Trex is composite (wood fibers plus recycled plastic) that barely needs any attention. Wood is the classic stuff, warmer to look at, cheaper upfront, but it asks for more of your weekends.
Neither choice is wrong. The right answer hinges on how much time, money, and patience you actually have to spend on your backyard.
What Even Is Trex?
Trex is a composite decking board. The recipe is roughly 95% recycled content, wood flour mixed with plastic film, bonded together, and wrapped in a protective shell. The board you stand on looks like wood, feels a touch firmer, and does not splinter, warp, or fade the way lumber does.
It comes in dozens of colors. Grey, espresso, clay, cedar look-alikes. You pick a finish, and that is what your deck looks like in year 1, year 10, and year 25.
What About a Wood Deck?
Wood is lumber. Usually pressure-treated pine for the frame, with a surface board of cedar, redwood, or a hardwood like ipe if the budget allows. Treated wood gets infused with preservatives that fight rot and insects, and those chemicals are regulated under the EPA’s rules on residential wood preservatives, since decks are one of the most common residential uses of treated lumber.
Wood has real grain, warm tone, and genuine character that plastic cannot quite copy. It also has real chores.
The Side by Side, Without the Sales Pitch
| Feature | Trex (Composite) | Wood |
| Upfront cost per sq ft | $9 to $16 installed | $4 to $10 installed |
| Lifespan | 25 to 30 years | 10 to 20 years with care |
| Maintenance | Soap and water, once a year | Sand, seal, stain every 1 to 3 years |
| Heat underfoot | Gets warm in full sun | Stays cooler |
| Splinters | None | Eventually, yes |
| Look in year 15 | Same as year 1 | Depends on your sealing habits |
| Feel | Firm, uniform | Natural, textured |
Where Trex Shines
- Low maintenance. A hose and some soapy water. That is about the whole routine.
- Long warranty. Most composite lines come with 25 to 50-year residential warranties on the boards.
- No rot, no bugs. The plastic shell locks moisture out, so termites and carpenter ants lose interest fast.
- Color stays put. UV inhibitors keep the boards from graying after a few summers.
- Great for humid climates. In sticky Southern air, wood works overtime. Composite barely breaks a sweat.
Where Wood Wins
- Cheaper to install. You pay less per board foot, sometimes close to half.
- Classic look. Nothing truly matches real grain under your feet.
- Repairable. A damaged board can be sanded, restained, and blended back in.
- Cooler in the sun. Wood often sits 10 to 15 degrees cooler than dark composite on a bright July afternoon.
- Traditional feel. If the rustic look is the whole point, wood delivers it honestly.
The Stuff Nobody Brings Up at the Showroom
Trex costs more. A lot more on installation day. You cannot stain it a new color on a whim. And even composite can fade slightly or show scratches if you drag grill legs around without a mat underneath.
Wood, on the flip side, punishes neglect. Skip a season of sealing in a wet climate and you get warping, cupping, or that silvery gray that some people love and some people absolutely do not. Wood is also a termite buffet once the treatment wears down.
Safety matters too. Loose boards, rotting joists, and rusty fasteners can turn a sunny afternoon into a hospital visit. Regular inspections go a long way, especially on older wood decks.
If you want to learn more about keeping a wood deck alive through NC humidity, take a look at our guide on deck maintenance for North Carolina weather. If the composite side has your curiosity, we broke the whole science down in our composite decking explainer.
Cost Over 20 Years, Honestly
Upfront, wood looks like the bargain. Over two decades, the math flips. Rough picture for a 300 sq ft deck:
- Wood total: Install around $5,000, plus roughly $300 every couple of years on stain, sealer, and the odd replacement board. Landing zone: about $8,000 over the lifespan.
- Trex total: Install around $10,000, plus maybe $50 a year on cleaning supplies. Landing zone: about $11,000 across 25 plus years.
Close call on paper. Factor your own weekends into the equation, and Trex usually pulls ahead.
Which One Should You Pick?
Pick Trex if you want to use the deck, not work on it. If you travel often, dislike yard chores, or plan to stay put for decades, the upfront hit pays off.
Pick wood if your budget is tighter right now, you love the natural look, and an annual sanding and sealing ritual sounds like therapy rather than torture.
Want one more read before you commit? Our post on what to put under your deck walks through the base layer, which matters almost as much as the top boards.
FAQ
Is Trex slippery when wet?
Less than people assume. The textured surface gives decent grip, though any deck turns slick under ice or algae.
Can you paint a wood deck to look like Trex?
You can paint wood any color you want. You cannot make it stop aging.
Does Trex get hot?
Yes. In direct summer sun, darker Trex shades can feel uncomfortable barefoot. Lighter colors stay more forgiving.
How long does a wood deck really last?
With diligent care, 15 to 20 years. Without care, closer to 7 to 10.
So, Trex or Wood?
Honest take. If you have read this far, you might already be tired. Picking boards, pricing fasteners, comparing warranties, and scheduling sealing weekends. A lot of the work of choosing happens before a single screw goes in.
Or you could skip the whole spiral and let someone handle the planning, materials, permits, and build. That someone would be us. We walk you through every option during your free consultation and build a deck that actually matches how you live. Take a look at our deck building page for more on our process.
Call us at (910) 985-8064 or message us here.