Composite decking costs noticeably more per square foot than pressure-treated wood, and that is where a lot of homeowners stop the comparison. But decking is not a one-time purchase — it is a purchase plus a decade of maintenance, and that changes the arithmetic.
The upfront difference
Pressure-treated decking is the least expensive surface material available, and on a straightforward rectangular deck the difference against composite is meaningful.
Worth noting: the framing underneath is pressure-treated lumber either way. The cost difference applies only to the surface boards, railing and fascia — typically a smaller share of the total build than people assume.
What wood costs after installation
A wood deck in Maryland needs cleaning and re-sealing or re-staining roughly every two to three years to resist moisture, UV and mildew. Skip it and the boards grey, cup, splinter and eventually rot.
Beyond the recurring product and labour cost, wood decks need individual board replacement as pieces cup or split, and screws back out and need re-setting. It is not a large annual expense, but it never stops.
What composite costs after installation
Composite and PVC decking need washing — soap, water and a brush once or twice a year. There is no sanding, staining or sealing, and boards do not splinter or cup.
Quality matters here. Capped composite, where a protective polymer shell surrounds the core, resists staining and fading far better than early uncapped products. Most current-generation boards carry long fade and stain warranties.
Running the ten-year math
Take the upfront difference between the two materials on your specific deck size. Then estimate the cost of re-sealing the wood deck every two to three years for ten years, including product and labour, plus occasional board replacement.
For most decks, the accumulated maintenance closes the gap somewhere between year seven and year twelve. Past that, composite is simply cheaper — and the deck still looks new while the wood one is being sanded again.
- Wood: lower upfront, re-seal every 2–3 years, 15–20 year life
- Composite: higher upfront, annual wash only, 25–30 year life
- Break-even typically lands between years seven and twelve
- Framing cost is identical — only the surface differs
So which should you build?
Choose wood if the upfront budget is the binding constraint, or if you genuinely enjoy the look of natural timber and do not mind the upkeep.
Choose composite if you intend to stay in the house more than about eight years, or if the reason you have not built a deck yet is that you do not want another thing to maintain.