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01 / 09Composite deck builders working across Toronto and the GTA. Trex, TimberTech and Fiberon installed with hidden fasteners and a proper ventilated frame.
Composite is not a board swap. It behaves differently from wood in two ways that change the build. It moves with temperature rather than with moisture, so gapping at ends and edges has to follow the manufacturer's numbers instead of a carpenter's habit. And it is less stiff than lumber across a span, so joist spacing often has to be tighter than a wood deck of the same size, especially where boards run diagonally.
Fastening is the other difference. Most composite is installed with hidden clips that sit in a groove in the board edge, which produces a clean surface with no visible screws but leaves less tolerance for a frame that is out of plane. A composite surface is unforgiving of a frame that was built to be covered up.
Because the frame requirements come from the product, the useful questions are structural:
Composite costs more upfront than pressure-treated lumber and returns it in maintenance, since there is nothing to stain or seal. That trade only holds if the frame underneath was built to the product's spec, which is the part a quote rarely shows. We build the frame to the board's requirements, and the fixed written price names both.
Composite is sold in tiers, and the tier is about the shell rather than the structure.
| Board tier | How it holds up | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Uncapped entry-level | Can fade or stain from grease and leaf tannins | The accessible end of composite |
| Capped composite | A protective outer layer handles staining and fading much better | Mid tier |
| PVC | No wood content, so it will not absorb moisture, and it holds colour longest | The top of the range |
None of those tiers is sandable, so a deep gouge is permanent and the fix is replacing a board. That is the honest cost of a surface you never have to refinish.
A composite deck costs more than a pressure-treated one and the premium sits almost entirely in the walking surface and the fasteners, not the frame — composite decking is laid over conventional pressure-treated framing. Within composite there are real tiers: entry-level boards, capped composite with a protective outer layer, and PVC boards, each step up costing more and holding its appearance better. The other cost drivers are the same as any deck: height off grade and therefore guards and stairs, footprint, railing choice, and footings below the frost line.
Hidden fastener systems add a little cost and a much cleaner surface. Composite also requires slightly tighter joist spacing than wood on some products, which adds framing. We quote the specific board tier you choose as a fixed written price after measuring.
Composite has genuine drawbacks:
What you get in return is no sanding, no staining and no rot for decades, which for most of our clients is the whole point.
The composite surface itself will typically outlast a wood deck by a wide margin — several decades of service with nothing more than washing, and capped and PVC products hold colour longer than uncapped ones. That is the number the decking industry advertises, and it is broadly fair. The part that decides whether your deck lasts that long is underneath it. Composite boards are laid over pressure-treated framing, and the frame, the footings and the ledger connection to the house are what actually fail on a neglected deck.
Footings that did not reach below the frost line will move, and a ledger flashed badly will rot the house rim joist long before the boards wear out. So a composite deck's real lifespan is the lifespan of its structure. We build the frame to code and flash the ledger properly for exactly that reason.
For a hundred and forty-four square feet in composite, expect to pay more than the same deck in pressure-treated and less than one in PVC. The surface material and the board tier you choose is the largest single variable, followed by whether the deck is raised high enough to require a guard around the perimeter — at this footprint, a full guard system is a significant share of the total. Hidden fasteners, fascia and picture framing around the edge are common choices on composite and are quoted as options, since they change both look and cost. The frame beneath is conventional pressure-treated lumber on footings below the frost line, and some composite products require closer joist spacing than wood. We measure the location, confirm the permit threshold, and give you a fixed written price.
It depends on span, and that is a structural calculation rather than a preference. Deeper joists span further: a two-by-eight carries further between beams than a two-by-six, so choosing the smaller size means adding beams and footings to keep spans within code. For most residential decks in Ontario, two-by-eight joists are the common choice for the main frame, with two-by-six appearing on short spans and low platforms.
Composite decking complicates it, because several products require tighter joist spacing than wood — so the joist size and the spacing have to be set together with the board you have chosen. Ontario Building Code span tables govern all of it, and a permit application will be reviewed against them. We size the frame for your deck's spans and loads instead of defaulting to a lumber size.
A composite deck costs more than a pressure-treated one and the premium sits almost entirely in the walking surface and the fasteners, not the frame — composite decking is laid over conventional pressure-treated framing. Within composite there are real tiers: entry-level boards, capped composite with a protective outer layer, and PVC boards, each step up costing more and holding its appearance better. The other cost drivers are the same as any deck: height off grade and therefore guards and stairs, footprint, railing choice, and footings below the frost line. Hidden fastener systems add a little cost and a much cleaner surface. Composite also requires slightly tighter joist spacing than wood on some products, which adds framing. We quote the specific board tier you choose as a fixed written price after measuring.
Composite has genuine drawbacks. It costs more upfront than pressure-treated wood — often substantially. Darker boards get hot underfoot in direct summer sun, more so than cedar. It cannot be sanded or refinished, so a deep scratch or gouge is permanent and the fix is replacing a board. Lower-tier uncapped boards can fade or stain from grease and leaf tannins; capped and PVC products handle this much better, which is part of what you pay for. It is heavier than wood and less forgiving to work with, and some products need closer joist spacing, which adds framing cost. It also never looks quite like real wood up close. What you get in return is no sanding, no staining and no rot for decades — which for most of our clients is the whole point.
The composite surface itself will typically outlast a wood deck by a wide margin — several decades of service with nothing more than washing, and capped and PVC products hold colour longer than uncapped ones. That is the number the decking industry advertises, and it is broadly fair. The part that decides whether your deck lasts that long is underneath it. Composite boards are laid over pressure-treated framing, and the frame, the footings and the ledger connection to the house are what actually fail on a neglected deck. Footings that did not reach below the frost line will move, and a ledger flashed badly will rot the house rim joist long before the boards wear out. So a composite deck's real lifespan is the lifespan of its structure. We build the frame to code and flash the ledger properly for exactly that reason.
For a hundred and forty-four square feet in composite, expect to pay more than the same deck in pressure-treated and less than one in PVC. The surface material and the board tier you choose is the largest single variable, followed by whether the deck is raised high enough to require a guard around the perimeter — at this footprint, a full guard system is a significant share of the total. Hidden fasteners, fascia and picture framing around the edge are common choices on composite and are quoted as options, since they change both look and cost. The frame beneath is conventional pressure-treated lumber on footings below the frost line, and some composite products require closer joist spacing than wood. We measure the location, confirm the permit threshold, and give you a fixed written price.
It depends on span, and that is a structural calculation rather than a preference. Deeper joists span further: a two-by-eight carries further between beams than a two-by-six, so choosing the smaller size means adding beams and footings to keep spans within code. For most residential decks in Ontario, two-by-eight joists are the common choice for the main frame, with two-by-six appearing on short spans and low platforms. Composite decking complicates it, because several products require tighter joist spacing than wood — so the joist size and the spacing have to be set together with the board you have chosen. Ontario Building Code span tables govern all of it, and a permit application will be reviewed against them. We size the frame for your deck's spans and loads instead of defaulting to a lumber size.
