Rawlins RP Lumber Manager: Replace your wooden deck with composite, 'usually maintenance-free'

The Rawlins, Wyoming manager for RP Lumber said the main things to consider when making or replacing your house’s deck are cost and material.

"Obviously, there's composite decking, which is a little more expensive,” Ed Cassat told MiFeed. “You don't have to maintain it.

“You also have an option of our five quarter treated decking, and then we have a five quarter cedar deck,” said Cassat. “The plus is probably the price and the negative is probably the fact that you do have to maintain those regularly almost every year."

RP Lumber in Carbon County carries a variety of brands, including TimberTech and Trex. Trex was the first brand to create composite decking. It doesn’t use wood fiber, as it’s mostly a recycled plastic product. 

TimberTech does use wood fibers. It takes up virgin plastic because you get a little less contraction when it gets hot or cold. It’s assembled using plastic and wood fibers from whatever hardwood is available, ground up and mixed together. 

According to their website, composite decking is available in a variety of different colors. It is also workable, and can be cut into different kinds of designs and patterns. 

With most composite decking, you'll see around 20-25 year warranties, whereas for wood decking, you won't see a warranty, since it's up to the home or building owner to maintain it on their own.

The length of time it takes to build a deck will depend on a contractor's availability, and RP Lumber can usually have a customer's decking delivered the same day, as long as the desired material is available. In order to have a deck ready within a month, Cassat said, a customer would have to decide on the type of decking and help needed, then come into the store to have it designed accordingly and scheduled. 

Various RP Lumber locations primarily sell Trex, TimberTech, and Fiberon decking. Availability varies by location, and customers should ask their local RP Lumber about the features and benefits of each brand.

A retailer of home improvement products and services, RP Lumber expanded to Carbon County, Wyoming in June 2020, purchasing two Build-Right Lumber and Supply stores, in Rawlins and Saratoga.

RP Lumber design services cover decks, kitchens and baths, and post-frame buildings, serving both "do-it-yourselfers and professional contractors," according to its website.

Founded in 1977 in Southern Illinois, RP Lumber has more than 80 stores nationally. They have two locations to serve the greater Carbon County area. One at 1724 E. Cedar St. in Rawlins, and another at 204 S. First St. in Saratoga.