If you are like me, you have a handle on DIY home maintenance and you haven’t called a plumber or an electrician since George Bush Sr. was in the White House. My shop is the envy of every guy in the neighborhood, and I know my way around just about any home repair or remodeling project. So, when my wife asked if we could build a deck on the back of our log home, I didn’t give it a second thought. “A quick trip to the local lumber yard and I’ll have us grilling steaks on our new deck by Sunday, I told my bride.

When she hesitated after hearing my construction estimation, I knew there was more to this request than I had been told, and I was soon enlightened. Thanks to Oprah, or some other TV show I don’t watch, my wife had learned that decks have changed. “Nobody builds decks like they used to”, the newly crowned deck expert told me, “now they use composite materials or Brazilian woods that last forever”, I was informed.

The gauntlet had been laid in front of me; my wife knew more about a construction matter than me. I did what any man will do when challenged in such a manner, I fired-up the Internet and headed for Google. Oprah was not going to lecture to my wife about building decks and construction materials – that was my job.

What began as a simple weekend project had now become a research operation worthy of a government grant. I could never admit this to my wife, or Oprah, but I soon learned that nobody builds decks like they used to. The last deck I built was constructed using those greenish pine pressure-treated boards that oozed some kind of fluid and weighed five times what they should. Sometime during the last century we were told that wood preservative caused cancer and those heavy green boards disappeared from lumber yards.

Alternative choices for decking made of real wood became (and remain) slim. Because of the huge demand and limited supply such wood requires special orders for over-priced lumber that is never “in stock”. To address this market opportunity, composite materials appeared on the scene and are very popular. Maybe I’m just old fashioned, but I like wood and the thought of grilling my steak standing on a plastic deck just rubs me the wrong way.

Fortunately, I discovered that I am not alone in my wood lust and that there are companies who offer a better, natural solution to the decking dilemma. Our choices for decking materials other than composites and pressure-treated ugly boards now include woods from the forests of South America that last for decades… many, many decades. I discovered one such company named Brazilian Wood Depot located in Norcross, Georgia, that imports and distributes several species of premium, real-wood decking.

I contacted the owner, Eric Hoover, and received a cram course on real wood decking alternatives. These are beautiful woods that literally require no maintenance and are more durable than composite decking. What’s better still is that lifetime estimates range from 15 to 100 years depending on the species. You read that correctly – 100 years!

My research uncovered information that I would never have considered prior to that TV virus infecting my wife’s database. As an example, I have never built a deck, fence or other outside project with a preconceived notion of how long it would last. I would use what I thought was the best material for the job and know that in a couple years I would need to paint or stain again.

All wood grays over time and many people like a gray weathered appearance. However, an oil-based sealer will help preserve Brazilian decking and help retain the original color if you desire. Regarding the remarkable lifespan of these woods, the estimates are based on the “Janka hardness rating” (used to determine whether a species is suitable for use as flooring.)