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Composite Decking: All You Need to Know

You’ve decided it’s time to replace your outdoor deck and you’re ready to take it on as a another project, or you’ve decided to work with a professional contractor for the heavy lifting. 

Before you start on such a critical project, it’s important to know that decking options have grown over the last several years, bringing new choices in composite plastic and wood products from which to construct your deck.

While they often cost more than wood, composite materials offer the promise of greater durability and less maintenance.  Wood is still the most common voice for deck materials, but it doesn’t last forever.  

Composite may be more durable, but they may lack the natural look and color that you are looking for.

While wood products still have a command on the market, composites are growing in popularity. Synthetic wood commands about 16 percent of the $7 billion-per-year deck market and appear to be gaining some traction. 

Cellular PVC 

An all plastic decking. Its core is a porous (cellular) lightweight plastic that’s capped just like other composite decking. PVC contains no organic material to rot, grow mold or swell when exposed to moisture, and it comes with a 20-plus-year warranty from staining and fading.

Wood Plastic Composite Decking

Made with up to 95 percent recycled plastic that encapsulates the wood fibers, wood plastic composite (WPC) decking is strong and often comes with a 20-year or longer warranty against staining and fading. Unlike natural wood, it won’t crack or splinter. 

Mineral-based composite (MBC) is 

The newest type of composite decking. It’s as lightweight as PVC but twice as strong, and carries a 25-year stain and fade warranty. There’s virtually no temperature-induced shrinking or swelling. This decking is highly resistant to moisture.

Capped Vs. Uncapped Decking

Most modern decking has a hard plastic cap for better protection against harmful UV rays,weathering, scratches and dents. Capped deck boards provide color variations and the appearance of textured wood grain. But uncapped decking has improved and still has a place.

Uncapped boards are cheaper and available with wood grain patterns. Because uncapped deck boards are uniform throughout, you can round over cut ends or edges with a router without noticeably changing the board’s sheen or color. Scratches or dents can be “healed” with a heat gun or left to heal naturally over time under the sun’s heat.

Deck Grain Pattern

Every board of natural wood has a unique grain pattern. Even though the “grain” in composite decking mimics real wood, the pattern repeats from board to board. The grain options vary, from a deep embossed texture to tight, straight grain.

Decking and Temperatures 

Composite decking gets hot in the sun. So if your deck gets full sun, consider lighter-colored deck boards or be prepared to wear shoes. Some manufacturers claim their decking has special properties that resist heat retention, remaining cooler even in darker colors.

Deck Profiles

The profile and cross section of your deck boards may seem insignificant, but they’re important to how your deck is built and how it will look.

Square Edge

Use square profile boards on your deck’s borders to hide cut ends or as a pattern board to avoid seams. With square profile boards, you’ll typically drive fasteners through the face of the boards. However, some fastening systems let you hide the fasteners by using a jig to drive them into the board’s edge at an angle. 

Groove Edge

Use grooved-edge boards in the middle of the deck, anywhere isn’t visible

Scalloped Bottom

The scalloped undersides make the board lighter weight and a little less expensive.  

Pros of Composite Decking

  • There’s less maintenance. Consumers must decide if the look and feel of natural wood is worth the work that goes into periodic staining, painting and replacing sections that have begun to decay. If you’d rather spend your time doing something else, composites are your choice. 
  • Composites come in a variety of colors. Unlike wood, composites don’t need to be painted or stained to match your home’s exterior. 
  • You can use recycled materials. Some composite companies are using recycled materials. This means your synthetic deck can be environmentally friendly.
  • The technology is improving. Some manufacturers now produce decking with a hard plastic shell bonded to composite boards to improve durability. According to Popular Mechanics, this makes the surface less prone to staining, fading, scratching and mold.3

Cons of Composite Decking

  • A pricey alternative to wood. Durability comes at a cost, as composite decking is more expensive than wood. It could cost 15 to 20 percent more for composite material than pressure-treated pine.4   
  • Composites aren’t natural. No matter how much effort goes into making composites look like wood, they’re not. The only way to get the full beauty of a wood deck is to use the real thing.
  • Composite decks aren’t completely maintenance free. Like wood decks, they still require you to sweep up leaves and other debris, and wash them down periodically.
  • You’ll need to comparison shop. Because there are a variety of composite manufacturers, it’s important to compare prices and ask questions about durability. Many composites now come with stain and fade warranties, so be sure to check that the material you select has a warranty.

I hope some of these information helps you in deciding if you are going for the composite decking.  If you need more info, reach out and we are here to answer your decking questions!

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