Decking buying guide

You can save hundreds by replacing the decking yourself. Along with a circular saw you'll need a drill, preferably cordless. Don't skimp on support joists if you choose heavier composites or less-rigid plastics. For wood, solid stains typically yield longer-lasting results.

When pricing the materials, be sure to figure in the cost of railings, stairs, and supporting structure as well as the planks under foot. If you're hiring out the work, note that the cost of labor--either to build a new deck or to replace worn planking on an existing structure--can easily exceed the cost of the materials.

The width of the decking, its color and finish, and the design of the railing are important design elements. A ranch, raised ranch, or contemporary house style can work well with many deck designs. It's more challenging to make a deck work with older styles, such as Tudor, colonial, or 1920s bungalow. Many manufacturers of synthetic decking offer a variety of railings, such as provincial or Mission style, that can help the deck fit with the rest of the house.

Nails and screws are low-cost, easy to handle, and suitable for nearly any material. But nails can pop loose over time, while screws are more permanent. Ceramic-coated screws come in several colors, which helps them to blend in.

To avoid splitting planks, drill pilot holes for nails, countersink screws in wood, and predrill screw holes into composite. Choose zinc-coated or other corrosion-resistant fasteners, and use the right fasteners for composites. Also consider hidden fasteners or systems that hide the attachment (see Features for more).

Before staining, pressure-wash or brush the old surface with a cleaning solution. If there is any remaining mold and mildew, remove it using a solution of 1 part bleach and 3 parts water. When staining, use as many coats as the maker recommends. And be sure it's at least 50 degrees F from the time stain is applied until it dries completely.

Authenticity. Most is pressure-treated pine, but more expensive options include cedar, redwood, and tropical hardwoods.

Wood tends to change color, crack, and stain if it isn't refinished. Hardwoods and exotic choices can be expensive.

Price: About $225 to $825 or more per 100 square feet.

Best for the look of wood without the need to stain. It's made of plastic and wood fiber and sometimes can be stained to change its look. Most now also come with some or all sides encased in plastic to prevent mildew growth.

Some offered far less resistance to slips, stains, and mildew in our tests. Most choices are heavier and more expensive than the usual pine.

Price: About $425 to $650 per 100 square feet.

Best for resisting the elements without staining. Choices include PVC and polyethylene. It's also lightweight.

Some can look cheap, some is slippery, and all sagged more than wood.

Price: About $525 to $625 per 100 square feet.

Toughness, rigidity, and slip resistance. Its baked-on or anodized finish should last a long time, and its textured surface added traction in our tests. Sections sometimes interlock so that rain won't drip through.

It's expensive, and no one will mistake it for wood.

Price: About $700 per 100 square feet.

All of the composite, plastic, and aluminum decking we'd tested kept their original color better than unfinished wood. Many also fended off mustard, wine, and other stains.

All of the wood and the aluminum resisted slips least in our wet and dry friction tests. Wood and aluminum were excellent at resisting bending and sagging. Some plastics and composites came close in those tests, but several flexed or sagged notably.

Many of the synthetic products are available in colors such as white, gray, and several shades of brown. Surface textures include smooth (like plastic lawn furniture, in some cases), subtle wood grain, ridges, and other decidedly nonwood-like patterns. Some composite planks are flexible enough to be easily curved into patterns or shapes that would require much money and skill to duplicate in solid wood.

TrapEase is one brand of special-purpose screw intended for use with plastic and composite decking. It has coarse threads at the tip to bite into the deck's supporting joist and finer threads toward the head to stop the decking material from bulging out.

Invisible fasteners suitable for wood or plastics come in three types: metal clips with sharp prongs that dig into the deck planks and the joist, elliptical wafers that fit into a slot cut into the sides of the planks and are held with a screw driven into the joist, and strips that fasten to the joist and underside of the plank. When all the planks are in place, the fasteners don't show.

Snap-in-place fasteners are easy to install but unique to specific brands. One brand of aluminum decking we'd tested snaps together, much the way tongue-and-groove flooring does. A vinyl decking product we reviewed snapped in place over metal clips screwed onto the joists.