Patio Covers: Wood versus Alumawood, Which Should You Choose?

The patio more and more is becoming a hub of family life. Outdoor living is increasingly popular and as such, people are looking for solutions to their glaring sun issues while relaxing on the patio. At Classic Home Exteriors we’ve built some incredible wood patio covers for clients all across the region. The end result is always a patio that looks amazing and that is far more comfortable in terms of getting away from that scorching heat. We’ve had clients ask about alumawood options for patio covers, and while this can be a decent product, we much prefer wood. Allow us to break down the differences…

 

Wood Patio Covers – What’s not to Love…

Wood just looks better. It’s real, it’s natural and it has a rich character that aluminum just can’t duplicate. Not to mention, wood can be stained in just about any shade or tone you want. While alumawood does offer a variety of colors, it can’t match that complexity and depth of a wood stained in a deep mahogany tone, or done in a vibrant cherry finish.

Where wood does tend to fall behind is in the maintenance category. Alumawood pretty much requires no maintenance, while wood does need to be stained periodically to refresh that color. You also want to be sure to seal your wood patio cover from time to time to prevent moisture damage and wood rot.

When it comes to strength and durability, wood wins hands down. Given a particularly heavy windstorm, or some other such inclement weather, the aluminum product just won’t hold up like the wood patio cover will.

And of course there’s that question of cost. Budget is always an important consideration when making this type of decision. Generally the alumawood covers will run anywhere from 15-25% more than a wood patio cover.

We think this, in light of the other factors, makes the decision a no-brainer. We just love working with wood and we know that we can help you turn your patio into an amazing entertaining spot complete with brand new wood cover!