By Marcia Jedd
After stone, wood is probably the oldest building material, and yet it remains as popular today as it ever has been. The reason: Nothing says natural beauty as well as real wood.
Beauty — and strength. Wood remains by far the most popular choice for decks. "The warmth that wood brings to a deck surface is inherently superior to alternative products, such as wood-plastic composite materials or pressure-treated wood," says Peter Lang, general manager of the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association in Vancouver, B.C. "These products are functional but lack the character that real wood can bring."
Wood generally has a better structural rating than composites but tends to move with changes in temperature and moisture content, Lang says. "Cedar is the most stable of the softwoods, more resistant to warping or cracking than other woods," he says. "A two-inch wide thickness of cedar only requires 24-inch spacing of joists. With other products, especially in hot weather, you can get sagging with this spacing." Composite products also can expand with heat, he adds.
Lang notes these particular attributes of red cedar decking:
- Natural preservatives that resist moisture, decay and insects
- High durability, including dimensional stability that makes it resistant to changes such as shrinkage and sagging
- Low density that means excellent thermal properties, resulting in cooler surfaces
Other woods share similar properties. Builders and architects report that the durable hardwood mahogany and other imported hardwoods such as ipe, which is extremely fire resistant and durable, are becoming more prevalent in decking.
Going contrary to popular belief, Lang advises builders and contractors to treat decking in natural wood with a protective sealer following installation, rather than waiting a season to apply. "Studies indicate you get better penetration on new wood. When wood is left exposed to UV rays, you get photodegradation of the surface. Therefore, the coating won't adhere to the substrate—wood surface—as effectively on weathered wood as it does on fresh wood."
The inside story
After decades of wall-to-wall carpeting in almost every room of every home, the resurgence of hardwood floors is another testament to our affinity for the natural look of real wood. Like wood outdoor decking, wood floors lend warmth, beauty and value to a home. In fact, according to the National Wood Flooring Association in Chesterfield, Mo., 90 percent of realtors polled in a national survey said homes with wood floors sell faster and at higher prices than those without wood floors.
Other key selling points for wood floors are that they are environmentally friendly, come from a renewable resource, and they don't readily trap or hold allergens, which improves indoor air quality.
Then there's the longevity factor. "A key advantage of real wood floors over laminates is that real wood can last nearly forever," explains Anita Howard, communications director with the NWFA. "Engineered floors, manufactured with three to five layers of different wood veneers of the same or different species, consist of real wood as well, but you aren't able to sand an engineered product as many times as a solid wood floor." Solid hardwood floors can last 100 years or more, while carpet and laminate floors typically have to be replaced every seven to 10 years.
Beyond that, Howard notes, upkeep is minimal for solid and engineered wood floors—a big plus for any builder's customers. It may be more than a decade before the floor requires anything more than routine cleaning. "For both solid and engineered floors," Howard says, "you can apply a new finish on top of the finish coat with a process called pad and recoat, unless the floor is worn to the point of needing to be resanded."
Day-to-day maintenance of real wood floors is low — an attractive feature for today's busy homebuyers. "With finish advances made for real wood floors in the last 20 years, all you need to do nowadays is to sweep them," Howard says. "If your floor contains beveled edges, we recommend using a vacuum occasionally with a soft bristle brush attachment to remove dirt and debris from between the floorboards."
Otherwise, every several months or so, clean with a commercial wood floor cleaning product recommended by the manufacturer or installer. Howard advises against Excessive water use, outside of a lightly damp mop, because water dulls the surface of wood.
For more information about wood floors, including caring for them, see the NWFA website.
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