With summer around the corner and deck season beginning, customers often ask us, “how hot do decks get,” or, “how much hotter is composite decking than treated wood?” We also get asked, “if I go with a darker wood stain, will it be a lot hotter on the deck?” These are all very good questions.
Choosing the Right Decking Material
It’s incredibly important to choose the right decking material before you get your deck installed or replaced. If you pick the wrong type of material or stain for your decking, you may wind up with a deck that you’re unhappy with – and the temperature of your deck will have a profound impact on your long-term happiness. So how hot do decks get?
The more pigment that’s in the stain, the more protected from the UV rays the deck will be. But how much hotter is that darker color? And how much hotter is PVC decking versus Ipe hardwood or treated pine with a dark stain?
We carry a large range of high-quality decking materials and exterior stains – so we put them to the temperature test. Granted, in April you’re lucky to get an 86-degree sunny day with just a light scattering of thin clouds. So that’s the day we picked. But even in these conditions, all of the decking materials we tested were over 100 degrees in temperature when left all day in the full sun.
Decking Materials: More Factors to Consider
The temperature of your deck in the hot sun is only one factor to consider while picking out a quality decking material or stain, but can be an important factor depending on the location. So here are some things to consider while deciding what stain to pick out or which type and color of decking materials to put down.
- What side of the house is your deck or porch on?
- Will it have any shade during the day?
- Does it get more sun in the morning or afternoon when the sun’s UV rays are more intense?
If you answered full sun with little to no shade, you may want to consider a medium to light color regardless of the decking material you pick out. To compliment, a darker color can be used on the deck band, as a border, accent, or railings to a lighter deck.
Other ways to keep your deck cooler would be putting up a lattice privacy panel on the southern side of your deck or adding an arbor above to provide shade on the deck surface during the day.
Results of Our Deck Temperature Tests
Although composite and PVC decking does get hotter than treated decking at the temperature tested, a lighter color of the man-made decking comes close to the same temperature as a darker color on the treated stained wood for the 86-degree day tested.
While performing this test, we did notice the temperatures of the different decking materials and colors were affected temporarily by a few degrees when a stray cloud went by or a light breeze came through the area. We attempted to keep the conditions the same on all tests performed. Learn more about the best wood for outdoor use.
Final Word: How Hot Do Decks Get
We hope this article helps answer some of the questions regarding the temperatures of decking materials. If you’re still wondering whether you’ve chosen the right material for your deck, contact one of our lumber yard specialists and tell them about your project. Our team is always happy to help!
| Decking / Colors | Fahrenheit Degrees | |
| Paldeck Highland Tropic PVC Decking | ||
| Brazilian Walnut | 135 | |
| Hawaiian KOA | 149 | |
| Fiberon Paramount PVC Decking | ||
| Flagstone | 149 | |
| Brownstone | 151 | |
| Sandstone | 142 | |
| Mineral | 135 | |
| Fossil | 135 | |
| Fiberon Horizon Permatech Decking | ||
| Ipe | 144 | |
| Castle Gray | 137 | |
| Tudor Brown | 146 | |
| Rosewood | 142 | |
| Greystone | 138 | |
| Fiberon Protect Permatech Decking | ||
| Western Cedar | 140 | |
| Gray Birch | 143 | |
| Chestnut | 144 | |
| Harbor Gray | 135 | |
| Fiberon Good Life Decking | ||
| Cabin | 147 | |
| Villa | 141 | |
| Cottage | 142 | |
| Trex | Transcend Decking | |
| Island Mist | 135 | |
| Tiki Torch | 135 | |
| Havana Gold | 137 | |
| Spiced Rum | 148 | |
| Lava Rock | 147 | |
| Ipe Hardwood with TWP 100 Series Stain | ||
| All Ipe samples ranged: | 136 to 137 | |
| Treated Yellow Pine with TWP 200 Series Stain | ||
| 200 | Clear | 119 |
| 201 | Cedartone | 122 |
| 202 | Redwood | 125 |
| 203 | Gold | 128 |
| 205 | California Cedar | 130 |
| 206 | Russet Brown | 132 |
| 207 | Butternut Brown | 133 |
| 210 | Slate Gray | 121 |
| Treated Yellow Pine with TWP 100 Series Stain | ||
| 100 | Clear | 118 |
| 101 | Cedartone | 126 |
| 102 | Redwood | 128 |
| 103 | Dark Oak | 139 |
| 105 | Cape Cod Gray | 125 |
| 115 | Honeytone | 126 |
| 116 | Rustic Oak | 130 |
| 120 | Pecan | 130 |
| Treated Yellow Pine with DEFY Stain | ||
| Clear | 120 | |
| Cedartone | 128 | |
| Redwood | 130 | |
| Natural Pine | 130 | |
| Lt. Walnut | 135 | |
| Butternut | 137 | |
| Driftwood Gray | 126 | |
| Treated Yellow Pine with Cabot Gold stain | ||
| Sun-drenched Oak | 124 | |
| Sunlit Walnut | 130 | |
| Fireside Cherry | 131 | |
| Moonlit Mahogany | 138 | |
| Natural Flagstone paver Stones | ||
| All Flagstone pavers ranged: | 119 to 126 | |
Decking material and stain tested at a full-sun location on an 86 degree Fahrenheit day.
Article written for the customers of:
CAPITOL CITY LUMBER COMPANY
4216 Beryl Road
Raleigh, NC 27606
800-244-6492
Written by: Edie Morse
