Composite Vs Timber Decking

This blend produces the best composite products on the market, while using more expensive materials, this is a worthwhile investment and will save money in the long run. How to Choose Between Composite and Wood Decking Both composite and wood decking require framing with treated wood floor joists. You also mentioned that wood decking might cost less up front, but requires extra. ricksfencing blog wood vs composite which is better Hope . Not just a wood alternative, composite decking is preferred by many homeowners for its low cost, good looks, durability, and easy care nature. The two main materials for decking are composite and pressure treated deck .

Sturdy, practical yet beautiful – composite decking seemingly has it all. However, many people still covet traditional wooden boards for their decking. Here, we weigh up the pros and cons to help you make your decision. Whilst timber decking is cheaper than Trex® composite decking in terms of the initial outlay, this saving is lost over the years to the cost of maintainance, which will also take up significant time. Composite materials have come a long way and are now capable of mimicking wood but with some innate advantages. Choose a composite deck and you'll be helping to combat deforestation with a material that outperforms even the most durable timber. Decking composite is the ideal choice if you need your deck to be non-slip, stain proof and moisture resistant.

Decking Life Spans And Maintenance

If board are installed when warm, gaps increase in the cold making the deck look badly fitted. By having a board hollow, the amount of material that can expand is decreased. This means the expansion and shrinkage of the hollow boards decrease making the board more stable over time and temperature variances. By reducing the material used in manufacture, will reduce cost and weight, but this is at a cost which is strength. The main reason people choose wood is for the initial cost savings. The battle between wood and composite decking materials has been going.

The battle between wood and composite decking materials has been going on for decades with mixed results. 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. Nowadays, the choice between both comes down to your own budget and personal preferences. Composite decking, on the other hand, will last around years but requires less maintenance. The majority of composite decking just needs to be cleaned regularly, and there is no need to treat or stain it to prevent moisture damage. Due to the low maintenance requirements of composite decking, timber is by far the most time consuming material over its lifespan.

Ultra Decking

The improvement in composite decking over the last few years and the trend of sociable outdoor spaces has sparked a shift in the decking market. With many brands now able to boast anti-slip and anti-mould properties, composite decking is becoming a more popular choice with commercial properties and homeowners. Thanks to the merciless elements, timber does not age well. Every year, millions of acres of trees are cut down for housing construction purposes, contributing to massive deforestation.

• Composite wood plastic combines the durability and strength of recycled plastic with natural wood flour.
• This means that with composite plastic decking you can get away with being a little rougher on it’s surfaces than you could with traditional hardwood.
• When most people think of decking this is the type that they most commonly have experience with.
• This creates a tough and resistant material that looks and feels like wood but isn’t as susceptible to issues such as wood rot, damp, splintering or just scrapes and dents.
• Softwood decking is the most affordable decking solution due to softwood timber coming from mainly coniferous or evergreen trees that are fast growing.

Trex actually saves 400 million pounds of plastic and timber from landfills each year and its boards are made from 95% recycled materials. of 25 years on our Frontier range and 15 years on our Pioneer range. As a result, you are safe from additional costs and worries that you would face annually due to necessary wooden deck maintenance. However, you can now get very realistic looking composite decking that looks just like real wood. Be aware though that these boards are more expensive, so you may need to look at your budget before deciding.

Wood/Plastic composite decking may not have the same advantage. All DeckPlus products are engineered to be as slip-resistant as possible. Unlike hardwood deck boards, our boards absorb very little water and dry out quickly.

Wood Decking Vs Plastic Wood Decking

As we experienced over the hottest spells this summer, material expand in heat. Railway rails buckle, power lines drop, doors expand and jam etc. When too cold, gaps between rails increase, power lines tighten and snap and gaps around doors get larger and lets drafts and the cold in. As well as being environmentally damaging during their manufacturing process, these windows eventually started to discolour, warp, crack and eventually fail. These plastics are not UV stable so when the sunlight shines on them, the UV light starts to break down the polymer bonds, making them go yellow and brittle.

The durable properties of composite wood plastic also mean that composite decking requires less maintenance than wood. Not only is it less susceptible to rot or damage that would require further repairs or work, but it also retains its appearance a lot better than hardwood. Colouring on composite decking doesn’t fade as quickly and it doesn’t require products like paint or varnish to keep it looking new. There can be no doubt that wood is going to have a significant lifetime but compared to composite wood plastic it’s nowhere near as strong. Composite wood plastic combines the durability and strength of recycled plastic with natural wood flour. This creates a tough and resistant material that looks and feels like wood but isn’t as susceptible to issues such as wood rot, damp, splintering or just scrapes and dents.

Composite Decking

It won't splinter either, making it safe for little feet and paws, and you won't have to combat mould and algae. There are several likenesses between UPVC decking and composite decking, but no organic compounds are used in the development of UPVC decking. Trex deck boards and made of 95% recycled materials, saving over 180 million kilos of plastic and timber scrap from landfills every year. If you’re thinking of buying plastic deck boards, it’s probably because you heard about their minimal maintenance requirements. But TimberTech decking also requires practically zero maintenance – it may look like wood, but you’ll never have to spend time sanding or painting it. Finally, there’s the hidden cost of the environmental damage that wooden decks cause to our planet.