TECHNOLOGY
How to Choose the Best Decking Material for Your Best Life Outdoors
March 19, 2025
Curious to know what’s the best decking material? First, you need to think about what the best means to you. You know that durability will be a key component — but you will also want to think about factors like appearance, long-term cost savings, and sustainability.
The Best Decking Should Be…
✓ The best for unparalleled durability
✓ The best for real wood looks and enduring beauty
✓ The best for minimal maintenance and long-term value
✓ The best for fire resistance
✓ The best for sustainability
An Introduction to Your Deck Material Options
Your deck material options could be said to fall into three main categories:
- Traditional wood options — everything from pressure-treated lumber to hardwoods
- Composite decking options — both capped and uncapped
- PVC decking — including innovative TimberTech Advanced PVC Decking
Deck Material Options
Is a Wood Alternative Really Worth It?
Though wood may have lower up-front costs, the maintenance, repair, and replacement costs quickly add up — especially over time.
The Best Decking Material: TimberTech Advanced PVC
TimberTech Advanced PVC Decking is a fully engineered decking option made with the most advanced materials technology. With majority recycled material and no organic or wood fillers, this best-of-the-best wood alternative decking material locks in beauty while locking out moisture for an enduringly attractive, long-lasting deck.
Our best decking material is not only exceptionally durable — it’s also strikingly beautiful and reduces your stress so you can live your best life outdoors. TimberTech Advanced PVC offers:
- Superior Moisture Resistance: Mold, mildew, and rto don’t stand a chance.
- Real Wood Looks: Thanks to nature-inspired designs.
- A Cooler Look & Feel: With options that are cooler to the touch than competitive composite products.*
- Peace of Mind: Thanks to industry-leading warranties.
- Top-Rated Fire Resistance: Vintage & Landmark Collections are the best choice for fire zones.
- Sustainable Options: With majority recycled material.
*Although TimberTech Advanced PVC Decking products are cooler to the touch than many other deck board products, all decking products will get hot in the sun. Additionally, the darker the decking color, the hotter it will feel. For hotter climates, consider choosing a lighter color.
The Best for: Unparalleled Durability
TimberTech Advanced PVC delivers superior durability you can trust and allows you to live your best life outdoors. How? Because choosing the best composite decking material means you do away with the sanding, staining, and sealing needed to keep a wood deck in top shape. With minimal effort from you, TimberTech Advanced PVC stays in top condition for decades to come thanks to its innovative capped polymer composition.
Enjoy Greater Peace of Mind
What better way to bolster your confidence that you’ve chosen the best composite decking material than with the industry’s leading warranties? TimberTech Advanced PVC comes with:
✓ Rich color that endures: 50-Year Fade & Stain Limited Warranty
✓ Structural integrity you can trust: Limited Lifetime Product Warranty
The Best for: Real Wood Looks & Enduring Beauty
At TimberTech, we know durable decking alone isn’t enough. Because you deserve high-performance decking that’s high style, too. Meet TimberTech Advanced PVC: The best composite decking material for real wood aesthetics.
Authentic Wood Looks You Won’t Find Anywhere Else
✓ Vintage Collection® for the high-end look of exotic hardwoods like ipe, mahogany, and teak.
✓ Landmark Collection® for the inviting, character-rich look of crosscut hardwoods.
✓ Harvest Collection® for the traditional look of stained wood with refined cathedral grain.
✓ A premium hardwood look thanks to complex color blending and a wire-brushed, low-gloss finish.
✓ Rich, nature-inspired hues that are fade-resistant, which means no staining required.
✓ Unique design options with Multiwidth Decking in Vintage and Harvest Collections.
Wood Has Nothing on Us
TimberTech Advanced PVC English Walnut vs Ipe Wood
TimberTech Advanced PVC Mahogany vs Mahogany Wood
The Best for: Minimal Maintenance & Long-Term Value
Picture this: It’s the weekend, and instead of worrying about spending your precious time buffing out splinters or replacing popped out screws in your wood deck, you’re relaxing. Just relaxing. While the kids run around barefoot, and the dog takes a nap at your feet. Now picture repeating that scene — every weekend.
