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The way to Pick Your Decking Materials





There are lots of decking materials on the market from wood, composite (wood-plastic blend) and vinyl/plastic. Wood will have lower initial cost but more maintenance effort and value, specifically if the desired color isn't natural weathered color. Wood looks like wood. Composites are generally in the centre to high-end in initial cost, lower on maintenance effort and expense, and good for color retention. Composites do not look exactly like wood. Vinyl/plastic is often the highest in initial cost, longest in expected service life, lowest in maintenance cost and effort, and great for color retention. Vinyl/plastic also will not look much like wood.

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WOOD. Most decking set up in the U.S. is wood and quite a few wood decking is treated pine. Treated pine is treated in order to avoid rot (CCA continues to be phased out and it has been replaced now with ACQ & other treatments). These are acronyms for your chemicals within the treatments. The wood normally treated is southern yellow pine. The type in the wood itself, not treatments, makes it at risk of twisting, splitting, warping and splintering. Various other woods used are cedar, redwood, IPE, Tigerwood, Massaranduba and Garapa.

COMPOSITE. Composite decking is really a distant second in popularity after wood but is now well-known ever in new deck installations and re-decks (re-use old deck framing and replace old deck boards and railing with new composite materials). "Composite" signifies that the decking is molded or extruded from a secret formula that is a mix of wood and plastic or vinyl. The wood is really a wood flour of numerous grinds and species. The plastic is often times polyethylene or polypropylene. There are several ratios of wood to plastic and different mixtures of recycled & virgin plastic. Many of these things affect performance characteristics. Composite decking will come in regular plank, tongue & groove, grain finish, solids, and mixed colors.

VINYL/PLASTIC. Vinyl/plastic decking is becoming popular which is primarily taking market share out of the composite deck segment. Decking profiles are usually plank however with a number of manufacturers offering a tongue & groove. Vinyl/plastic decking comes in a grain or smooth finish, solids, and mixed colors.

Facts to consider

WOOD
"Wood appears like real wood as well as the initial charges are dramatically reduced with pine although not necessarily so by incorporating of the other woods
"Wood weathers and changes color - requires periodic cleaning and staining to keep a shade apart from the naturally weathered color
"Southern yellow pine splits, cracks and splinters as time passes
"Exotic woods like IPE, Tigerwood, Massaranduba and Garapa are more expensive but do not split and crack like pine.
"Wood has to be replaced (usually before many other materials) eventually which varies with exposure, maintenance and luck
"Wood requires some maintenance for best performance and service life - usually pressure washed to have clean
"Maintenance costs time and/or money and will offset any initial financial savings.

COMPOSITE
"Initial charges are significantly greater than pine, but just like the exotic woods
"Longer service life
"Lower maintenance cost as well as than wood - usually cleaned having a power washer or possibly a chemical solution wash & flush
"No painting, staining or sealing
"No splinters
"Variety of colors
"Variety of textures - embossed wood, grain, grooved, smooth
"Mixed colors and grains
"Hidden fasteners
"May grow mildew and mold from the wood component - can be challenging and troublesome to scrub completely
"May stain - cleaning methods vary with sort of stain and wood component

VINYL/PLASTIC
"Initial expense is the same or more than composites
"Longer service life
"Least quantity of maintenance and - usually cleaned which has a hose pipe
"No painting, staining or sealing
"No splinters
"Maintains original look and color lasting
"Variety of colours except for dark colors like brown
"Variety of textures - embossed wood, grain, grooved, smooth
"Mixed colors and grains
"Hidden fasteners
"No mildew or mold
"No stains
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