Wood is often the most cost-effective and efficient material for deck flooring. It looks good, weathers well, spans wide joist distances, and is available at almost any lumberyard. From familiar favorites like pressure-treated lumber to non-domestic hardwoods like ipe, the board you choose sets the budget, the lifespan, and the maintenance routine for the whole structure. Before spending a dollar, review the deck building materials design and construction fundamentals that govern framing, joist spacing, and board grade, then match the species to your climate and how you plan to use the deck. The choices below cover the five wood types most often sold for decking, plus the reclaimed options that occasionally tempt budget builders.
Pressure-Treated Wood: The Budget Default
Pressure-treated wood is the classic low-cost deck board. In longer lengths, 10 feet or greater, and wider widths, 6 inches or greater, it works well as decking, with a few limitations that are worth knowing before you buy.
How Pressure Treating Works
Softwoods like Douglas fir, hemlock, southern yellow pine, and ponderosa pine decay easily and provide an attractive food source for termites and carpenter ants. Forcing the preservative copper azole, type C (CA-C), into the wood under pressure transforms it into a useless food source for insects and wards off the fungi that cause rot.
Grade Stamps and Retention Levels
Every treated board carries an end tag that lists the retention level, species code, and grading agency. Above-ground decking calls for a retention around 0.15 pounds per cubic foot, while posts and framing that touch soil need 0.40 or higher. A board stamped for ground contact can always be used above ground; the reverse is not true.
Cost and Limitations
A 2×6 pressure-treated board typically runs $1.50 to $4 per linear foot, which keeps the material bill the lowest of any wood option. The trade-offs are an average appearance, a tendency to splinter, and a long drying period before stain will take. Use hot-dipped galvanized or stainless fasteners, because the copper in the preservative corrodes ordinary steel quickly. New boards arrive wet from the treatment cylinder and can cup, twist, or shrink as they dry, so stack them with stickers for a few weeks before installation and expect minor movement afterward.
The same grade-and-construction logic that separates solid hardwood and engineered wood flooring applies to deck boards: how a board is manufactured and rated tells you how it will behave through years of weather exposure.
Ipe and Other Dense Hardwoods
Ipe is the best known of the non-domestic hardwoods used for decking. It is distinctive, extremely hard, and the most expensive board option in this group, and it is notoriously difficult to screw into without preparation.
Working With Ipe
Ipe measures about 3,680 on the Janka hardness scale, roughly three times harder than southern yellow pine, and it is dense enough to sink in water. Every fastener hole needs pre-drilling with a sharp carbide bit, and the boards demand stainless steel screws because the natural oils in the wood attack galvanized coatings.
- Pre-drill every screw hole with a carbide bit matched to the fastener diameter.
- Space the boards with a consistent gap so water and debris can pass through.
- Drive stainless fasteners only; galvanized hardware corrodes quickly.
- Seal exposed end grain to limit checking and splitting.
Is Ipe Worth the Price
A properly installed ipe deck can serve 40 years or more, compared with 15 to 30 years for pressure-treated lumber. The extra upfront cost buys a longer service life and a hard, splinter-free surface, which is why most advice on choosing the best materials for your deck ends up comparing lifetime cost rather than sticker price. Ipe left unfinished weathers to a silver-gray patina that many owners prefer, while a penetrating oil keeps the rich brown color for a season or two between coats. Because the boards are so hard, plan for carbide blades on the saw and expect to sharpen or replace them more often than with softwood.
Redwood and Red Cedar: Naturally Resistant Softwoods
Redwood and red cedar are the two softwoods that resist decay without chemical treatment. Both rely on natural extractives in the heartwood, but they differ in color, availability, and how they age outdoors.
Redwood
Redwood maintains its color naturally for years and is prized for that warm red tone. Low availability keeps prices high and limits the board sizes stocked at many yards. Heartwood redwood resists rot and insects well, but the wood is soft and dents easily under heavy furniture or dropped tools. Most redwood decking is sold as clear heart or construction heart grades; the clear grade costs more and carries fewer knots, while construction heart accepts small defects for a lower price.
