Composite & PVC Decking in Cincinnati

Yes, on any horizon you are likely to be planning for. Composite runs roughly double the material cost of pressure-treated pine and then buys back a clean-and-re-stain cycle every two to three years for the life of the deck. By year ten it is level, by year fifteen it is clearly cheaper, and it is less work every single year in between.

Capped composite settles very slightly in the first year and then holds for the life of the deck, which is the whole point of the cap. The warranty puts a number on it in Delta-E units rather than a vague promise, so it is a claim you could actually make. Uncapped composite, the older generation still sold cheaply, does fade and stain badly, which is why we do not install it.

Only if the frame passes on three counts: joist spacing at or under what the board requires, joists sound enough to hold a screw, and a ledger and footings that are not the reason you are doing this. We take a look underneath before quoting. Where a frame is 24 inches on center, sistering in extra joists is possible but it is a framing job and it is priced as one.

Composite has wood flour in the core, PVC does not. PVC is lighter, completely immune to rot and mold because there is nothing organic in it, and generally the better choice over a pool or on a permanently shaded deck. It has its own gapping and fastener schedule, which we build to. Composite has a more convincing wood look and is what most people choose.

Soap, water and a stiff brush, twice a year, then rinse. That is genuinely the whole of it, and it is the reason people buy composite in the first place. Most manufacturers allow pressure washing at low pressure with a fan tip held well back. A mat under the grill keeps cooking grease off the boards entirely.

Any deck surface does in full sun, timber included, and darker colors run hotter than lighter ones. We leave your shortlist out on site so you can stand on them barefoot in the afternoon before anything is ordered. Lighter grays and tans run cooler, and a covered deck or a pergola takes the question off the table altogether.

The boards typically carry 25 to 50 year limited warranties. In practice they outlast the frame under them, which is why the framing is where we spend the attention. Put a composite surface on a treated pine frame and the frame will usually need work first. That is the argument for building both at once, rather than re-decking a structure that is already fifteen years old.