The choices of imported wood these days are confusing enough to make you want to build a patio instead. You’ve got the imported hardwoods like Ipe, Tigerwood and Mahogany. Then there’s the faux-wood / eco / recycled crowd, Azek, Timbertech® and Trex®. To make matters worse, there are wide arrays of colors, patterns and grain finishes. Recent development and increased importing of these specialty woods is a result of many factors, including a desire for variations in durability, grain and color. The most notable reason though is that newer decks built over the last decade are apparently decaying faster than decks built prior. This finding is based upon research from many Forestry departments as well as the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is largely due to the diminishing stock of cedar heartwood, the most decay and insect resistant type of domestic lumber. University findings from a two decade study found the life expectancy of sapwood cedar to be less than 11 years in comparison to old growth heartwood cedar at 30 years or more.
Thus we see the need to seek a more durable deck wood. Of the imported woods, Ipe is a wise but spendy choice. At 5x natural woods strength and with the highest Class A fire rating, Ipe is a nice looking, fine grained, extremely hard and exotic wood imported from South America. Tigerwood is a less expensive alternative, many say more appealing, attractively streaked hardwood and almost as strong as Ipe. Ipe and Tigerwood at (3600 vs. 1850lb bending strength and 22,500 vs. 19,300 psi decay resistance) are far stronger than Douglas fir and Cedar (670 vs. 580, 12,400 vs.7,500 psi).
Of the “sustainable” deck materials, Trex® , made from about 50 percent reclaimed plastic and 50 percent reclaimed wood can be an ecologically sound choice, as the material that makes up Trex would otherwise go unused in landfills. Made in part from from reclaimed wood, used pallets and sawdust, some report a tendency for Trex to mold over time and it is generally not recommended to pressure wash. Impressively, the folks at Trex note that “7 out of every10 recycled grocery bags in the U.S. end up at Trex (about 1.5 billion per year)”. Timbertech, a similar product to Trex, has a more detailed and lined profile, making it appear more “natural”. Some contractors prefer Timbertech, claiming it shows less mold over time. Also ecologically friendly, the Timbertech folks claim that their product “keeps more than 100 million pounds of wood waste out of landfills each year…and that 28 million pounds of scrap product” is used in its manufacture”.
In short, these new deck choices can offer a much better long term value than traditional cedar. That noted, these new eco-decks offer a dizzying array of grain patterns, color variations, board bends and post/rail details, moving more than a few clients to “analysis paralyisis” when considering the options and benefits of a deck vs. a patio.
