what decking material to use?
 

i am about to build a deck and pergola and was wondering what materials to use. this is my first time building either. i am using cedar for the pergola and posts but was wondering about the decking material.

should i just use cedar to match or would pressure treated pine be better? would they look too different?

thanks,

wood plastic composite
 

I think wood plastic composite decking will be the best material for your pergola.

Composite for the floor and cedar for the pergola

Redwood. This is a popular, naturally rot-resistant wood. And it is easy to find on the West Coast and at large home improvement centers elsewhere.

wood or composite decking; differences on price, eco friendlyness and maintenance
 

I don't think your reply from Guangzhou, Guangdong is very independent, if you want to make a good decision on either composite decking or wood decking I strongly recommend you should read the following article outlining the differences on price, eco friendlyness and maintenance. Resuming, cheap material is eventually ALWAYS more expensive. www.roquevalente.com/composite_decking.htm
below some Guangzhou, Guangdong- composite decking after a few years.

I agree about putting down composite flooring on the deck. We had an all-cedar deck with both the posts and the flooring and the maintenance costs were not worth the hassle. We had warped boards and massive splintering after about a year and a half.

That's not the fault of the material, if the boards are properly conditioned and installed, warping should not occur. Splintering generally only happens with cheap nasty material, you either bought cheap nasty timber, or got ripped off.

The heartwood of cedar is a naturally durable timber, so maintenance is mainly to preserve the colour of the timber, if it is properly detailed it is not required to protect against decay. I have seen many timber decks made from naturally durable timbers, lasting 30 or 60 years with no maintenance, other than general cleaning.