When you choose the best decking material for minimal maintenance, you not only make a purchase decision, you also make a lifestyle choice. With the durability to resist moisture damage and weathering agents, rigorous deck maintenance becomes a thing of the past — and low-maintenance outdoor living becomes your new reality.
HEAR FROM A HOMEOWNER
“Besides the overall beautiful appearance, I know I will never have to strip, stain, or seal my deck again!”
– GRADY C., AURORA, IN
Embrace a Low-Maintenance Lifestyle
No decking is completely maintenance-free, even the best decking material. But TimberTech Advanced PVC is as close as you can get:
✓ Periodically clean your deck surface with a stiff, natural-fiber brush and TimberTech DeckCleaner™.
✓ Rinse with a hose and repeat as needed.
Embrace Long-Term Value
You’ve already invested time and care into your home’s aesthetic, and you need decking that’s up to par: You need TimberTech Advanced PVC.
While choosing a fully engineered decking material is likely a greater investment than other composite decking or traditional wood options, it’s important to consider not only upfront costs, but long-term value. And value for the best decking material breaks down in two main ways: your long-term cost savings and increased home value.
Long-Term Cost Savings
TimberTech Advanced PVC allows you to save money over time thanks to:
✓ Significantly lower maintenance costs than traditional wood thanks to minimal upkeep.
✓ Little to no costs associated with repairs or replacements thanks to superior durability.
Increased Home Value
Using the most durable and attractive decking makes your home more appealing to potential buyers. And what does appeal translate to?
A potential increase in home resale value.
The Best for: Fire Zones
Anyone living near a fire zone knows the importance of minimizing the risk of flame spread around your house. TimberTech Advanced PVC Decking is one step you can take. Offering both beauty and fire resistance, our Vintage and Landmark Collections give you peace of mind and a deck you can enjoy for years to come.
Embrace Top-Rated Fire Resistance
TimberTech Advanced PVC delivers fire resistance benefits that most traditional wood and composite decking can’t claim:
✓ Ignition Resistant designation — TimberTech Advanced PVC resists catching fire, and we’re the first to receive this designation.
✓ Class A Flame Spread Rating — this best-in-class rating means TimberTech Advanced PVC is unlikely to contribute to aggressive flame spread.
✓ WUI Compliant — meets the strict guidelines set by the Wildland Urban Interface for homes in areas prone to wildfires.
The Best for: Sustainability
TimberTech Advanced PVC Decking is the best composite decking material for sustainability. Made with a majority of recycled material, including hard-to-recycle plastics, and absolutely no wood, our innovative decking is designed to be as sustainable as it is beautiful. Plus, TimberTech Advanced PVC contributes to minimal landfill waste in both its production and lifecycle since it’s unlikely to need replacing thanks to its unparalleled durability.
In fact, TimberTech diverts material from landfills with ambitious programs, such as:
- AZEK Full-Circle PVC Recycling Program which collects scraps of PVC from construction and job sites to be recycled into new material
- An initiative to use 1 billion pounds of waste and scrap annually in the manufacturing of our products
Traditional Wood: Far From Sustainable
Think “natural” wood is better for the environment than engineered materials? Think again. Not only is pressure-treated wood infused with harsh chemicals, but all wood contributes to deforestation — including in some of the world’s most precious ecosystems (we’re looking at you, ipe).
Plus, many wood deck stains and sealers emit potentially harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
But what about the wood fibers in our composite deck boards? They’re 100% recycled, so no trees are cut down in the making of TimberTech Composite Decking.
For the Best Decking Material, Choose TimberTech
Let’s recap. The best decking material should deliver:
✓ Superior durability
✓ Real wood aesthetics that last
✓ Long-term value with minimal maintenance
✓ Top-rated fire resistance
✓ Sustainable outdoor living solutions
And TimberTech Advanced PVC does it all.
Order Free Samples
Compare colors, finishes, and materials, and see the real wood aesthetics of TimberTech Decking in your outdoor space.