You can check if that’s the case by pouring a bit of water on top. So, there you have it. And a lot don't even reveal they put in any additives. Softwood Decking - Advantages and Disadvantages, Five Poisonous Plants Which Might Hide in Your Home. Composite decking has come a long way since it first came out, but it’s not there yet. While wood decks were clearly winning the bids until some ten years ago, the composite decking materials improved immensely in terms of structure, durability and safety. Wood Vs Composite Decking – Which Works Better? I went the same way, extruded aluminum and removed my TREX. But there’s also a lot of high quality options that don’t do the things you say. Mind you, I was never really told how to maintain it (or that power washing was possibly bad for it). How about you? Many people choose composite over wood, even though it is substantially more expensive, and, has a lower return-on-investment (about 68 percent, compared […] It comes with varieties of designs as well in comparison to wood decking. Wood decks on the other hand lack this feature and can get quite slippery especially if there’s a thin layer of mold growing on them. Is this a good choice?? Thanks for your opinion. Hardwood vs. It is NOT a true PVC product. I am trying to figure out if there’s anything to be done besides having the entire thing replaced! One of the cheapest hardwood materials, pre-drilled and with basic design, will cost anywhere between £190 and £220 per square meter. They have a nice wood grain texture but not as pronounced but still nice. Examine Material Safety Data Sheets for most of the major WPC and PVC products in the business and you'll find that many list up to 50% of their ingredients as "proprietary." Never was a big believer in composite decking … It is a fiberglass composite but I cannot find much information on them. I’m in the mid-atlantic and have replaced both of my decks — beach and suburbs – with Zuri. Share with your friends. One reliable indicator of quality can be seen in the body of the deck board: solid composite decking boards tend to be of a much higher overall quality than hollow boards. Right! With a variety of styles of board available in both capped and uncapped varieties, it’s no wonder they are becoming a force in the composite decking industry. In the UK, Ipe is one of the most common decking materials, as it is durable, but there are other options, such as Elondo, Teak, Merbau, Belinga, Kebony, Iroko, Cumaru, Kurupay and Massaranduba. Nothing compares to it in the entire market. If the wood absorbs moisture quickly, then it will need to be sealed and stained. VEKADECK is the best deck board in the entire vinyl decking industry. Choose the best softwood timber according to affordability, colour and installation method. The accounts of issues are repeated with a frightening regularity and sameness throughout the threads of complaints. Thank you. Vekadeck has the most intense Wood grain texture out of any deck board. It rots from the inside out. Solid composite resembles natural wood the most. Copyright © 2013 - 2019 Fantastic Gardeners. Some composite decking won’t move a bit and others have been found to shrink, swell, warp, twist, bow, and any other word you want to use in amounts unheard of, even with wood. This is because wood decks require more maintenance. It’s not as good as Vekadeck. There are a lot of options for decking today. Enter your postcode to view our rates and availability in your area. One particularly attractive usage of this awesome material is the bamboo decking / swimming pool combo. In NY there’s only 1 I believe, Upstate. heavykoala348 Uncategorized. If you been a reader of my blog for any amount of time, you’re probably thinking “Oh now, here he goes again bemoaning another modern product.” Well, I want to tell you that that is not the case. Resistant to some biological threats (bacteria, insects, rodents), but not mould; Resistant to different cleaning chemicals; Temperature resistant (between -60 to +80 °C). Wood decks of lower quality  such as pine, can withstand climate changes more easily, unlike ipe and mahogany. Do not buy anything w a 10 yr warranty. I wish it was more widely available but Veka is a super picky company about who they’ll let install their products. It’s not a true PVC deck product and many customers had issues around 10-15 years. Anywhere between £180 and £240 – it will include the installation fee, too. If you are doing a composite — read the specifications and installation instructions. If this was written 12 years ago, some points would be valid. Joists are 2x10x13’. Trex Decking!!! Have you any tried of the bamboo decking ? Azek is OK. However, looking at the fact that you are surrounded by plastic – from the electric appliances to your toothbrush – you won’t be able to move to an environment where you’re living with natural materials ONLY. Psst, take my paw and let me show you around! Aluminum decking! I took off the PT after 4 years and put down the Zuri … down about 5 years now. If you’ve founds some winners here then share them with us. It’s not a true PVC deck board however it is Vinyl. I am looking at replacing my 10 x 16 wood deck with Fiberon Concordia in a shade called Cinnabar. Take a look at some of the websites where homeowners have posted their reviews, and you’ll read 1 and 2 star reviews all day long. Learn