Composite Deck Cost by State

Between $35 and $95 per square foot installed, with a national median of $50 to $58 for a mid-tier build. On a 16x20 deck at 320 square feet that is roughly $11,200 at the entry end, about $17,600 at the median, and up to $30,400 for luxury PVC. The band splits into three practical tiers: entry composite at $35 to $42, mid and premium composite at $48 to $58 where most builds land, and PVC from $72 upward. Those are national figures covering the board and its installation; the whole project also carries framing, footings, railing, stairs, a permit and a contingency, so a complete build runs higher for the same footprint. Labour is where geography bites — from about 0.92x the national average in the South to 1.28x on the West Coast — so apply your state's multiplier in the table below.

It depends almost entirely on how long you will own the deck. Up front, wood wins clearly: $25 to $40 per square foot installed against $35 to $95 for composite, a gap of roughly $8,000 on a 320 square foot deck. Over time the comparison reverses. Pressure-treated needs stripping and re-staining every two to three years — about $0.55 per square foot per year in product, plus the weekends — and typically needs board replacement around year 18. Mid-tier composite needs washing, about $0.05 per square foot per year, and lasts 25 to 30 years. Over a 25-year hold the totals converge and composite moves ahead. The practical rule: selling within three to five years, build in wood, because resale rarely repays the premium. Staying ten years or more, composite is usually both the better deck and the cheaper one.

The tier matters more than the badge. A premium composite from any major manufacturer will outperform an entry board from the best-known one, so decide the tier first and the brand second. Within a tier the differences are real but narrow: Trex has roughly 35% market share and the deepest Home Depot availability, which is worth more mid-build than any spec. TimberTech spans both composite and PVC under one name, so its quotes need reading carefully. Fiberon typically prices 5 to 10% under Trex and its Sanctuary line carries a 50-year warranty, longer than Trex offers anywhere. AZEK is pure PVC at the top of the market with a 50-year structural warranty. If a specific colour or a specific retailer is decisive for you, buy on that — the boards within a tier are close enough that convenience is a legitimate tiebreaker.

Capped composite is wood fibre mixed with plastic and wrapped in a protective outer layer; PVC has no wood in it at all. That single difference drives everything else. PVC absorbs no water, so it is the better answer beside a pool, in a wet climate, or within a few miles of saltwater, where a composite depends on its cap staying intact. PVC also runs roughly 10 degrees cooler at the same colour depth, which matters for dark boards in full sun, and it carries the longest warranties on the market at up to 50 years structural. What capped composite gives back is feel and price: the wood-fibre core has weight and an underfoot texture closer to timber, and it costs $48 to $58 per square foot installed at the premium tier against $72 and up for PVC. Neither is an upgrade of the other.

Far less than wood, but not none — and the marketing phrase 'maintenance-free' has cost a lot of people their warranty claims. A composite deck needs washing roughly twice a year with soap and water or a dedicated composite cleaner, because organic film builds up on any horizontal surface outdoors and it is that film, not the board, which turns a deck grey and slippery. Budget about $0.05 per square foot per year, against $0.55 for staining and sealing a pressure-treated deck. What you never do is sand, stain or seal a composite board: the protective cap is the product, and breaking it voids the warranty and shortens the deck's life. Two other habits matter — clear leaves and debris from between the boards so water drains, and keep a mat under any fire pit, since heat damage is not a warranty claim on any brand.