Cedar Decks - Care and Maintenance Tips
Cedar decks are very popular in almost every area of the country. In fact if you take a look at the gallery of pictures of decks you will see just how many decks were built with cedar
What Makes Cedar Decks So Popular?
Western red cedar is known for its excellent weatherability and resistance to the elements.
Cedar is like a cousin of redwood but is slightly less expensive. It too is becoming more scarce and so longer lengths are more expensive per foot than shorter lengths.
It is a soft wood and easy to work with and soft to the touch. It also has a beautiful natural color which changes to grey after exposure to the sun.
Cedar and Longevity
It more and more common to see younger second growth cedar which if it contains more sapwood than heartwood is slightly less resistant to the weather.
But overall it's an excellent outdoor material for decks and is a beautiful decking material.
Care
Cedar decks require regular maintenance or they will not last as long as they should. Even though cedar is naturally rot resistant, constant moisture, freezing and thawing, wet and dry conditions will age the wood.
So every spring and fall you should clean the deck and protect the deck surface. I have written and fairly thorough article on the various aspects of deck cleaning, particularly cleaning wood decks. So read it for further tips.
But with a little regular care, you will find that cedar decks can last 15 years or more depending on the care and the climate.