how your comment data is processed. The price of the decking heavily depends on the different manufacturer, as well as the material, shape and complexity. That in itself can be a downside, because you have no way of removing scratches. The differences and similarities between wood and composite deck platforms. For me, I’m not comfortable trusting the same companies who told us 20 years ago that their product was foolproof and failed that now they’ve REALLY made it foolproof. It’s only available to the biggest and best deck companies in the country. Are you talking about trex in this? But if you want to preserve its look and keep it long-lasting, it will require a little bit of maintenance. Read more…. Carol.. wolf is a very good product. When researching low maintenance, composite decking materials and prices, there are a few important things to consider and compare. Appearan… A decade later, as companies began to offer new products that looked like fresh-cut cedar and Brazilian walnut but never turned gray, sales of composites took off. Each of these boards is manufactured from 95% recycled material and contains plastic and wood flour. I don’t want to re-paint until I know what’s causing it otherwise it’s just covering up the problem. Millboard Composite Decking. Again, it seems completely random when this happens, but it happens often enough that you should know about it. Made of materials that include recycled and new plastic, bamboo, and wood fibers, these synthetic or composite decking products have evolved as an important alternative where green or eco-conscious materials are desired, such as in LEED-qualified or certified construction. I don’t think that an inch or two either way will make any structural difference. I’m actually surprised you got quotes with trex being more expensive. It’s strong enough to span the 16″ on a very solid structure. Sure, wood has issues of its own, but it’s nothing that will take me by surprise. Wood decks on the other hand lack this feature and can get quite slippery especially if there’s a thin layer of mold growing on them. There is actually nothing wrong with my current deck, it’s as strong as ever, even after 36 years! hello, I treated each deck plank prior to painting them with four coats of grey decking paint before they were fitted to the frame and it looked great – sadly 3 months later there are brown marks all along the decking which I thought was dirt from rain (we haven’t used it much to get it dirty as it’s winter) but when I tried to clean it off with patio cleaner it’s not touched it, also tried a spurt from the jet washer and all that did was start to strip the paint off but the marks are still there and it looks awful. Which one do you have? Enjoy this article? Can it be painted over with an epoxy or something to save it? So they created their own term called Armor Alloy Technology. When I purchased the house over five years ago, it looked great, with enough space between the boards for water to go through. I only had mine for six years and the boards have warped. I would like to think we have but just not sure. These plastic composite gives natural wood look with elegance beauty. Nowadays, the choice between both comes down to your own budget and personal preferences. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Required fields are marked *. Are you sure you mean wolf? Composite Decking. To summarise, benefits include: Ease of installation – Composite decking is often manufactured with a “groove” system, allowing the planks to fit together easily with hidden fixings. In addition, composite decks will never splinter either. It’s a good board, I’d place it up there in like the top 3 you can buy. The mold seems to grow heavily not just on the surface, but inside the rough texture of uncapped decking. Trex markets its good, better, best products under three brand names: Enhance, Select and Transcend. I don’t have problems with new products, only subpar ones. Even though it’s the PVC and ASA, it’s what’s in the mix of the product. Also, plastic wood decking is attractive and is We (my wife and I) purchased our current home, as new, nearly 18 years ago. You cannot go to any lumber yard or store and order Veka. Your Fantastic Gardener will be happy to help you! For the most part it has held up well and we have enjoyed the deck. Most of these products are not very well performing. NDiffering from their competitors, Millboard composite decking offer a board that is free from wood composite and is made by a carbon-neutral company. As for me, I’m sticking with wood. For questions about the services we offer visit our main site or you can always call us at 020 3404 4881. ; More sustainability and durability with more life span. How about you? Are you familiar with Wolf Serenity deck boards? It’s one of the best PVC deck boards available and it doesn’t rot, mold, mildew or warp. I need a good looking low maintenance and durable surface. It depends on the texture of your deck. Vekadeck is the best vinyl deck board in the entire industry. Some composite decking has faded so quickly in just a couple of seasons that replacements boards stand out like a sore thumb. If you have to use a shovel to clear snow from your deck, only use a plastic shovel. Seal and stain the wood deck once every couple of years. I assume no one in the form has to ability to buy Vekadeck