What Decking Does Not Get Hot in the Sun?

Walking around barefoot on your deck is one of life's simple pleasures, but not if it leaves you with blisters and scorched soles! When the temperature rises, so does the heat radiating from your deck's surface. Save your family's feet (including your pets!) this summer, and read on to learn about heat-resistant decking options.

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What Makes a Deck Hot

Whether you've got pressure-treated wood boards or composite decking, three factors cause your deck boards to absorb and retain heat: the color of your decking, the amount of direct sunlight on your deck, and the temperature of your space.

Decking Color

For example, wearing a dark shirt on a sunny day will cause sweat, and dark-colored decking will absorb more heat and sunlight than light-colored options. That means a deck with dark brown decking will tend to heat more than one with a light gray color.

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Direct Sunlight

The more direct sunlight your deck gets, the more your deck boards will heat up. A bright, sunny deck is a fantastic luxury for entertaining, relaxing, and gardening, but it also makes for a much hotter deck surface. If your deck space gets a lot of direct sunlight, you could consider a shade structure to help keep your surface cool.

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Air Temperature

The air temperature around your deck will also affect how much your boards hold heat. On a more relaxed day, deck boards might absorb heat from direct sun, but they'll cool down quicker. On a hot, humid summer day, your boards retain heat longer. There's not much we can do to control the climate, but the principles above still apply: choose light-colored decking and add shade structures to help keep the temperature around your decking lower.

Composite vs. Wood When It Comes to Your Deck

While early composite decks were notorious for getting uncomfortably hot, new composite decking materials are much more heat-resistant. High-quality modern composite boards don't become hotter than traditional wooden deck boards and often boast cooler temperatures to the touch. In addition, the lighter the color of the composite deck boards you choose, the cooler they will stay in direct sunlight. Here are two of our favorite options for composite wood heat mitigation.

TimberTech AZEK: Engineered for Heat Resistance

TimberTech Advanced PVC decking is engineered to be more relaxed to the touch, even in direct sunlight. TimberTech PVC decking features advanced materials science in its core and cap, which makes it more heat resistant than other composite decking products. The PVC deck boards are made with proprietary polymer material and no wood. They are less dense than traditional lumber or decking made from composite material (recycled plastic and wood flakes). Less density means boards absorb and retain less heat. The bottom line? TimberTech PVC decking is engineered to stay up to 30° cooler than competitive composite products.

Trex Transcend® Lineage™ Composite Decking

Transcend Lineage is engineered to relax your deck, even on the hottest days. Engineered with heat-mitigating technology in the shell, Lineage boards reflect the sun and stay more relaxed than other composite decking offerings of a similar color. Lineage boards are engineered with a proprietary, high-traffic formulation and ultra-durable integrated shell that resists stains, scratches, mold, and (as much as possible) rising temperatures.

Choosing Webfoot Home Improvements to Build Your Deck

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Our team comprises true craftsmen specializing in designing, layout, care, know-how, and maintenance of decks and outdoor living spaces in Bend and surrounding areas. When building your composite deck, we're certified platinum TimberTech and Trex Decking installers. Call us for an estimate today!