Composite — TimberTech & Deckorators
The sane default: fifteen-plus years of low effort, no splinters, no spring sanding ritual. Two honest caveats — dark boards get hot barefoot in August sun, and because composite is what everyone builds, it does the least to set your house apart. We install it constantly and happily; we’ll also tell you when your house deserves the next shelf up.
Best for: low-maintenance briefs, rentals, shade-to-part-sun exposures.
Sits at the lower half of the $85–$100/sq ft range.
PVC — TimberTech (Azek) & Wolf
The performance pick for the Northwest: it doesn’t absorb water, which is most of what kills decks here, and it’s the coolest-running and lightest of the synthetics. The trades: it costs hardwood money without being wood, and up close its grain is very good rather than actual. Where a deck lives in shade, moss, and nine wet months, it’s frequently the right answer anyway.
Best for: full shade, moss-prone lots, second-story decks over living space.
Upper half of the range.
Cedar
The hometown board — it smells right, works right, and suits an older Portland house like nothing synthetic can. It also asks the most of you: a wash and re-oil every year or two, or it goes gray and soft. Budget the maintenance honestly or choose something else — a neglected cedar deck is the saddest thing we replace.
Best for: older houses, ground-level platforms, owners who like the ritual.
Bottom of the range — the maintenance is where the cost lives.
Hardwood — ipe, cumaru, tigerwood, mahogany
Ipe is the last deck you’ll build: harder than nails will tolerate — every hole gets pre-drilled — dense enough to shrug off decades of Portland weather, and better looking every year if you oil it (or left to silver on purpose). It costs the most, and installing it is slow, skilled work, which is why most builders won’t quote it.
Best for: the top of the market, houses with real architectural character.
Top of the range and past it. No manufacturer warranty exists — ours covers it.