Deck Options - pictures and discussion

[eljefe281]

Pea gravel

Pros

• Durable
• Can be power washed
• Can be acid washed
• Attractive (to some people)
• Inexpensive ($5.75 per square foot from my builder in the Houston area)
• Extremely slip-resistant
• Supposedly remains fairly cool in the hot sun
• Stain resistant

Cons

• Slightly rough on the feet (may get rougher over time)
• Unattractive (to some people)
• Cannot be applied over existing concrete (at least not easily)

[SeanB.]

Anyone else?

Flagstone
Stamped concrete
others?

[LoveinGA]

I went with a brick paver patio, mostly because I thought I could do it by myself, which I did (well, with just a little help from my Dad!).

Pros - 1) it didn't cost a whole lot (I got most of the gray stones for free from a friend of my Dad who scavenged them from a county dumpsite) and I was able to buy a truckload of the other colors each weekend for about 2 months for about $40 a load, plus around $700 for a dump truck load of sand & gravel. 2) It doesn't hurt your bare feet. 3) It should (hopefully) last a long time. 4) I like the way it looks.

Cons - 1) I have to brush sand into the little gaps between the pavers once or twice a year (but we just put the patio in last year, so it may just be an issue of giving it time to "settle"). 2) I do occassionally have to pull up a weed from in between the pavers. 3) Laying the pavers is absolute hell on your knees!

Overall, it was a fairly simple do-it-yourself project (even for a girl!).

[NWMNMom]

One thing about the composites - the heat you experience is in direct relation to the amount of plastic in the final material - ChoiceDek, Trex, Fusion and some other high end brands are no hotter to the feet than wood. Some of the older brands had a lot of plastic and there are even some decking materials that are ALL plastic. You will also experience more heat in a dark decking material than the lighter products. Dark brown, Redwood, etc. vs. white, grays or other light colored materials will reflect the heat - this goes for both wood and composites.