There are many kinds of porch decking on the market today, much of which is beyond the standard consumer’s knowledge without a little research. This article will introduce you to the different types of porch decking and compare the differences.

Non-wood Porch Decking

Xccent is a company who manufactures SteelDeck Decking, DryDeck Decking, and SteelDeck Framing. This company has innovative ideas in how to do porch decking, including its DryDeck, which is like a truck liner for your truck bed allowing the water to coalesce in the grooves and run off the sides. The concept of using the space under the deck is one that has not been recognized fully, whereas this solution tackles that situation. With a standard deck, you have spaces in the wood to allow for water drainage. This solution eliminates the need to have useless space underneath your porch with its watertight design allowing for more use from you under deck area.

Companies such as GeoDeck offer porch decking in composite format. Composite decking is usually made up of wood and some sort of plastic or polymer that will allow the material to weather better and does not require as much maintenance as a regular wood deck. GeoDeck boasts an almost $1,500 savings in a ten years cost of a deck. On top of the costs and maintenance fees, this solution gives you the chance to have a wood deck without the cracking and warping that comes with most wood decks.

Another alternative to wood porch decking is vinyl decking offered by companies such as Thermal Industries Inc. This company has pictures of actual vinyl decks on their website so you can see what they look like in action. Also, they have a list of features that are offered with vinyl decking including “Barefoot Friendly Vinyl Decking Surface” and “Completely Recyclable” for all of you environment friendly folks.

Wood Porch Decking

Cedar is the most popular choice when using wood for porch decking because of its natural suitability to the ravages of the great outdoors in all seasons. Cedar decking also features an attractive color and texture that can be left to "weather” naturally, or it can readily accept a stain in a color of your choosing. The main concern when choosing all natural wood is the fact that you are taking away trees from the environment, along with the cost of maintenance and installation, of course. If you are going to choose all natural wood, please make sure to buy from a vendor who has a program for replanting.