Composite vs. Wood Decking: Which Should You Choose?

Every deck project reaches the same fork in the road: wood or composite? Both make a great deck, and both have real downsides nobody mentions in the ads. Here is an honest comparison to help you choose.

Price: Wood Wins Today

Pressure-treated wood is the budget option: in Ontario, a professionally built wood deck typically costs $45–$70 per square foot installed. Composite runs $75–$110 per square foot — roughly 50–60% more for the same deck. If the upfront budget decides, wood wins, and there is nothing wrong with that choice.

Maintenance: Composite Wins Every Year After

This is where the story turns. A wood deck needs washing and a new coat of stain or sealer every two to three years. Skip it, and the wood turns grey, cracks, and starts to splinter. Over ten years, that is three or four weekends of work plus a few hundred dollars in products each time — or paying someone to do it.

Composite needs a wash with soap and water once a year. No staining, no sealing, no splinters. That is the whole list.

Looks and Feel

Modern composite looks far better than the plastic-looking boards from fifteen years ago — good brands have realistic grain and colour variation. Still, real wood has a warmth that composite imitates but never fully matches. One practical note: dark composite gets noticeably hot in full summer sun. If your deck faces south with no shade, choose a lighter colour.

Lifespan: The Ten-Year Math

A well-maintained wood deck lasts 10–15 years. Composite boards typically last 25–30 years and usually carry a 25-year warranty. Do the simple math: wood costs less on day one, but after you add a decade of staining and an earlier replacement, composite often ends up the cheaper deck over its life.

So Which One Should You Choose?

Choose wood if the upfront budget is tight, you do not mind weekend maintenance, or you love the look and feel of real wood.

Choose composite if you plan to stay in the home for years, you want zero maintenance, or the deck is big enough that restaining it would be a serious job.

Either way, the frame under both decks is pressure-treated wood — so the build quality of the structure matters more than the boards you see.

See Both Options Priced Side by Side

We build both and will quote your deck both ways so you can compare real numbers. See our composite decking and pressure-treated wood deck pages, or get a free estimate.