The short answer
Pressure-treated (PT) lumber wins on upfront cost — roughly $25–$50 per square foot installed against $30–$80 for composite — but it needs staining and sealing every 1–3 years and lasts about 15–20 years. Composite (Trex, TimberTech) costs more on day one, then asks for little beyond a soap-and-water wash and typically lasts 25–50 years. If you pay a pro to maintain a wood deck, the 10-year totals often end up similar; if you do the maintenance yourself, PT usually stays cheaper in cash and you pay the difference in Saturdays.
The figures below are planning ranges, not bids — installed cost for a typical attached residential deck including substructure, railing, stairs, and labor, before regional and site-specific variation. Price your exact size, material, and railing with the deck cost calculator, then get two or three local quotes.
| Material | Installed cost | Board cost | Maintenance | Lifespan | Best for |
|---|
| Pressure-treated (PT) | $25 – $50/sf | $4 – $8/sf | Stain/seal every 1–3 yrs | 15 – 20 yrs | Lowest upfront; DIY maintainers |
| Cedar | $30 – $47/sf | $6 – $12/sf | Seal to keep color; grays otherwise | 20 – 30 yrs | Natural wood look; rot resistance |
| Composite (Trex / TimberTech) | $30 – $80/sf | $5 – $13/sf | Soap-and-water wash | 25 – 50 yrs | Low maintenance; long stays |
| PVC (AZEK) | $60 – $80/sf | $9 – $13/sf | Soap-and-water wash | 50+ yrs | Wet sites, poolside, longest life |
Pressure-treated lumber: cheapest to build
Pressure-treated pine is the default American deck for a reason: it is the cheapest board at the lumberyard and every carpenter knows how to work with it. Boards run $4–$8 per square foot, and a finished PT deck installs for $25–$50 per square foot — so a popular 12×16 family deck lands around $4,800–$9,600 including substructure, railing, stairs, and labor.
The catch is ongoing work. PT decking needs a stain-and-seal roughly every 1–3 years to slow checking, cupping, and graying, and even well-kept boards may warp, crack, or splinter over time. With regular maintenance a PT deck lasts about 15–20 years; neglected, it fades and roughens much sooner. None of this is a defect — it is simply the trade you make for the lowest sticker price.
Pick PT if: upfront budget rules, you plan to move within 5–10 years, or you are happy running a roller and a pump sprayer on a spring weekend. Model your exact size and railing in the deck cost calculator.
Cedar: the natural-wood middle ground
Cedar sits between PT and composite on price — boards at $6–$12 per square foot and installed costs around $30–$47 per square foot. It is naturally rot-resistant and insect-repellent without the pressure-treatment chemicals, and it lasts about 20–30 years.
Left alone, cedar weathers to a silver-gray many homeowners like; if you want to keep the warm tone, plan on sealing it on a similar cadence to PT. In other words, cedar buys you a nicer board and a longer life, not freedom from maintenance — that is composite's territory.
Composite (Trex, TimberTech): pay once, wash it
Composite decking is wood fiber and plastic capped in a polymer shell. It never needs stain, sealer, or sanding — upkeep is a rinse and an occasional soap-and-water wash. Entry lines (Trex Enhance, TimberTech Edge) run $5–$9 per square foot for boards and about $30–$60 per square foot installed; premium lines (Trex Transcend, TimberTech Pro) run $8–$13 per square foot and $50–$70 installed, with deeper grain and multi-tone coloring. Taken together, composite spans roughly $30–$80 per square foot installed, so a 12×16 deck lands around $6,400–$15,400 depending on board line and railing.
Part of the premium is invisible: composite usually wants joists at 12 inches on center instead of the 16 typical for wood, hidden fasteners slow the install, and crews price the tighter tolerances in. What you get back is a 25–50 year service life backed by manufacturer warranties in the same range, and boards that will not splinter under bare feet. Two honest caveats: dark composite can run hot in full summer sun, and the frame underneath is still pressure-treated lumber — the low-maintenance promise applies to the surface you see, not the structure below it.
Pick composite if: you are staying put, you never want to stain anything again, or the deck is big enough that maintenance would be a real recurring bill.
PVC (AZEK): the no-wood premium option
PVC boards (AZEK / TimberTech AZEK) contain no wood at all — they are fully waterproof, the lightest boards on the market, and the longest-lived at 50+ years. Boards run $9–$13 per square foot and installed costs run $60–$80 per square foot, making PVC the most expensive mainstream choice.
