Replace An Old Deck With Composite Decking

Plastic is largely responsible for many of the positive features that define composite decking, but the material also includes stain-absorbent wood. If you accidentally get grease or another offending substance on a composite board, you cannot simply sand out the stain.

Maintenance demands of wood decking are not required with composite decking. Composite decking is made from recycled materials , and most are now encapsulated with an outer layer. This creates a hard, exterior shell that protects from stain, mildew, scratching, insects, UV fading, and more.

• As part of their manufacture, composite deck boards are treated with preservatives that help ward off rot, mold, and mildew.
• Planks are dyed in a host of a colors and imprinted with a range of textures, most of which convincingly resemble genuine wood grain.
• It’s a fully capped board for protection from moisture above and below and uses a combination of recycled plastic and bamboo flour for strength and water-resistance.
• One composite deck system with these features is Infinity by Fortress Building Products.

Facts About Composite Decking

Unfortunately, one place where composite decking will probably last a lifetime is in the landfill. There is so far no recycling for composite decks, and those that end up in the dump will probably be there for about 2,000 years. Treated wood, on the other hand, returns to nature in 10 years or less, and untreated wood in as little as 2 years. On the plus side, most composite manufacturers use waste wood products as filler, primarily sawmill waste but also post-consumer recycled wood products such as used wood pallets. Capstock deck boards, with their plastic shell, fade less than uncapped composite boards. Most will fade a little bit because the exposed material is plastic, the fading is minimal.

Composite Decking: Does It Really Stack Up?

Can You Install New Decking Over Old Deck Boards?

There is not a lot that can be done about it – it's the nature of the material. Composites may look like wood but they are not wood, and they don't act like wood. So, don't expect a perfectly convincing wood-like appearance. Expect just the cost of composite decking material itself to be two to five times more expensive than treated pine decking. But, that's not the whole cost of a composite deck. Here are some of the other factors that add significantly to the total cost of a composite deck.

What Kind Of Decking Is Best For Winter?

Another mistake to avoid when installing composite decking is spacing the joists too far apart. Current building codes require that all decks should be supported with a minimum of 2”x 10” pressure treated pine joists that are spaced 24” apart (although 16” OC is standard building practice).

Two of the most common options are wood and wood-plastic composites. Whether you plan to do the job yourself or hire a contractor, this article discusses factors to consider when comparing wood vs. composite decking. MoistureShield® offers the only wood composite decking that can be installed in the ground, on the ground or underwater. Discover how our Solid Core has helped prevent structural field failures for more than 30 years and why that matters for your outdoor living space. The consequence to you as the composite deck owner is that the nice, tight, wood-like joints in your deck when it was installed in July may be wide, unsightly gaps in February. And, since plastic does not expand and contract evenly, those gaps may still be there the following July.

If installing composite decking over a pre-existing porch, make sure all joists and substructure components are structurally sound and spaced according to our installation guide. A few decades ago, this may have been a fair assessment. Composite decks didn’t look exactly like plastic but neither did they look much like wood.

Before choosing a color for your composite decking, ask to see samples of weathered boards, if possible. Though variations exist, composite decking is generally made from a mix of wood scraps—called wood flour—and plastic particles. Although some manufacturers rely on virgin wood and plastics, others make extensive use of recycled materials. In 2010, Trex reused 3.1 billion plastic grocery bags, while TimberTech says that each year its products incorporate 107 million pounds of post-industrial and post-consumer waste materials. Once all the old deck boards were out of the way, I had the green light for the composites. The first new board went down beneath the hand rail and flush with the outside edge of the deck.

At Fiberon we usePermaTech Innovationto ensure the ultimate deck consumer, satisfaction in scratch, element, and stain resistance. Because you cannot sand composite decking, deep scratches are destined to remain in the boards, though over time, they may becomes less and less pronounced.

Consider Deck's Environment

Attitudes have changed, realities have changed, and most importantly – composite decking has changed. Natural wood versus composite ultimately faded into the back ground and the conversation over how to make composites better took center stage. To this day, the “right” option depends on the individual. However, even decades after the introduction and evolution of composite decking, myths persist and J&W Lumber would like to fix that. In the early days of composite decking, there was both excitement and skepticism.

Most of that work is simply spraying down your deck with a hose, but it’s still technically work. While “no maintenance” may be a misnomer, low maintenance is a reality when it comes to composite decking. A little soap and water every few months will keep your composite deck looking brand new year after year. For additional insights on wood vs. composite decking, and to see how MoistureShield stacks up against other types of decking materials, check out ourDeck Material Comparison Chart. So unless some sort of anti-fungal material is added, wood flour can be a very attractive home for mold and mildew. Manufacturers caution in their care instructions that keeping the deck free of pollen and debris that may be food sources for mold is important to assuring a mold-free deck.