks are a wood alternative that have several benefits over wood.

The first is the low maintenance and upkeep involved in this type of material. A wooden structure needs to receive routine treatments to protect against water and termite damage. If it does not receive the proper treatments, rain will eventually cause the wood to wear away, damaging the integrity of the structure. The same goes for the termites. This can put the safety of those who walk across it at risk. With composite decks, however, there is no need to treat the deck or porch. The unique material is water resistant. This means there is no reason to worry about rain. Termite damage is also something that doesn't need to be addressed since the deck is not made out of real timber.

Most wooden structures do not come with a good warranty. There are too many things that can damage them, like the bugs and water mentioned earlier. A deck made of this wooden alternative, however, will come with a warranty on two aspects of the material: the structural soundness and the appearance. Since it is much more durable than wood, some companies will offer a 25-year warranty on their products. When it comes to appearances, a decent warranty is offered as well. This warranty protects against things like fading that may occur from the sunlight or stains that occur from dropping or spilling something on the structure. Most companies will also allow for the warranty to still be in effect if ownership of the home is transferred to someone else.

Another reason people choose this wood alternative is that it's a great investment. A deck or porch always increases the value of a home. Composite decks, which last much longer than a wooden structure, are an excellent selling point that a realtor will use to bring in the buyers. Since they are in such a high demand, potential buyers are usually willing to increase their offer, which brings in more money for the seller (something no one would mind when selling his or her home).

Composite decks are a great alternative to wood. Their low maintenance allows owners to stay worry free and to enjoy their porch and all that it has to offer them. This is the ultimate benefit because it is, after all, the reason it was added in the beginning.

Composite decks can look good on any home. Build something great with http://www.latitudesdeck.com

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5 Reasons Why You Should Avoid Using Composite on Your Deck - At All Costs!

I've been fortunate enough to have worked in the home decking industry now for about 20 years. I believe I've worked with just about every material available in building decks. Over the years, I've developed a particular objection to a decking material, namely composite. If you're not familiar with the composite material, it's described as a deck board manufactured from wood fiber and plastic with the idea of being more durable.

Early on, this building material was touted by various suppliers and authorities as the 'ideal decking material' that would change the world of decking by itself. Through the years, I've gone from wide-eyed believer to optimist to skeptic to (now) full-blown critic. And it's not that I haven't given the material a fair try since I've built numerous decks using it. I'd like to share five reasons why I believe you should drop the idea of using composite to build your deck.

1. Composite isn't as low maintenance as you might believe. When the material was first introduced as a decking material, the suppliers touted the materials as "maintenance free". Everyone was thrilled with the concept and the decks went up. Then, about 3 years later, there was a rumble from homeowners. In came reports of cracking and wear. Suppliers went out to investigate, repairs were made, manufacturing processes changed (allegedly), and the material was then marketed as "low maintenance". But that's not the end of the story. In spite of the back-pedalling and the changes that have been made, a groundswell of lawsuits has developed around composite material failing with injuries. Don't believe me? Then I suggest you do a simple Google search for the word "litigation" along with whatever composite you're considering (or just "composite decking complaints"). I think it might be an eye opener. For me, the bottom line is that I've had a problem with every composite deck I've ever built.

2. Manufacturers have not taken the steps they've needed to take. I don't want to be a complete critic with composites as they do have a couple of features that are fine. But the real problem with the concept is that the manufacturers, even as of today, have never thoroughly tested the products they've put out in the marketplace. The revenue continues to come in, and they seem satisfied with handling the complaints on the back end. I frankly don't know if they care much about putting a stellar product out there. As I mentioned before, I've never seen one.

3. Composite is pricey. I don't know if you've priced out deck composite or not, but it tends to be on the high side. The justification is that it's manufactured along with all the benefits the manufacturers sell you on. But, as I've said earlier, many of the benefits are simply not true. There's no reason you should be paying more to a manufacturer who you may potentially sue for selling you an inferior product. My opinion is that the manufacturers have been better marketers of this material over the years than good manufacturers.

4. Composite is aesthetically overrated. Again, the manufacturers did a great job of presenting a lot of options to homeowners. There are different mixes that make up the material, along with different colors. But the feedback I hear from others is that it looks and feels fabricated and artificial. I've had homeowners tell me afterwards that they wished they had gone the more natural route. And I can share with you that there's nothing sadder than sitting on a deck with a homeowner sharing that regret with you.

5. Composite isn't wood. This brings me to the chief overriding problem with composite. And that's its desire to be something it's not, namely wood. The whole idea behind composite was that it was essentially going to be "better than wood". I can almost hear Mother Nature laughing when a manufacturer's rep makes this claim today. (I truly believe that she, Mother Nature, is taking her revenge on all of us for trying to out-do her.) All of the efforts by composite in comparing itself to wood today simply fall flat - it's not as good-looking as wood, it doesn't feel as good as wood, it's not as durable as wood, and it's more expensive (both short-term and long-term). I don't know about you, but it looks like wood is pretty far ahead in just about every respect!

I think I've pretty well laid out my position in regards to composite. The obvious truth is that through years of experience, I don't believe composite compares to natural wood (particularly in the hands of a wood craftsman).

John Paulin is the Founder and President of Tailor Decks, a premier deck contracting company serving the metro Atlanta area. John is an outspoken authority on the process of deck building. The company's website is http://www.tailordecks.com

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