For most backyard decks the extra spend over a good capped composite is hard to justify. Where PVC earns its price is standing water and constant splash: poolside decks, docks, low decks over damp ground, and coastal exposure.
The 10-year math
Upfront price is only half the comparison, because wood keeps charging you after the build. Take the most popular size — a 12×16 (192 sq ft) attached deck — and use the deck calculator's installed ranges: $4,800–$9,600 in PT, $6,400–$15,400 in composite.
Now add maintenance. Hiring out a stain-and-seal typically costs on the order of $2–$4 per square foot per application — roughly $400–$770 per visit for this deck — and PT generally needs it every 1–3 years. Call that three to five professional visits over a decade, or roughly $1,200–$3,900. Composite's decade of upkeep is soap, water, and a stiff brush.
| 12×16 deck (192 sf) | Upfront installed | 10-yr maintenance | 10-yr total |
|---|
| PT, pro-maintained | $4,800 – $9,600 | ~$1,200 – $3,900 | ~$6,000 – $13,500 |
| PT, DIY-maintained | $4,800 – $9,600 | ~$200 – $600 (materials) | ~$5,000 – $10,200 |
| Composite (Trex / TimberTech) | $6,400 – $15,400 | ~$0 – $300 (cleaning) | ~$6,400 – $15,700 |
Read it honestly: if you hire out the maintenance, PT's price advantage narrows sharply — the 10-year bands overlap, and a basic composite line can land inside the PT total. If you do the maintenance yourself, PT stays clearly cheaper in cash over 10 years; you are paying the gap in your own labor, several weekends per decade. Stretch the horizon to 20 years and the picture tilts further toward composite, because a PT deck is reaching the end of its 15–20 year life just as a composite deck is hitting the middle of its warranty.
Frequently asked questions
Is composite or pressure-treated decking cheaper?
Pressure-treated is cheaper upfront — about $25–$50 per square foot installed versus $30–$80 for composite. But composite eliminates the staining and sealing a PT deck needs every 1–3 years, so the 10-year cost is often similar and the 20-year cost usually favors composite.
How much does a 12x16 deck cost?
A 12×16 (192 sq ft) pressure-treated deck typically runs $4,800–$9,600 installed in 2026, including substructure, railing, stairs, and labor. The same deck in composite (Trex or TimberTech) runs about $6,400–$15,400 depending on the board line and railing.
How much does it cost to stain and seal a deck?
Hiring out a stain-and-seal typically costs on the order of $2–$4 per square foot per application — roughly $400–$770 for a 12×16 deck — and PT decking generally needs it every 1–3 years. Doing it yourself cuts the cash cost to stain and supplies, usually well under $150 per round, but costs you a weekend.
How long does composite decking last?
Composite decking typically lasts 25–50 years, and the major brands back it with 25–50 year warranties (Trex Enhance and TimberTech Edge at the lower end, Trex Transcend and TimberTech Pro at the upper). Pressure-treated decking lasts about 15–20 years with regular maintenance; PVC boards run 50+ years.
Does a composite deck pay for itself?
Often, if you would otherwise pay a pro to stain and seal. Once three to five professional maintenance cycles are priced in, a PT deck's 10-year total overlaps the composite band. If you do your own maintenance, PT usually stays cheaper in cash terms over 10 years — you pay the difference in labor, not dollars.
When is pressure-treated still the better choice?
When upfront budget is the constraint, when you plan to move within 5–10 years, or when you are comfortable staining and sealing it yourself. PT is also the standard choice for the substructure under any deck — even composite decks usually sit on a pressure-treated frame.
Which should you pick?
- Tightest budget, or moving within 5–10 years? Pressure-treated — lowest upfront cost, and the maintenance bill mostly lands on the next owner.
- Happy to stain it yourself every couple of years? Pressure-treated stays the cheapest in cash over a decade — you pay the gap in weekends.
- Staying 10+ years and done with maintenance? Composite — a basic Trex or TimberTech line often overlaps a pro-maintained PT deck's 10-year total.
- Want real wood without PT chemicals? Cedar — nicer board, longer life, but it still wants sealing to keep its color.
- Poolside, dock, or constantly wet site? PVC — the only fully waterproof board, and the longest-lived.
Whichever way you lean, price your exact size, height, railing, and region — then check any contractor quote against the band with the built-in bid check:
Deck cost calculator →