Red Cedar
Red cedar can be left untreated and still shrugs off moisture and insects. It quickly weathers to a silver-gray unless you apply a finish, which makes it a favorite for homeowners who like the aged look. Cedar is light, stable, and pleasant to work with, and it typically outlasts pressure-treated lumber in the same conditions. The same wood performs on walls, where board and batten siding installations take advantage of cedar’s stability and insect resistance.
| Wood Species | Relative Cost | Expected Life | Maintenance | Best Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pressure-treated | Low | 15 to 30 years | High: seal, re-stain, watch splinters | Budget decks and large areas |
| Ipe | Very high | 40+ years | Low: oil optional | Premium, long-life decks |
| Redwood | High | 25+ years | Moderate: clean and reseal | Decks where color matters |
| Red cedar | Moderate | 15 to 25 years | Low to moderate | Natural or grayed look |
| Hem-fir | Low | 10 to 15 years | High: preservatives required | Framing and temporary decks |
| Pallet wood | Free | Unpredictable | Not suitable | Planters and accessories only |
Hem-Fir, Pallet Wood, and Other Options
Two more wood sources show up in deck discussions: hem-fir, a framing-grade softwood, and pallet wood reclaimed from shipping. Each has a narrow place in the picture.
Hem-Fir
Hem-fir is inexpensive and readily available because it is the workhorse of house framing. The same properties that make it easy to nail and cut make it vulnerable outdoors: it requires preservative treatment and still decays faster than any naturally resistant species. It suits joists, beams, and temporary decks better than finished decking.
The essential tips for planning a wood deck treat species selection as one step in a longer sequence that starts with budget, site survey, and intended use, so a cheap board does not become an expensive mistake.
Pallet Wood and Reclaimed Boards
Pallet wood is free, which tempts many DIY builders, but it is unsuitable for use as decking. Pallets come from unknown species, may carry chemical treatments or pesticide residue, are full of nails, and vary wildly in dimension and moisture content.
- Unknown species and treatment history make rot and splitting unpredictable.
- Residual nails damage saw blades and create trip hazards when they work loose.
- Inconsistent thickness and cupping make a flat, safe walking surface hard to achieve.
- Untreated pallet boards hold moisture against joists and rot from below.
Joist Spacing, Fasteners, and Site Conditions
Span Ratings and Joist Layout
Wood decking spans wide joist distances, one of its main advantages over composite and PVC. Standard 16-inch on-center joist spacing works for most 5/4 and 2×6 boards, and some 2×6 species stretch to 24 inches. Composite and PVC are durable and friendly to bare feet, but they are expensive and demand shorter joist spans, often 12 to 16 inches, which raises framing cost.
Fasteners and Finishes
Fastener choice follows the wood. Pressure-treated lumber wants hot-dipped galvanized or stainless hardware, cedar and redwood accept either, and ipe requires stainless. Hidden fasteners keep the surface clean but slow installation and raise cost. For a natural look, cedar and redwood take a transparent deck stain or sealer every couple of years; pressure-treated boards need a longer dry-out before any finish adheres reliably.
Climate pushes the decision in predictable directions. In wet, humid regions, decay resistance matters more than first cost, which favors cedar, redwood, or ipe over untreated softwoods. In hot, dry climates, all species last longer, and the main enemies are sun bleaching and checking rather than rot. Buy all boards for the project at once from the same mill lot so color and dimension match, and order 10 percent extra for cuts and defects.
Site conditions decide the details. Drainage, sun exposure, and clearance above grade change the answer for the same board, and the wood deck site selection guidance walks through those factors before you commit to a species.
If you want a full side-by-side of wood versus synthetics, the deck building materials comparison covering wood, composite, and PVC extends the decision beyond boards alone, weighing cost, joist spacing, and maintenance across every surface type.