Cost of TimberTech Vs. Treated Lumber

Pressure Treated Lumber

• Pressure treated lumber is traditional southern yellow or Ponderosa pine lumber that has been impregnated at high pressure with mineral salts to retard the wood's decay. However, any wood product used in exterior construction must be regularly protected from the elements with stain, paint or waterproofing coatings. From protection by a sprayed-on water repellent to traditional stains or paints, without regular maintenance, a beautiful deck will quickly decay and require board replacement.

TimberTech Lumber

• TimberTech is a composite plastic material that is manufactured as a replacement for pressure treated lumber. Flexible, yet dimensionally stable, TimberTech is impregnated with color all the way through the boards. The boards cut with standard builder's tools and install just as fast as wood decking. The advantage with TimberTech is that homeowners do not have to worry about splinters, color fading or wood decay. The product also carries a 25-year limited warranty.

Initial Investment

• In summer months, lumber companies sell some of their items as "loss leaders." These products are regularly advertised at low margins in order to draw customers into the showroom. The retail outlets expect to make up their losses on the customer's total purchase. Pressure treated decking lumber is regularly among these loss leaders. Lumber yards expect to see lower margins on decking and hand rail purchases, which means lower than normal retail prices on these items. Therefore, when comparing TimberTech to pressure treated decking and railing materials, customers can expect to pay more than twice the price for the same size piece of decking. TimberTech is selling quality and durability to their customers, not drawing them in with low prices. The investment in TimberTech is considerably more than a traditional pressure treated deck package.

Ongoing Maintenance Costs

• The advantage of TimberTech, and any other composite decking, is that customers will spend less time maintaining the product and less time repairing it over the lifetime of the deck. If a deck lasts for 25 years through the warranty period of the TimberTech products, a traditional deck will need repairing every 5 years or so, depending on the exterior conditions, and how much direct weather the deck receives. Additionally, the standard deck should be cleaned and waterproofed every other year. Therefore customers have to weigh the costs and benefits of each product over the lifetime of the deck when they make their buying decisions.