If you’re considering building a new wood deck, you’ll undoubtedly want to ensure that it keeps looking good year after year without cracking, rotting, warping, or suffering attack by borers, termites or other destructive insects. Plus you’ll surely want your deck to be resistant to scuffing, scratch marks and splintering. And of course it must achieve all these goals whilst suffering from the ravages of beating sun, drenching rain and perhaps covered with a snow and ice.

Given such demands placed on wood decks it’s not really surprising that many decks deteriorate after a few short years, particularly if not enough initial thought was given to the conditions under which the deck must endure.

So what are some of the main factors you need to take into consideration when choosing a wood species for your new deck?

Regional location – The first thing to take into consideration when choosing a wood species for your deck is your physical location. Is it very humid, very dry or very wet? Most wood species will perform well in dry locations (although some may exhibit more cracking than others) but a wet, humid climate is particularly harsh for wood products and only the most durable and stable wood species should be used in such locations.

Degree of exposure to weather – Secondly, you need to consider how fully exposed your deck will be to the weather. And this not only means exposure to rainfall, but also to direct sunlight. For example where sunlight falls on a deck for most of the day, the deck will turn grey or fade much more rapidly than a deck in a shaded location. Assuming you wish to retain the original wood colour as long as possible, this will determine how often you need to apply a good-quality decking oil or sealant. And in damp shaded areas, you could have problems with mildew or mold.

Resistance to attack by insects – Many regions of the country suffer from attack by termites or other wood eating insects. If you live in such areas it’s important that any wood species you plan to use is resistant to attack by such insects.

Wood Color – If you are looking for a particular wood colour to coordinate with any interior design or exterior landscaping, then generally you could probably find a wood species to suit. There’s an amazingly large variation in colour across the commercially available wood species including dark purples, deep reds, orange browns, light browns, greenish olives to almost black. Unfortunately, all wood species, no matter what the original colour, when subjected to intense sunlight, will gradually fade to a soft silvery grey. The only way to slow this process is to regularly apply a good-quality decking oil.

Hardness and wear resistance – Whilst pressure treated softwoods and species such as western red cedar relatively soft and can scratch or mark quite easily, there are many extremely durable hardwoods which will resist scuffing and scratching quite successfully.

Resistance to splintering – Some wood species a more prone to splintering than others. If this an issue for you, particularly if you have young children who are using the deck as a play area, you would probably choose a wood species that is noted for its resistance to splintering as it weathers.

Stability – All wood products will expand and contract somewhat as they take up or release moisture. Ideally this expansion and contraction would be uniform but as wood is a natural product it fund manifests itself as cupping, twisting or warping. However not all species experience such phenomenon to the same extent. Teak for example has long been noted as having exceptional stability under a wide variety of climatic conditions, with some other hardwoods like Ipe almost approaching the excellent properties of teak.

Environment – It would be irresponsible in this day and age not to include in any consideration of wood species the environmental implications of using wood products. Unfortunately far too much clear felling of forests is still being carried out in tropical forests, yet it is quite possible, to manage forests and harvest wood on a sustainable basis. By ensuring that any wood products you purchase are harvested under environmentally sound forestry management practices, preferably with the endorsement of independent organisations such as the FSC, you can do a lot to reduce further degradation of existing forests.

The above is just a general summary of the important considerations that should be taken when selecting a wood species for your deck. For more specific information, one of the best independent sources of information is probably the US Forest Department Centre for Wood Anatomy Research, which has specification sheets on most wood species throughout the world.

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