or else I’d see it mentioned. This principle applies to other types of wood as well. It's usually a lot cheaper than solid decking and it can look perfectly good on the surface. Required fields are marked *. I bought a remodeled house which the builder put composite decking. In that case, how long does a cedar deck last? If you plan on building a composite deck with no trees around, consider going with a lighter colour. Sadly, most composite decking falls into that category. Any comments or suggestions. There are bad brands of products in every building material category…doesn’t mean the whole category is junk. Has no relevance to the overall market. I’m actually surprised you got quotes with trex being more expensive. They actually got in a lot of trouble and settled a major lawsuit just a couple years ago for marketing their product as PVC. They rebrand their boards every other year. Looks like the 25-year warranty was only good for original owner – looking into that, but I doubt it will do any good. This material is well-established in practice as it looks stylish – it’s not easy to distinguish between composite and natural wood at first sight. All rights reserved. It’s a very good deck board. Have you ever dealt with Weardeck? Opt for a professional that is certified to deal with hard-to-remove stains when the situation’s beyond hope. Especially prevalent on older and uncapped composited decking, mold shows up quickly and is more difficult to eradicate than you’d expect. Never settle for bare minimum. I read this because during the past three years my composite deck boards have swelled and warped to the point they are affecting the vinyl fencing around the deck, to say nothing of the risk of tripping when I walk on it. Different manufacturers in and about London include: Nowadays, decking designers love the composite decks and apply it to form terraces, porches, alleys, children playgrounds, outdoor areas, quays and pools. Decking that is in shaded area or areas that tend to get wet frequently have been shown to … Composite decking, while still at low market share, is the fastest-growing market in the decking industry. New names every year and ground breaking technology every year. It’s not wood, so it shouldn’t be expanding and moving the same, right? Some composite products also have anti-slip properties. You can always refer to a pro with enough experience to handle this troublesome task. Do you know how the quality would compare with Trex? There was a product called Clubhouse decking that was awesome. I replaced my cedar decking five years ago with Trex Transcends Havana Gold decking. Has anyone had experience with NewTechWood on a deck? I’m surprised by a lot of these comments. While most composite decking is made up of the same materials, they can range quite a bit when it comes to price. Wolf PVC decking is very good too. It actually moves more AND more unexpectedly than wood decks. Below are some of the issues that crop up most often. Certainly doesn’t mean the whole category is junk, but trying to discern which company is making the good products is difficult since they all claim to be making quality, lasting composite decking. It’s also maintenance free — no sanding or sealing required. Just like the mold, this issue is unpredictable and hard to understand which decking will have problems and which will not. There’s a couple others out there. There’s probably 1-2 companies per state that can carry it. Buyer beware. Check their lawsuit 3 years ago. These are the only products most contractors can get so of course they’re going to say they’re good. The cost factor and maintenance efforts put into both types of decking. Any advice welcome! Wood, always a better option. I returned all the uncut boards to the lumber yard for credit. Pine softwood decks cost between £120 to £140 pounds per square metre. This is due to the fact that the better part of the composite mixture (around 60 to 80%) is made of pieces of wood. Placing your composite deck under an awning or other covering may help preserve its color, but not all homes can accommodate this type of setup. If it is a wholly earthy and natural appearance you are hoping to achieve, then timber wins hands down, but in contemporary schemes a composite often works well. Check out the video below to see how springy these boards can really get! I installed Nexan decking designed for resistance to penetration and found that I removed over 1,000 lbs from the weight of the deck, found that it was actually cooler to walk on, and was able to hold less than 1/8″ width variation over a 16′ span. There are a multitude of problems with composite decking that show up all too often to be just a stray issue for a hard to please homeowner. For 18 years, I would say it has served us well but, not really knowing how long it was supposed to last, makes it difficult to assess if we really got our money’s worth? Area. I am planning on running extra joists to make it 12 OC but a few bolts will require me to tweak two or three I have to add in. These maintenance-free advantages make this a popular deck material option. I notice this issue showing up after a decade or more of use, but it certainly shows up and when it does it usually makes the deck unusable. It is. What is your opinion of the fiberglass decking in general. 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