Our cedar deck had decayed nearly to the point of rotting out and becoming unsafe. We knew we had to do something – quickly. Time to choose new decking material. Our lot is wooded, and we love the natural look and warm feel of real wood decking. So, we looked at all the wood decking options... and synthetic decking, too.
Decking Options and Why We Chose Jatoba Hardwood Decking
We did a lot of research and took a long look at the many decking material options that are available. Here's what we found.
- Synthetic decking like composite decking and PVC decking are readily available. Many of the synthetic deck board options try to recreate the look of real wood. In our opinion, they fall short of the mark. Neither my wife nor I like the look (or feel) of synthetic decking. It’s too artificial for our tastes. The few synthetic deck options that looked close to a real wood look were very expensive and out of our budget for this project. Synthetic decking also tends to heat up and we get lots of afternoon sun. There's no way we could walk barefoot on that.
- Softwood decking options, like Cedar, are soft and show scratches if you’re not careful. We knew from experience that our Cedar decking was beautiful back in the day, but it required refinishing every year. We didn’t want all the maintenance of cedar decking this time around. Also, the current pricing of clear vertical grain cedar was way out of our budget range. So, we looked at all the hardwood decking materials available.
- Philippine Mahogany decking options like Luan, Meranti, and Red Balau were considered. The pricing was moderate, but these species require constant refinishing to stay in good shape. Like cedar deck boards, they also tend to rot over time if not maintained properly.
- Ipe hardwood decking met most of our needs. Ipe wood is super strong and lasts for decades without maintenance. We used it when we replaced our rotted cedar deck stairs a few years ago. But the low availability and high pricing of Ipe put it out of reach of our decking budget this time.
Ipe steps and cap rails leading up to the new Jatoba deck
- Garapa hardwood decking was another option we looked at. We liked it a lot better than any of the synthetic decking products we looked at. Garapa is an especially budget friendly decking material option. It has lighter honey colored tones and looks great.
- Machiche hardwood decking was also considered. It’s a high-density hardwood so we knew it would last long and require very little maintenance. It’s a chocolate brown color and met all our needs, including a reasonable price.
- Jatoba hardwood decking met all our needs. We selected it because it’s a beautiful hardwood, is highly durable and has a beautiful cherry tone that my wife loves. Jatoba, also known as “Brazilian Cherry”, had the looks, performance, availability and price that checked off all our boxes.
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Choosing the Right Size Deck Boards for the Project
Our original pressure treated deck framing was in great condition, and the structure was intact. Now we had to decide what size deck boards we were going to use.
In low clearance decks (less than 30” above ground) that have limited ventilation, your best option is always to use thicker, narrower decking boards. And to make sure they don’t move around after installation, face fastening with screws is the strongest way to attach deck boards to the joists. 5/4 x 4 deck bards with stainless steel screws work best in these site conditions.
However, because we have a higher ground clearance deck, we didn’t have to go this route. Our deck is six feet off the ground and there is plenty of ventilation below it. That told us two things; first, we could use wider deck boards, and second, we could also use hidden deck fasteners. My wife liked the wider deck boards, and we chose hidden deck fasteners, because they worked for our site conditions.
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Laying Out the Deck Space to Meet our Needs
Our deck is moderately sized (about 12' wide by 17' long), so planning the space to meet our lifestyle was a major decision for us. We love to grill and dine outdoors in good weather. So, we set up our grill and dining table on the deck.
When we're alone, we like to read or have a drink together on the deck on weekend evenings. On cool mornings, we enjoy sitting out on the deck by the fire pit enjoying coffee. We created a small seating space for that, too.
Cozy seating area to enjoy the great outdoors on the deck
We like to entertain occasionally, and our deck is a great place for intimate gatherings. Between the dining area and the seating area, we can comfortably entertain up to twelve people outdoors in our newly remodeled outdoor space. If the party is larger, it can spread out down the steps to the patio below.
Benefits of Hardwood Decking and Plans for the Future
We have a dog, so scratches in the decking were a concern. One benefit of high-density hardwood decking is that it is very scratch resistant and that’s one reason we chose it. In the unlikely event of a small gouge (from moving furniture or such), we’re covered, because you can always sand a gouge out of hardwood deck boards. You can’t do that with synthetic or composite decking.
Jatoba hardwood decking is scratch resistant and pet friendly
We put a coat of Penofin Hardwood Formula oil on our deck boards. It makes the cherry red color of the Jatoba deck boards really pop. My wife loves the look. I love the protection it provides. A UV inhibiting sealer is a great decision. It helps protect the deck surface from surface checking during its initial year of seasoning in place when the deck boards are most vulnerable. We plan to put another coat of Penofin on next year (while we’re still in love with the color).
After that, we’re very likely going to allow the deck boards to silver up over time for a low maintenance deck. Hardwood decking like Jatoba, Ipe, Garapa, and Machiche can still perform extremely well for decades without constantly refinishing them.
Would you like to learn more about the low maintenance hardwood decking option?
Download the "How Exterior Woods Weather" guide today.
Conclusion
In summary, here’s why we chose Jatoba decking for our home.
- It’s all-natural real wood that fits our taste and blends with our wooded lot perfectly.
- The reddish color is gorgeous.
- Yes, we know that it will fade gradually over time and we’re fine with that.
- We want a high-performance deck material that requires little maintenance.
- It fit our decking budget nicely
- It makes us feel happy about going out on our deck again, safely and beautifully.
- It looks fantastic and we can enjoy it right now.
- It will improve our home value when we decide to sell it in the future.
If we can help you with your deck, please let us know. Contact us anytime. Thank you.
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