[cbzdel]

I am having some friends come over this weekend to help with my deck project. Right now its just a first phase of the deck itself, the second phase will be the railing and possibly integrated bench seating. Its only 12" off the ground and we have no children so I am not to worried about having no railing.

But my question is I need to decide between PT or cedar decking, composite is WAY out of our price range as well. Is the PT worth the extra cost compared to the cedar? Cedar just looks so nice but I want to make sure I have a product that will last many years. Also I plan on using 5/4x4 boards, my deck is 14' long so I want to buy 16' boards and cut them down for a more seamless look.

Can you just slap PT on and be done or does it need a sealer as well? I dont mind doing a sealers or stains, but we definitely do not want to paint the decking.

 

[user1007]

Depending on what grade cedar you are talking about I would lay it down before a PT deck any day. It just looks nicer.

You need to budget---time and money---for deck maintenance no matter what type. And yes, you can stain and seal PT but will probably have to wait at least a year to get any sort of uniform coverage.

 

[Ron6519]

Both the woods mentioned will need to be maintained and protected from the Sun and rain. Decks in full Sun will require a greater frequency of protection, then ones in shade, UV wise.

 

[kwikfishron]

Cedar not only looks better but is more stable than PT pine or fir. Less chance of excessive cupping and checking.

 

[cbzdel]

cedar it is, plus I think it looks way better!

do i need to wait a certain time frame to stain/seal the cedar or can I do it once installed? I dont mind yearly maintenance at all, its the up front cost I am more concerned about, we have some large projects we are accomplishing this year, so after this year a small maintenance cost is no big deal.

 

[no1hustler]

Cedar for sure! You should be able to seal it right away assuming that the cedar you get is dry. I used Sikkens to stain mine, its pretty expensive but its a great product.

 

[CoconutPete]

+1 for Cedar as well!

I just finished mine a few weeks ago (started it last year ... careful starting a project like that the summer you are getting married) and I am very happy with the way it looks.

Definitely worth the extra expense IMHO.