Best Deck Materials for Mountain Homes

Winters in the Colorado mountains are beautiful, with snow-capped mountaintops, deep blue skies, and pillowy white clouds. Despite the beauty, winters in the mountains of Colorado can be harsh and extreme, with heavy snowfall, bitterly cold temperatures, and challenging weather conditions. Because of this, it is good to know the best deck materials for mountain homes.

What kind of challenging weather conditions? The Rockies receive massive amounts of snow in the winter, with some areas averaging more than 300 inches annually. A major snowstorm can dump several feet of snow in a few days. Temperatures below zero are common, and wind chills only make it worse.

We get to stay inside to find shelter from winter’s extreme conditions, but our decks do not. They take a beating in the weather months. Let’s consider the best deck materials for mountain homes and landscapes.

How Wood Decks Fare in Colorado Winters

Colorado winters can last from October to April, exposing exterior structures, like wood decks, to these harsh elements for longer periods. While natural wood is extremely beautiful, this extended exposure to severe winter weather can harm wood decks in several ways:

• The extreme cold can cause the wood to contract, resulting in cracking.
• The heavy snowfall, if not removed promptly, can pile up and put excessive weight on the deck, potentially causing structural damage.
• The snow can also trap moisture against the wood, which can cause the wood to freeze and thaw repeatedly when combined with fluctuating temperatures. This cycle can lead to the wood swelling and contracting, causing warping and further cracking.
• Trapped moisture can also cause mold, mildew, and rot to set in, damaging the integrity of the wood and leading to potential safety hazards.
• Exposure to UV radiation on sunny but cold winter days can cause the deck to fade and degrade, which may result in the need for regular refinishing or replacement.

To mitigate this damage, it’s crucial to provide proper seasonal maintenance and use suitable sealants to protect the wood deck from the harsh Colorado mountain winters.

Why We Think TimberTech Products are the Best Deck Materials for Mountain Homes and Landscapes

At O’Keefe Built, we recommend using deck boards manufactured by TimberTech, an AZEK company. Over the past three decades, vinyl and composite decking materials have risen in popularity and are preferred by professional deck builders.

TimberTech offers two main types of decking products – composite decking and PVC (polyvinyl chloride) decking.

TimberTech Composite Decking is made from recycled wood fibers and plastic polymers. It is capped on three or four sides with a protective polymer layer. The collections include Legacy, Reserve, Terrain, Edge Prime+, and Edge Premier.

TimberTech Advanced PVC Decking is made from 100% synthetic PVC material with no wood fibers and fully encapsulated in a PVC outer layer from core to cap. The collections include Vintage, Landmark, Harvest, and Porch.

TimberTech decks are durable, easy to maintain, and sustainable. Here are just a few of the reasons we prefer TimberTech over wood decking materials:

1. Unparalleled Durability and Weather Resistance

TimberTech decking materials offer a superior choice for decking in mountain homes and landscapes due to their exceptional durability. They can last up to 50 years, even in uncompromising environmental conditions.

Among the standout features of TimberTech decking is its superior weathering resistance, thanks to the four-sided polymer capping that shields the boards from the elements. Many TimberTech products have capping on four sides.

Because of this design, these decking boards can resist moisture, mold, mildew, UV rays, and freezing temperatures. Unlike traditional wood decks, they won’t rot, crack, warp, or splinter, ensuring long-lasting performance and visual appeal.

In addition to its impressive moisture resistance, TimberTech decking boasts exceptional scratch resistance. This means that despite the rugged conditions of mountain environments, your deck retains its long-lasting beauty and performance.

Come summer, you will appreciate how the TimberTech decking products are designed to be cool to the touch. However, you won’t fully appreciate this benefit in the middle of winter in two feet of snow!

2. TimberTech Decking Requires Minimal Maintenance

Both TimberTech lines, composite and PVC, need minimal maintenance compared to traditional wood decking. The qualities that make the TimberTech products durable contribute to their low-maintenance properties.

The capped polymer construction produces a material without wood fibers. The protective polymer cap resists moisture, mold, mildew, and fading from UV rays. So, you will not need to pressure-wash your deck to remove the mold and mildew.

The boards won’t rot, warp, or crack like real wood, so you will not have to worry about sanding, staining, sealing, or painting your deck.

Your TimberTech deck will only require an occasional cleaning with soap and water.

When you decide on a composite or PVC deck, you will pay higher upfront material costs. However, the lower cost of maintenance over time makes your investment more cost-effective than a wood deck.