We build both, so this isn't a page trying to steer you. It's the version of the conversation we have in backyards from Saginaw Township to Frankenmuth, written down so you can think about it before we show up.

First, the part that matters more than the boards

The frame. Every deck we build, wood surface or composite, sits on pressure-treated posts, beams, and joists, on footings dug below the frost line. When a deck fails in this climate it's almost never the boards; it's a footing that heaved, a post that rotted at the soil line, or a ledger that was nailed to the house without flashing. Composite boards on a bad frame are an expensive way to get the same problem. Whichever surface you pick, ask about the footings first.

What freeze-thaw does to wood

Water gets into the end grain and the checks in a wood board in November. It freezes and expands. It thaws. It does that dozens of times before spring, and each round opens the wood a little more. An unsealed pressure-treated board comes out of its first Saginaw winter gray, rough, and starting to split. A sealed one comes out fine, because the sealer keeps the water out of the grain in the first place. That's the whole story of wood decks here: the maintenance isn't cosmetic, it's structural, and it's non-negotiable.

What freeze-thaw does to composite

Not much. There's no open grain for water to get into, so there's nothing for ice to pry apart. Snow sits on the surface and melts off. The boards do expand and contract with temperature, which is why composite has to be installed with the gaps the manufacturer specifies; a deck laid tight in July can buckle in January. Done right, a composite deck in March looks the way it did in October, minus a layer of pollen.

Snow load isn't about the boards

Lake-effect snow off Saginaw Bay can sit on a deck for weeks, and wet snow is heavy. The boards don't carry that weight; the joists and beams do. Framing sized for a real Michigan snow load is the same whether the surface is cedar or composite, and it's the reason a deck built for Tennessee doesn't belong here.

Slush, ice, and traction

This is the one people don't ask about until February. A sealed wood deck has decent grip when it's wet; a wood deck in the shade that's grown algae over a damp spring can be slick. Most modern capped composites have a textured face that holds up well in slush. Some older or bargain lines get slippery when wet. If the deck is the path from the kitchen to the garage, ask to see the specific board wet before you commit.

The spring thaw and the humid summer

April in Saginaw soaks everything. A wood deck needs to dry out before it can be sealed, and a deck under trees along the river or out toward Hemlock may stay damp for weeks. Composite doesn't care, but it does grow the same green film on shaded corners that wood does; the difference is that it washes off composite and has to be scrubbed and treated on wood. By July the question flips: dark composite in full afternoon sun gets hot underfoot in a way cedar doesn't. Lighter colors and a little shade fix most of it.

So which one?

  • Pick wood if the budget is going into size, the deck bakes in west sun, you like the look, and you're honest with yourself about washing and sealing it on a schedule.
  • Pick composite if you'd rather spend July on the deck than working on it, the deck is shaded or damp, or you're replacing a wood deck because you're tired of maintaining it.
  • Consider PVC for riverfront lots and poolsides where the deck never fully dries. It costs the most and shrugs off the most.

On cost: wood is lowest up front, composite is higher, and the gap narrows over the years you'd otherwise spend on stain. We don't publish numbers because material prices move season to season; your estimate carries current figures for both, side by side.

If you want the longer version for your own yard, the composite decking and wood decks pages go deeper, and a site visit is free.