Cedar or composite decking: choosing a deck surface in Ontario
Cedar stays cooler underfoot because it is a low density wood full of air. Capped composite removes the annual stain. Here is how the two compare on maintenance, heat, framing and how they age.
Key takeaways
- Cedar is cooler underfoot. It is a low density wood full of air, so it does not store solar heat the way a dense polymer board does.
- Composite costs more up front and removes the annual stain. Cedar costs less up front and keeps its colour only if you oil it every two or three seasons.
- Dark composite boards absorb noticeably more heat, which is the deciding factor on a pool deck facing south.
- Framing is identical either way: pressure-treated on footings below the 1,200 mm Ontario frost line, with a guard once the surface passes 600 mm above grade.
- Composite joist spacing follows the board's span table, not habit, because composite is less stiff than wood of the same thickness.
Most deck conversations in the Greater Toronto Area come down to two surfaces: cedar or capped composite. Both are good decks. They fail differently, they age differently, and one of them is uncomfortable in bare feet in August. This is the comparison as it plays out on Ontario lots, without a manufacturer's brochure in the middle of it.
Cedar vs composite decking, side by side
The framing under both surfaces is the same build. The difference is the board, and the board decides maintenance, temperature and how the deck looks in year eight.
| Cedar | Capped composite | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Solid softwood, western red or eastern white | Wood fibre and polymer with a harder polymer shell |
| Rot resistance | Natural, from heartwood oils, with no treatment | From the polymer cap and core, with no wood exposed |
| Surface temperature | Low density and full of air, so it stays cooler | Dense; dark colours absorb noticeably more heat |
| Annual maintenance | Oil or stain every two or three seasons to hold the tone | Sweep, and wash with soap and water |
| If you do nothing | Weathers to a soft silver grey; the deck does not fail | Holds colour; leaves left composting in the gaps will stain the cap |
| Fasteners | Face screwed or hidden, depending on the detail | Hidden clips seated in the board edge, no screw heads on the face |
| Underfoot | Slightly soft, warm, kinder to knees | Firm and consistent board to board |
| Dents | Softer than pressure-treated pine, so it marks under a dragged chair | Cap resists scratches and ring marks |
Neither column contains a price, because price depends on the deck's size, height, stair count and guard run rather than on the board alone. The deck building page sets out how a quote is assembled.
Why cedar still wins pool surrounds
Cedar's advantage over composite is temperature, and it is a physical property rather than a preference. Cedar is a low density wood full of air, so it does not store solar heat. On a thirty degree GTA afternoon a cedar deck is comfortable in bare feet while a dark composite deck is not.
That single property is why cedar decking keeps winning pool surrounds against materials that beat it on every maintenance measure. If the deck is where children walk from water to shade all afternoon, surface temperature outranks the staining schedule.
The grade conversation matters here too. Western red cedar is more stable, darker and longer lived. Eastern white is lighter, more local and better value on a large surface. Premium western red and AK-KD grades are quoted separately rather than assumed, because the grade is most of the price difference and it should be a decision. The cedar decking page carries both grades.
What the cap on composite actually does
Uncapped first generation composite is what gave the whole category its reputation twenty years ago. A capped board is a different product. The polymer shell resists the scratch from a dragged patio chair, the ring from a spilled glass of red wine, and in a yard facing south, fade from UV.
Three things separate composite tiers, and price follows all three.
- How many sides are capped. A four sided cap matters on a low deck where the underside sits in damp air.
- How convincing the grain embossing looks at close range. This is what makes the difference between a board that reads as a deck and one that reads as cladding.
- How long the fade and stain warranty runs. The warranty term is the manufacturer's own statement about the cap, which makes it the most useful number on the spec sheet.
Colours run from light greys through warm browns. The darker boards absorb noticeably more heat, which is worth knowing before choosing one for a pool deck. For a surface with no wood content at all that runs cooler underfoot again, the PVC decking page is the closer comparison.
The framing under both is the same build
Whichever board goes down, what holds it up does not change.
- Pressure-treated framing, on footings set below the 1,200 mm Ontario frost line.
- A guard where the finished walking surface sits more than 600 mm above grade, under Ontario Building Code section 9.8.8.
- Guard height of 900 mm for a surface 600 to 1,800 mm above grade, and 1,070 mm once it passes 1,800 mm, with no opening large enough to pass a 100 mm sphere.
- An Ontario One Call locate filed before any excavation, with a five business day minimum on a single property.
One framing detail is specific to composite. Joist spacing follows the board's published span table rather than a standard spacing, because composite is less stiff than a wood board of the same thickness and will telegraph an over wide span as a bounce underfoot. A composite deck that feels springy is almost always a joist spacing decision, not a board defect.
Sources for the code dimensions: Ontario Building Code section 9.8.8 via buildingcode.online, with the OBC 2024 deck guard and baluster summaries at misterbaluster.com and deckmaster.ca. The locate requirement and timeline: Ontario One Call, the HCRA, and Landscape Ontario.
How to choose in one pass
The decision usually resolves on one question rather than a scorecard.
- You have already sanded and stained one deck and will not do it again. Composite.
- The deck is a pool surround in full sun and people are barefoot on it. Cedar, or PVC.
- The deck is the main outdoor room and has to look finished in year eight rather than only in year one. Composite.
- You want real grain that varies board to board and takes stain. Cedar.
- The deck is shaded and permanently damp. Read the PVC page before committing to composite.
A picture frame border, which is a perimeter board mitred at the corners, hides the cut ends of the field boards on either surface. It is the detail that makes a deck read as built rather than covered, and it is worth asking for by name.
If the existing structure is sound and only the surface is tired, a resurface is often the better project, and the deck repair page covers what can be saved. To put a number on either option, get an estimate online and a crew confirms the measured price on site before work starts.
Questions we get asked
01Is composite decking cooler than cedar?
No. Cedar is a low density wood full of air, so it does not store solar heat the way a dense polymer board does. On a thirty degree GTA afternoon a cedar deck is comfortable in bare feet when a dark composite deck is not. Among composites, the darker colours absorb noticeably more heat than the light greys.
02Does composite decking need maintenance?
No staining or sealing. Sweep it, and wash it with soap and water when it needs it. The one thing it does need is drainage: leaves left to compost in the board gaps will stain the cap over a season, so keep the gaps clear.
03Why does a composite deck feel bouncy?
Almost always joist spacing. Composite is less stiff than a wood board of the same thickness, so the framing has to follow the board's published span table rather than a standard spacing. An over-wide span telegraphs as a bounce underfoot, and that is a framing decision rather than a board defect.
04What is the difference between western red and eastern white cedar?
Western red is more stable, darker and longer lived. Eastern white is lighter, more local and better value on a large surface. Both are naturally rot resistant without treatment, through the same heartwood oils. Premium western red and AK-KD grades are quoted separately because the grade is most of the price difference.
