Should You Replace Deck Boards with Wood or Composite This Summer?

Most deck board comparisons treat price-per-square-foot like it’s a fixed number. Right now, it isn’t. Tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber, which supplies roughly 25-30% of the U.S. market, hit a combined duty rate of 45% in 2026. According to Gordian’s May 2026 lumber cost report, framing lumber costs spiked 5.11% in Q2 alone, the ninth consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth. In some regional markets, the tariff pressure has pushed lumber costs up 8-12% this year. That’s not a rounding error. That’s a material choice getting re-priced in real time, during peak deck season, while you’re standing in the lumber aisle trying to decide.

The gap between pressure-treated wood and composite decking is narrowing faster than most homeowners realize. If you’re replacing boards this summer, here’s what that actually means for your decision.

The Numbers Have Shifted, But Not Enough to Flip the Math Yet

Composite still costs more upfront. Full stop. Pressure-treated pine deck boards run as little as $2 per square foot. Composite from major domestic brands like Trex, TimberTech, and Fiberon runs $8.20-$13.30 per square foot. The 2025 Zonda Cost vs. Value Report puts a professionally installed 16x20 wood deck at $18,263 versus $25,096 for composite, a 27% premium.

But that premium is moving. Because Trex, TimberTech, and Fiberon manufacture domestically, they’re largely insulated from Canadian lumber tariffs. Their price increases have been modest compared to what’s happening to pressure-treated pine. Every dollar that pressure-treated wood climbs closes the gap a little more, and the gap was already narrower than it looked once you ran a 25-year lifecycle cost.

Pressure-treated pine realistically lasts 10-15 years before it’s cupping, cracking, and driving splinters into bare feet. Composite runs 25-30 years with almost no maintenance. If you replace wood boards twice over 30 years, you’ve spent the money twice and done the project twice. The tariff environment is making that second trip to the lumber yard look a lot more expensive than it used to.

When Wood Still Makes Sense

Wood isn’t the wrong answer for everyone. If you’re selling the house in the next two to three years, a clean pressure-treated deck does the job. Buyers aren’t paying you back dollar-for-dollar for composite at resale regardless, and the 2025 Cost vs. Value data bears that out: neither material returns 100% of its cost at sale. Wood gets you a serviceable deck at the lowest possible entry point.

Wood also wins when budget is a hard constraint right now. If the choice is decent pressure-treated boards this summer or no deck at all until next year, do the wood. A well-installed pressure-treated deck that’s sealed annually can genuinely hit that 15-year mark. The maintenance isn’t optional, though. It’s the hidden cost most people forget to calculate.

One more case for wood: structural framing. Even on composite decks, most contractors still use pressure-treated lumber for joists and beams. The tariff hit applies there regardless of what you put on top. If you’re replacing surface boards only on an existing structure, your framing exposure to lumber price volatility is zero.

When Composite Wins

You’re staying in the house long-term. You hate maintenance. You live somewhere with real weather, meaning freeze-thaw cycles, heavy humidity, or a deck that gets full sun all afternoon. Any of those conditions accelerate wood degradation and make composite’s durability advantage compound quickly.

The calculation gets cleaner when you build in the actual cost of maintaining wood: deck stain or sealer runs $30-$60 per gallon, you’ll need it every one to two years, and you’ll need a weekend to do it. Composite needs an occasional wash. That’s it. Over a decade, the time and product costs on a wood deck aren’t trivial, and they never show up in the upfront price comparison.

Ergeon’s May 2026 composite cost breakdown notes that mid-range composite products from brands like Trex Select or TimberTech Edge have gotten more accessible, with installed costs sometimes landing closer to $15-$18 per square foot on a straightforward board replacement. That’s still above pressure-treated, but not by the margin most people assume once labor is in the mix. Labor costs are similar for both materials. You’re not saving much on installation by choosing wood.

The Permit Question Nobody Wants to Deal With

Here’s where homeowners get into trouble. Most people assume replacing like-for-like deck boards doesn’t require a permit. Most municipalities disagree. Even a board-only replacement on an attached deck typically triggers permit requirements, and permits for this scope usually run $100-$500 depending on your jurisdiction.

Skipping the permit feels like a victimless shortcut until you sell the house. Unpermitted deck work can void manufacturer warranties, complicate your homeowner’s insurance claim if something fails, and surface as a problem during the buyer’s inspection. Real estate attorneys see this scenario regularly. It’s not theoretical.

Pull the permit. Call your building department before you buy materials. Some jurisdictions have streamlined online applications for minor repairs. The $200 and the brief delay are cheap compared to a flagged disclosure at closing.

What to Do Right Now

If you’ve been waiting on this project, waiting longer probably doesn’t help. Lumber Capital’s analysis of 2026 pricing doesn’t project relief on softwood tariffs in the near term, and Q3 demand for decking materials typically holds prices steady through the summer.

Get quotes for both materials. Ask contractors to break out material cost from labor so you can see exactly where your money is going. Run your own 15-year math. If the composite premium shrinks to 20% or less on your specific project, the lifetime case for composite gets hard to argue against.

The tariffs didn’t flip this decision overnight, but they did make it closer than it’s been in years. That’s worth ten minutes of actual math before you commit to either pile of boards.

Sources

• Gordian Lumber Price Updates (Q2 2026) (May 5, 2026)
• Deck Replacement Cost Breakdown For 2026 , Premium Decking Supply (June 2026)
• Composite Deck Cost 2026: Real Prices by Brand and Tier , Ergeon (May 14, 2026)
• How Much Does Deck Replacement or Repair Cost? , Angi (June 2026)
• Lumber Prices in 2026: What Builders and Homeowners Need to Know , Lumber Capital (December 15, 2025)

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