Vendors
For decades, decks have given homeowners like you, your family and your guests freedom to enjoy Michigan’s lakeshores, forests, fields and flowers on your own terms. Now, Builders FirstSource carries all the supplies you need to design and build the deck of your dreams on your terms, with all the features you’ve always wanted.
Engineering advances in materials have led to rethinking what’s possible in decking design—for both new composite decking and PVC decking and for trusted standards like cedar and treated wood. In fact, the term deck hardly seems to cover the fashionable new structures that simultaneously extend living space and enhance a home’s visual appeal and value.
Most manufacturers’ product lines start with conventional decking planks or boards, but offer the full realm of features to make every deck a custom deck. The right features can even lengthen your deck’s seasonal use beyond Michigan’s most temperate months and let you enjoy the outdoors longer:
Composite Decking
Both Trex and TimberTech composite decking, for example, are made of a composite wood material designed to be worry-free as well as mold-, scratch-, stain- and fade-resistant. You get deep woodgrain texture in a host of colors—plus a 25+ year warranty against fading or staining. Build out your design with Trex and TimberTech railings, lighting, fencing and lattices, accessory hardware, pergolas and even outdoor kitchens. Both materials pride themselves as green products— Trex touts being 95 percent recycled materials and TimberTech is up to 73% recycled.
Woodgrain
AZEK decking utilizes the resilience of PVC with loads of woodgrain choices and up to a 50-year warranty on its products. Their Vintage Collection’s decking boards, for example, come in narrow, standard and wide, allowing you to mix widths for a more organic look and feel. They also offer complementary railings, lighting ad capped tongue-and-groove porch boards. Plus, channeled dryspace panels let you make use of every square foot of every level of your custom deck.
Cedar
Cedar remains a long-time favorite. It has the look, feel and smell of wood. It’s relatively light, durable and able to hold its shape despite weather and moisture. It’s easy to work with and lends its distinctive woodgrain to any feature, from posts or rails to built-in benches, planters, staircases or pergolas. It’s also resistant to insects, mold, mildew, fungus and rot, and as it weathers, it only becomes more beautiful.
Treated Wood
Treated wood, usually pine, is typically the least expensive option and quality boards will ensure your deck ages gracefully with regular maintenance and care. Like cedar, treated wood allows crafty types lots of leeway for adding features like seating, planters, arbors and privacy screens.
Composite, PVC, cedar and treated wood are all good choices for building a fabulous new deck that will bring pleasure for years to come. Maintenance, budget and simple personal taste are all aspects to consider. If you’re ready to build a new deck or rebuild an old one, come see us at one of our Builders FirstSource locations in Michigan. You can find us in Alpena, Bad Axe, Cadillac, Caro, Fremont, Gaylord, Kalamazoo, Petoskey, Rudyard, Saginaw, St. Helen and Traverse City. Show our experienced professionals what you have in mind, and let us do the rest. Our staff guides you from quote to completion, but we leave the enjoying all up to you.