Composite vs wood deck: which lasts longer and which costs more?

The cost breakdown

Pressure-treated wood is the cheapest decking material at install. You can build a basic treated-wood deck for less per square foot than any composite product on the market. That's the headline number, and it's why a lot of homeowners default to wood.

Composite — Trex, TimberTech, Fiberon, and similar — runs noticeably more per square foot. The premium is real. But the cost story doesn't end at install.

Wood needs to be cleaned, sanded, and sealed every one to two years to stay in good shape. Skip a year or two and the boards cup, splinter, gray, and start to rot at the cut ends. Add up the cost of stain, brushes, a pressure washer rental (or a contractor visit), and the weekend you spend doing it — and that maintenance number compounds.

Composite needs none of that. A rinse with a garden hose once a year is the entire maintenance protocol.

The lifespan story

Pressure-treated wood decks, well-maintained, typically last 10–15 years before boards start failing. In the Missouri climate — humid summers, freezing winters, heavy rain in spring — you're at the lower end of that range unless you're religious about sealing.

Composite is rated for 25–30 years and most manufacturers offer 25-year fade and stain warranties. The structural framing underneath (joists and ledger) is still pressure-treated wood and ages on its own schedule, but the deck surface itself outlasts the original installer's career.

When wood actually makes sense

Wood isn't wrong for every project. It's the right choice when:

• You're flipping the house in under five years and the upfront delta on composite won't be recovered at sale.
• You actively enjoy the look and ritual of an oiled wood deck and don't mind the upkeep.
• You're building something small and short-term (a temporary platform, a play structure base).

When composite is the answer

Composite is the right call when:

• This is your forever home, or at least your next 10+ years.
• You don't want to think about your deck after it's built.
• Splinters matter (kids, dogs, bare feet).
• You want one consistent color that doesn't gray out.

What a Howe Renovations composite build includes

When we rebuild a deck in composite, the full job typically includes:

• Demo and haul-away of the old deck
• Inspection of the ledger, joists, and posts — if any are rotted, we replace them before the new deck goes down
• New pressure-treated framing where needed, composite decking on top
• Aluminum rails (lower maintenance than wood rails, no rust like steel)
• Picture-frame finish on the deck surface
• White trim and lattice skirting to keep pets and small animals out from under
• Flashing and trim around any new doors or windows opened into the deck