Hmm, if you could do it again, would you go back to wood?

only if I could afford really good wood.

For an area as small as the one that you are considering, it would not be that much to use a good wood. This looks like a front entrance on your house?

I would still do wood we have a few friends with different composite decks and they all look like plastic to me we have cedar good grade and just left the natural color ans waterproofed the only place we stained was around the pool and I even regret that now. I would do a wood deck and some nice powder coated aluminum railings it will proably out last you.

If I had the money/budget, I would have pursued Ipe decking (E-pah). We are having Trex (spiced rum) installed... like most in New England ;-)

Depending on your budget: http://ipedecking.com/

Cedar is a very good choice for rot protection, the heartwood in particular is the best part of this wood. It also looks beautiful if you are looking for a natural wood look. The downside to cedar is the softness and ability to scratch. It is not a good choice if you have dogs. It also requires sealer every 2 years or so.

Ipe is a very good choice because of its hardwood nature and rot resistance. It has a very tight grain structure making it one of the hardest natural woods used for decks. One drawback is, it doesn't have that natural wood look. Here is a picture of our railings on a small cedar deck. This is our trade show booth. Andrew

I would never go back to wood [not even "good wood".