Composite vs. plastic decking

A LMOST every month a new la.manufacturer enters the alternative decking market. Some use pure plastic, others PVC, and still others a mix of plastic and wood. More than 50 companies now manufacture such products, and happily market the differences between their manmade substitutes and traditional wood decking. But what about the differences between the substitutes?

According to John Long, U.S. Plastic Lumber, Boca Raton, Fl., the greatest number of alternative decking manufacturers are using PVC (polyvinylchloride). He says that many began in fencing and now about 27 different firms are marketing PVC decking and railings. The boards typically are hollow and come in either a tongue-and-groove or interlocking profile so there are no surface nails or screws showing. Their greatest difference is that they are not made from recycled materials.

True plastic lumber, on the other hand, is made from 99.97o recycled materials. Long estimates there are as many as 30 general extrusion profile manufacturers, of which about a dozen are focusing on decking and railings.

He says plastic decking's main advantage is that it "is truly maintenance free. Other materials may be more cost effective going in, but not over the life of the installation."

As a result, plastic decking usually carries the longest guarantees. U.S. Plastic Lumber's Carefree Decking, for example, carries a 50-year warranty, while McFarland Cascade's new Ewood has a lifetime warranty.

Wood/plastic composites appear to be the fast-growing segment, with nearly 20 manufacturers now producing composite decking-up from two, Trex and TimberTech, three years ago. Decks.com defines composite lumber as "99.9Vo recycled. It is made from milk jugs and sawdust or fine wood particles. You need about 10 milk jugs and six cups of sawdust to make one foot. It is manufactured under heat and pressure to fuse the wood and plastic."

Composites are priced significantly higher than pressure treated wood, but priced comparative to redwood and cedar.

According to Trex's Maureen Murray, composites usually are easier to paint than plastics and have lower rates of expansion and contraction. While plastic lumber reportedly retains its color for decades, composites will weather to a silvery or driftwood gray. And composites. since thev contain on averase 507o wood be more cost effective going in, but not over the life of the installation." content, look more like real wood. Composites have proven to be a popular way for wood products companies to get into the altemative decking market. The latest is Brite Manufacturing with its Lifelong Decking. Brite's Doug Fenwick calls Lifelong "a third generation composite" featuring advances such as fastenerfree, clip-down installation; a unique, high-speed extrusion system, and a rustic, thick grain look. Unlike some competitors that machine produce a woodgrain texture, says Fenwick, "ours is brushed on, so not every piece looks the same."

As usual, the method to make better alternative decking is to make it more like wood.