Green Decks & Green Decking
It’s beginning to look a lot like spring and spring means deck season! Over the past few years several of the leading decking companies are promoting their products as being green. In my opinion some are producing a great product and some are producing a product that will require replacement in a few years. Let’s take a look a few different decking products that are on the market.
Pressure Treated Decking
While pressure treated is generally required for the frame of a deck, most people agree that it is not a “green decking material”. If the wood is treated properly then it can last a very long time. The problem with the wood itself it that it tends to bow, warp, split and a list of other issues that are common with wood. When the problems occur people generally replace the decking with new decking and the old decking goes to the landfill. Some people will live with the ugly unsafe decking for over 10 years while others replace it with more pressure treated decking. This cycle will never end unless people are made aware of the other decking materials that are available today.
Composite Decking
Composite decking is a mix of wood and plastic and everyone likes to promote their mixture as being the best. I have used a few different brands of composite decking over the past several years without falling in love with one brand. A few of the composites can and will fail over time. I have seen some fail to the point of requiring a total replacement! Some of the common complaints are mold/mildew, stains, uneven fading, excessive fading, splits around the screws and bleeding of the wood fibers. Some of these failures come from the installers not installing the decking properly. Most of the decking companies have put in place a training program for the installers so that they will install the product properly. Some of the companies also require them to pass a written test.
If you are looking for a composite deck be sure to ask these questions when you select your decking company:
1. How long has the product been around for?
2. How long is the warranty?
3. Can I transfer the warranty if I sell my home?
4. Does the warranty cover the product and the labor?
5. Is the warranty pro-rated?
6. Has your company been trained to install this brand of decking? (prove it)
One of the composite decking companies that are worth taking a look at is Elk, they offer a great warranty and a wide selection of colors.
Vinyl Decking
When I first heard of vinyl decking I thought of plastic, who wants a plastic deck? At the time I did not know the differences between plastic and vinyl. Pure vinyl is actually a great product for the outdoors! Several years ago I began using PVC trim boards for most of my exterior trim. I no longer had issues with wood that rots, bows, twists and all of the other nasty things that wood likes to do. These new vinyl/PVC trim boards would outlast the products that I installed them around! Last spring I looked at a decking product called Pro-Cell and the product line really impressed me. It is a cellular PVC product with a very dense surface. The product promoter handed me a screw an asked me to scratch composite decking samples and then try it on his product. I was shocked that the Pro-Cell product would not scratch like all of the other products. The next test was to put ketchup on all of the samples and to see which one it wiped off of without leaving a stain. Over the next few weeks I spent a ton of time researching the product, it’s history and it’s place in my product line. Late last fall Azek (PVC trim company) bought Pro-Cell and together they are working towards long lasting exterior products.
Wood Decking
I will have a guest author talk about the feature and benefits of wood decking since I am not a fan of it. On one hand I want to present to you all of your options while on the other hand I will not promote a product that I do not feel good about.
