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Since the early 1990s, composite deck materials have been gaining in popularity. These products have many advantages over wooden decks:

Low maintenance: Composite decks don't require periodic staining, although to prevent mold or mildew buildup, they do require the occasional bath!

No peeling: Because the color is built right into the material, composite decks don't peel like painted wood does over time.

No slivers: Anyone who has walked on a wood deck for any length of time has felt its wrath at one time or another. You won't get slivers in your hand from a composite railing, or in your feet from a composite deck.

No cracking: The sun and rain will take a toll on wood over time, causing it to crack. Composite decks, on the other hand, will never crack under normal use.

No warping or twisting: Properly installed, you should never see a composite deck warp or twist.

No replacing rotted or split boards: When you install a composite deck, you can be confident that rotting will not be an issue.

Better non-slip surface: The non-slip surfaces built into most composite deck materials is simply much better than can be achieved on wood.

While there are lots of composite deck manufacturers producing quality products, some of the larger firms are Xtendex, Weatherbest, Correct Deck, Procel, Veka, Trex, Dexx, EZ Deck, Weatherdeck, Monarch, Deck Lok and Lifelong Decking. The biggest differentiators between the products from these manufacturers are the texture and color choices that they offer, as well as the railing options available.

In addition to the practical advantages listed above, composite decks are environmentally friendly because they are manufactured using recycled wood fibers and plastics - and they don't contain wood preservatives, which avoids the heavy metals and other chemicals found in pressure-treated wood.

Building a deck is often a large investment, and you'll usually pay a premium for a deck made of composite materials. However, the substantially reduced maintenance costs often negate this additional up-front cost, and the longevity and good-looks of a composite deck mean that usually your investment will last well beyond the time that you own the house.