Composite vs Wood Deck

Why this page exists

The decade view, not the invoice view

The quote compares day-one prices. The honest comparison runs ten years of staining, board swaps, and weekends — we show both.

Real installed ranges

Pressure-treated and composite priced with the same survey-based rates as our cost calculator, so the gap is concrete, not vibes.

The maintenance truth

Every wood deck is a subscription: stain, seal, repeat. We price the subscription instead of pretending it’s free.

Look before you lock

Modern composite doesn’t look like 2005 composite. Render your yard in both and judge with current information.

How it works

1. Upload a backyard photo. Use any phone photo of the build site. No measurements, no CAD file.
2. Mark the deck area. Drag to outline where the deck goes. Add stairs or a railing line if you want them.
3. Choose material and design. Pick composite, PVC, cedar, or pressure-treated. Compare looks on the same photo.
4. Generate the render and share. Get a photorealistic render in seconds. Send it to the homeowner or attach it to a proposal.

Composite vs Wood Deck

Quick answer: pressure-treated wood costs $25 – $40 / sq ft installed against composite’s $45 – $70 / sq ft — wood wins upfront by 40% or more. Then the meter starts: staining every couple of years, board and fastener swaps, and a 10–15 year life against composite’s 25–30 year warranties and soap-and-water upkeep. Most owners who keep the deck past 8–10 years come out ahead in composite; short-horizon owners usually don’t.

The verdict

Buy wood if the next five years are what you’re funding — it’s a fine deck at an honest price, and nothing composite says changes that. Buy composite if you’re funding the next twenty, or if your Saturdays are worth more than a stain schedule. Then stop deciding on tables: render your backyard in both and see which deck you actually want to walk out onto.

Common questions

How much more does composite cost than wood?

About $20–$30 more per square foot installed: pressure-treated runs $25 – $40 / sq ft against composite’s $45 – $70 / sq ft. On a typical 12×16 deck that’s roughly $3,840–$5,760 more upfront — the sum the maintenance math has 10–15 years to claw back, and usually does.

Does a composite deck really pay for itself?

If you hold it long enough, generally yes: skipping a stain-or-seal cycle every couple of years — DIY weekends or a few hundred to a thousand dollars professionally — closes the upfront gap for most owners within 8–10 years, and the composite deck is still mid-warranty when the wood deck is aging out. Selling within a few years flips the answer; wood keeps more cash today.

Does composite decking look fake?

The 2005 stuff earned that reputation; the current generation mostly retires it. Capped boards with multi-tonal streaking and embossed grain read convincingly as wood from a few feet away. Judge with your own eyes on your own yard — render both materials on a photo and the question usually stops mattering.

What about cedar instead of pressure-treated?

Cedar is the prettier wood path — naturally rot-resistant, cooler-toned, around $30–$50 per square foot installed — with the same maintenance treadmill (stain every 2–3 years) and a 15–20 year life. We keep a full cedar vs composite comparison if that’s the actual fork you’re at.