Trex Decking Versus Wood Decking

Trex Decking Versus Wood Decking

Whilst there are many choices you may have to make with regards to upgrading your garden, if you have chosen to have decking installed, you now face another choice. That choice is whether you wish to have wood decking installed, or to go for decking made from a composite material, with Trex decking, being one of the primary options.

It is often at this point many people have to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of both wood and Trex decking. To try to help anyone in with this quandary somewhat, we have looked at both Trex decking and wood decking, to analyse how they compare with each other.

Upfront Costs

For any project, whether it is inside the home or outside, one of the primary considerations will be the cost, so let us start there. We are going to assume that you are going to employ a decking company to install your decking. To that end, ensure that you get an agreed price with all costs included before the work begins.

If you choose wood, then the first benefit is that, usually, hardwood decking tends to be cheaper than Trex decking. The reason for this is that wood usually goes through fewer manufacturing processes than Trex decking, and therefore the purchase price of wooden decking is lower.

Longer Term Costs

Where Trex decking counteracts the lower upfront costs, is with regards to the longer-term costs. Wood decking is likely to need oiling, sanding, and staining on a regular basis. These are costs that Trex decking will not incur. In addition, a wooden board will be more prone to warping and damage, and thus you need to factor in the replacement costs too.

Lifespan

If you were to measure the average lifespan of decking materials, for those made from wood you should expect around 10 to 15 years, and for composite decking such as Trex decking, that will extend to as many as 25 years.  In effect, you will need to install new wood decking twice as often as Trex decking.

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Largest Welsh Solar Project

Wales based Dulas, a commercial subsidiary of the Centre for Alternative Technology at Machynlleth, mid Wales, the United Kingdom, have recently installed the largest solar power project in Wales, at the National Trust’s Grade I listed property in Llanerchaeron.

The new installation generates a peak output of 37.5kW and works with an existing installation of 7.5kW of solar photovoltaic power, supplying half the power the National Trust house consumes.  The Llanerchaeron house is an 18th-century Welsh gentry estate with walled gardens and home farm. The villa was designed in the 1790s, has its own service courtyard with dairy, laundry, brewery and salting house, and walled kitchen gardens, ornamental lake and parkland. The farm is a working organic farm with Welsh Black cattle, Llanwenog sheep and rare Welsh pigs.

The National Trust has committed to reduce their fossil fuel use by 50% within eight years, cutting carbon emissions from heat and electricity by 45%, beating the government’s target of a 34% reduction in CO2 by 2020. The Trust will also reduce water use and develop its own energy sources such as biomass.

Wales is not synonymous with sunshine, in fact it is just as likely to be raining, foggy, overcast or windy and stormy, as it is to be sunny, but this also gives Wales its natural beauty and it’s a people a sense of humor. Let’s hope a big ray of sunshine illuminates the Dulas installation and make it a resounding success.

Visit: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/llanerchaeron/

Via Dulas