How to choose the right wood for your deck - the color of the wood

One of the important considerations when selecting the type of wood used for the exterior wood is the initial color of the wood. Maybe you have solid wood hardwood floors indoors and want to create a smooth transition to the outside space. In this case, you may want to use a similar color type on the deck. Or maybe there is a special theme on your deck that requires bold statements and dark wood colors. Or it could be a small courtyard that needs light wood color to avoid overwhelming the scale or making the space look smaller.

There are also a variety of suitable wood species with outstanding durability characteristics covering the entire spectrum - from light straw, pink to light brown, chocolate brown, dark brown, orange red and deep red/brown - even purple. Only a few hardwood species of various color ranges to consider include:

Light straw - Tallowwood, Blackbutt
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  Light/Medium Brown - Teak, Selangan batu, Cumaru, Spot Glue. Merbau
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  Olive Brown - Ipe, Grey Ironbark
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  Chocolate brown - Bongossi
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  Rufous - , Jala, Cary
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  Crimson - River red chewing gum, red tin, forest red chewing gum, Jatoba
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  Purple - Purple Heart Medal

But please note that for some species, even along a piece of wood, the color of the wood can vary greatly - spot glue is one such example. For example, in other species such as Jatoba, the color change is not very large. Grains from other species may have yellow spots, such as Cumaru. The source of the wood may be related to the color of the wood and the age of the actual tree. For example, Jarrah from saplings is usually pink in squid, while more mature trees are dark reddish brown.

Also keep in mind that some species will change color quickly when exposed to sunlight - usually darkening. Although, for example, Purpleheart is initially purple, it turns brown when exposed to sunlight for a long time.

Of course, no wood variety will retain its original color forever. If you don't apply high-quality decorative oil regularly, the ultraviolet rays in the sun will gradually fade the wood into a soft gray; some species are faster than others.

But even if you use quality decorative oil regularly, you can only slow down the fading process. The only way to restore the decorative color is to sand the surface to remove the weathered wood top layer. Some chemical-based repair formulations can be used, but usually they restore the wood color to its original brightness, but leave a certain gray background.

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