Composite has eaten the deck industry over the last decade, and there's a real case for it. Material costs over a 25-year ownership window. Freeze-thaw resistance. Fade resistance. No annual maintenance. All true. None of that means composite is the right answer for every house in Salt Lake County.
There are houses where wood is still the right call. The 1920s bungalows on 9th & 9th. The brick four-squares around Harvard/Yale. The mid-century split-levels in St. Mary's. Houses whose original character came from natural materials, where a manufactured board feels like a downgrade no matter how good it looks in the catalog. We've turned in proposals that recommended composite to homeowners who didn't actually want it, and watched them go with someone else because we wouldn't push the wood build they really came in for. We've stopped doing that.
This page is for homeowners who already know they want wood, or who want to take that option seriously before getting pushed off it. We'll be honest about the trade-offs, because pretending wood doesn't need annual care is how owners end up disappointed at year five.
What wood does in Utah's climate, both good and bad
Wood works in Utah. Wood also takes a beating in Utah. Both are true at the same time.
The good: real wood ages into a character that composite manufacturers spend significant R&D budgets trying to fake and never quite get right. A cedar deck with three years of weathering on it develops a silver-gray patina that looks intentional, because it is. Wood is warmer underfoot in shoulder seasons. It's quieter to walk on. It accepts stain and lets you change the color across the deck's life. None of that exists in the composite world in the same way.
The bad: UV at 4,300 feet does to wood roughly what UV at sea level does to wood, multiplied by about 1.4. Cedar gray-out happens faster here than in Seattle. Pressure-treated checks and splits sooner here than in Atlanta. Freeze-thaw cycles open and close microcracks in the wood fibers, and any moisture sitting in those cracks finds new places to settle. The 2025-26 winter was the lowest-snowpack winter on record in Utah, with statewide snowpack peaking at just 8.4 inches on March 9, less than half of normal. That sounds like it should have been easier on wood decks. It wasn't. Without snow cover, cedar and pine boards across the Wasatch Front got six straight months of continuous UV, and we're seeing more premature graying this spring than a normal year would produce.
This is all manageable. It's just not optional. A wood deck that gets cleaned and re-stained on a regular schedule will look right for 20 years. A wood deck that doesn't will look tired in five.
The woods we work with and what each one is good for
Cedar. The default choice for most homeowners who want wood. Western red cedar is naturally rot-resistant, takes stain beautifully, smells right when freshly cut, and sits in the middle of the price spectrum. Cedar ages different than redwood does, fading to a softer gray rather than holding the red tones. Most of our wood deck builds in Salt Lake County are cedar.
Redwood. Increasingly expensive and increasingly hard to source domestically. If you want redwood specifically (some clients do, especially on mid-century homes), we'll source it, but the material premium versus cedar has gotten difficult to justify on most projects.
Pressure-treated pine. Catches a lot of unfair criticism, the modern formulations are dramatically different from the arsenic-based CCA wood your dad's deck was probably built from. Today's pressure-treated uses copper-based preservatives that are safer and less corrosive. It's the most affordable wood option, it lasts a long time when sealed properly, and it's an honest choice for a budget-conscious build. Pressure-treated also accepts stain, since most homeowners assume the green tint is permanent and it isn't.
Premium hardwoods (ipé, garapa, cumaru). Tropical hardwoods that are extremely dense, naturally rot-resistant, and gorgeous. They also cost double or triple cedar, require specialized fasteners (they're too dense for standard screws), and have ethical sourcing concerns we'll talk through with you. We build with ipé occasionally for clients who want that specific look. Most projects don't need it.
An opinion you should hear before you commit
If you can't commit to annual maintenance, don't choose wood.
This is the single most common conversation we have with homeowners who want a wood deck. The build is the easy part. The first two years are easy. The years after that are when wood decks separate the committed owners from the regretful ones. Annual cleaning. Re-stain or re-seal every two to three years depending on sun exposure. Sand and refinish every five to seven. Replace individual boards as they crack or rot, usually starting around year eight to ten on the parts of the deck that catch the most weather.
Some homeowners enjoy this. They like having a relationship with their deck, knowing it intimately, working on it on Saturdays in May with a sander and a cold drink. Other homeowners want to pour a beer on the railing and call it a day. The second group is unhappy with wood by year four.
Be honest with yourself about which group you're in before you sign anything. We'd rather build you composite that you love for 25 years than build you wood that you resent for ten and then replace.
Frequently asked questions
How long will a wood deck last in Salt Lake City?
With consistent maintenance, 20 to 25 years for cedar, 25 to 30 for ipé and premium hardwoods, 18 to 22 for pressure-treated pine. Without consistent maintenance, knock five to seven years off any of those numbers. The framing under the deck typically lasts longer than the deck surface itself if it's properly flashed and ventilated.
Cedar vs. redwood vs. pressure-treated, what should I choose?
For most Salt Lake County homes, cedar is the right answer. It hits the sweet spot of cost, appearance, longevity, and availability. Pressure-treated makes sense if budget is the dominant factor and you're willing to stain it. Redwood is for clients who specifically want that look on a home where it visually fits, usually a mid-century rambler or a craftsman bungalow. We spec all three during design with current pricing so you can see the difference.
How often do I need to stain or seal a wood deck in Utah?
Plan on cleaning annually, re-staining or re-sealing every two to three years on south- or west-facing decks, every three to four years on east- or north-facing decks. Homes that back up to the foothills near City Creek Canyon get afternoon shade earlier than homes deeper into the valley, which can extend that interval. The unusually intense UV exposure of the dry 2025-26 winter is going to compress those timelines for the 2026 season. We're recommending most clients move their next re-stain up by one year.
Is pressure-treated wood safe to use for a deck?
Yes. Pressure-treated lumber sold today uses copper-based preservatives that are safe for residential decks, raised garden beds, and outdoor furniture. The older arsenic-based CCA treatment was phased out for residential use in 2003. Modern pressure-treated wood is still not recommended for direct food contact (so not the cutting surface of your outdoor kitchen island), but as deck framing and decking, it's safe.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes. We're a licensed and insured custom deck builder serving Salt Lake County. General liability and worker's comp coverage are in place on every project, and we provide certificates of insurance on request before work begins.
See if wood is right for your house
Send a few photos of your home's exterior, the front, the back, the architectural style. Wood is more about visual fit than most homeowners realize, and we can give you an honest read on whether your house wants wood or really wants composite.
Call (801) 930-7243 or fill out the contact form.