To my way of thinking, there's nothing like the look and feel of a fresh hardwood deck with a natural finish. I must not be alone in that view. All the while composite and PVC decking have been gaining market share, my local wood suppliers have been stocking more species, grades, and profiles of hardwood decking. Most of the decks my company builds incorporate at least some hardwood. In 2008 and 2009, 51 percent of our decks combined hardwoods with composites or PVC, 33 percent used all hardwoods, and just 16 percent used all plastic materials. Until the last couple
