Tools · Comparison

Composite vs wood — 10-year total

Build cost plus 10 years of maintenance, for any two materials. The cheapest option to install is rarely the cheapest option to own — this tool puts a real number on that gap, with Texas-UV adjustments to the maintenance side.

10-year material comparison

Build cost + 10 years of maintenance, side by side. The cheaper upfront option is usually not the cheaper 10-year option.

Deck size

16 ft × 12 ft = 192 sq ft

Length16 ft

Width12 ft

Material A

Material B

Option A

Lower 10-yr total

Pressure-treated lumber

Build cost$3,850 – $6,700
10-year maintenance$1,150 – $2,900
10-year total$5,000 – $9,600

Annual cleaning + sealant every 1–2 years. Texas sun shortens the refinish cycle.

Option B

Composite (Trex-tier)

Build cost$7,700 – $13,450
10-year maintenance$200 – $500
10-year total$7,850 – $13,900

Wash twice a year; no refinishing required.

Over 10 years on this 192 sq ft deck, Pressure-treated lumber comes in roughly $3,600 cheaper than Composite (Trex-tier) when you add maintenance to the build cost. before state sales tax.

Maintenance numbers assume homeowner-DIY cleaning and sealing. Hiring a contractor to strip and refinish a wood deck typically runs $1,200–3,000 per cycle in DFW and would shift wood totals higher.

Why a 10-year window

Ten years is roughly the point where the build-cost gap between cheap wood and premium composite gets fully amortized by the maintenance gap. Pressure-treated lumber is the cheapest deck to build but the most expensive deck to maintain — annual cleaning, sealant every year or two, and board replacements on the cuts that catch the worst sun. Composite is the inverse: substantially more expensive upfront, basically zero maintenance for the first decade.

At a 1-year horizon, pressure-treated always wins. At 25 years, composite or PVC almost always wins. Ten years is the decision-relevant horizon for most DFW homeowners — long enough that maintenance matters, short enough that you might still be the person paying for it.

Maintenance assumptions

The per-square-foot maintenance numbers assume homeowner DIY — you cleaning and resealing the deck yourself with off-the-shelf cleaner and stain. The wood numbers sit slightly above the national mean because Texas UV exposure shortens the refinish cycle by about 15–25% compared with northern markets. If you plan to hire a contractor to strip and refinish a wood deck, expect $1,200–3,000 per cycle (two cycles on PT, three on cedar over 10 years in DFW), which shifts the comparison meaningfully toward composite or PVC.

Pressure-treated. $0.60–$1.50/sq ft/year. Wash once a year, reseal every 12–18 months in full sun.
Western red cedar. $0.90–$2.00/sq ft/year. Stain or oil every 18–24 months; cedar boards weather to a silver-grey faster than PT under DFW sun and the refinishing window is tighter.
Composite (Trex-tier). $0.10–$0.25/sq ft/year. Wash twice a year; no refinishing.
PVC (Azek-tier). $0.05–$0.20/sq ft/year. Wash twice a year; capped surface is the most stable of the four under Texas heat.

The DFW heat factor

Decks in North Texas see roughly 100 days a year over 90°F and 30+ days over 100°F. That changes which materials make sense at the margin. Dark composite boards on a south-facing deck can hit surface temperatures of 145–160°F in mid-summer — uncomfortable to walk on barefoot, and a real consideration if you have pets or small children. Light-coloured boards (ash, weathered grey, oak) run 15–25°F cooler than the deep espresso and walnut tones. PVC boards generally run cooler than equivalent-colour composite because the cap material reflects more solar energy. Wood is the coolest underfoot of all four, which is one reason pressure-treated still has a following in DFW despite the maintenance premium.

What this tool doesn’t price

Replacement after Year 10. A well-maintained PT deck typically goes 12–18 years before major board replacement in DFW (UV shortens the upper end compared with northern climates); composite is usually warrantied for 25+ years against rot. If your horizon is longer than 10 years, the composite case strengthens.
Resale value.Composite and PVC decks measurably help DFW resale appraisals, especially in the suburb belt (Plano, Frisco, Southlake, Allen); PT does not penalize resale but rarely adds. Real-estate effects vary by neighborhood and aren’t in the model.
Insurance and HOA.Some DFW HOAs restrict deck materials to specific colours or prohibit certain composite brands; that’s an aesthetic constraint, not a pricing one, but it can eliminate options.
Aesthetic preference. Cedar weathers to a silver patina that some homeowners specifically want. PVC has the most uniform look but reads as plastic up close.

The honest summary

For most DFW homeowners planning to stay in the house 10+ years, composite usually wins on 10-year total even though it loses on sticker price. For homeowners planning to sell in 3–5 years, PT usually wins on net cost even though composite would help appraisal. Cedar is rarely the cheapest option in either direction — it’s a look-and-feel choice and a less popular one in Texas than in northern markets. PVC is the highest-quality finish in the four-material set and the most expensive in every horizon under 30 years.