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Composite Decking VS Wood Decks;

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Updated 4-19-2012

 The Composite Decking Debunk.

 

Composite Decking is Maintenance Free       Inaccurate

Composite Decking is Better Than Wood      Inaccurate

Composite Decking Lasts Forever.                Inaccurate

Composite Decking is Maintenance Free

Composite Decking Manufacturers stopped using “Maintenance Free” when describing their products early on after law suits. Nowadays they refer to it as “Low Maintenance”.

They will tell you that the product will require cleaning a couple of times a year to make it look good again. (Good—not, “Like New”)

 

The cleaners leave the decking looking powdery. They are acidic and chemically strip the finish and kill the mold for a time. Green clients should be aware that to “maintain” these products it involves splashing chemicals around your yard. A good stiff brush is required to physically scrub the decking.

 

Composite Decking is Better than Wood for Decks,

 

If it is better than wood—why are they trying to emulate the look of wood. The new products are quite convincing. Big hunks of plastic with wood grain and variable colorants to emulate the look of wood perfectly. Sure, it will fade out, but when it is installed it looks just like wood.

 

I suggest that only wood is wood. Ipe or Mahogany will likely have a durability of 40 years if oiled yearly. A wood deck can be refinished every few years to look like new again.

 

You cannot refinish a composite deck—you simply replace it. 5 years from now, your composite deck will look like a 5 year old composite deck—with scratches and stains.

 

   click to enlarge

 

Composite Decking Lasts Forever.

 

When buried in a landfill—composite decking may very well last forever. They say a plastic shopping bag will last 1000 years underground, I bet the composite decking will also do just as well. Long after you have tired of your stylish composite deck, it won’t be recycled; it will go to the landfill with the plastic patio chairs and the rest of the plastic packaging. This deck was photographed by Glenn Stewart a home inspector in California. www.TheHouseWhispererBlog.com . 

We don't know the brand--but we know the result. I would suggest that these are photos that no Composite Decking Company wants you to see.

   

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Composite Decking News

Composite decking has lost ground vs wood in the past year, which is a reversal of trend. I won't bother suggesting why, however I'd like to believe that we reap what we sew. When it comes to local lumber yards, most have stopped carrying composite decking. Most of the builders I know are apprehensive to install composite due to the now omnipresent rumours of failures and unhappy clients. Composite Decking vs Kiln Dried and pre-finished red cedar, or Composite Decking vs Tigerdeck, (a 40 year rated, sustainably grown tropical hardwood), for price is a match. (for top names in composite decking--like Azek). It is becoming apparent that after a few years no composite decking looks like it did when it was installed. The color fades and cleaning with the harsh chemicals they recommend leaves the composite decking chalky and porous. Many of the pre-finished wood decks and pergolas found in our gallery were 5 years old when they were photographed, and look much like the day they were installed.
Timbertech has had some serious color fading issues and one local deckbuilder had 2 failures within 1 year, (large decks). As a solution, they tried a new product designed to bond to composite decking. I will be having a look at the coating this summer to see how it is lasting and if it is successful, we will tell you all about this coating system for composite decking.

Trex composite decking remains the leader in composite decking failures, though most are a couple of years old and it doesn't reflect the recent product changes. With about 75% of the market, it does make sense we would hear the most complaints about their products.  We have had about 15 phone calls and a few emails in the past year from clients that need warranty service, had contacted Trex and were getting the run around or just no response. You have to keep in mind that this is the composite decking company with the most alienating warranty service, and has been for many years. Class action lawsuits have twice been initiated, and one was completed that found them libel for damages to thousands of clients. They also had a voluntary broad scale warranty issue stemming from flawed composite decking from a now defunct plant. You really have to temper their composite decking promises due to their history. Trex has since come out with a version of their decking which is wrapped with a coating to address the mold issue.

Since this article was written we have literally had hundreds of phone calls and emails expressing horror stories as a result of people buying composite decks through builders. We get many calls from composite decking clients that are looking for replacement composite decking and parts for products that are no longer produced.

The issue of  Composite Decking Warranty is not being addressed by the composite companies. All but 1 composite decking manufacturer warranty that I have seen excludes the cost of disposal and labor to replace the decking from their warranty. This is the composite decking industry telling builders that they do not value their time. This is the composite decking industry pitting our clients against builders across the company. If you are a builder recommending composite decking to a client, you are putting yourself in a potentially dangerous financial position of potentially being libel for damages, ie. you may be bound to supply your labor for free to replace faulty composite decking. Lets face it--if you make composite decking that is faulty, you cannot ignore the fact that to make the client that purchased the composite decking whole, you need to cover labor and disposal of the defective decking. These composite decking companies are relying on slick marketing rather than reputation.

Evergrain (Tamco), actually offers a 5 year warranty that includes replacement costs--Not Disposal of Faulty Decking Product though, which I find strange. Why not go all the way? Thouugh with anything, you need to do research before buying. I didn't  find many complaints about Evergrain, when I searched, but you should do your own searches before buying any composite decking. When you buy a man made product like composite decking, you need to weigh all the factors. Most builders like the product, but how many of them have that decking that they recommend on their own home and are still happy with it. Unfortunately most deck builders never return later to see how the decks they build look 5-10 years later. I see this warranty change as a serious positive in the world of composite decking.

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Finally, A solution to moldy, fading and stained composite decking!

Gemthane, the folks that make pre-finished wood siding and decking now produces a composite decking refinishing product that will bring your old composite decking back to life, eliminate mold and hide any stains  from composite decking of all types. Their expertise in developing industrial and commercial grade protective coatings for a variety of substrates makes it possible!”

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Composite Decking Law Suits.

 

 Trexä has settled it’s class action law suit, and it appears that they still have mold issues. Numerous people have called prior to signing a confidentiality agreement with Trexä agreeing not to talk about it. Another Trexä client sent the photos below. Trexä is likely the largest composite decking company in the world and they have always made their decking from a mix of materials. This photo was sent by a Trex Client and he attested that it is 1 year old.

 

 click to enlarge

 

For more information about the Trexä Class Action suit try a search on Google or click here for a good description of the Trex class action suit.

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Composite Decking Companies Closed in the past few years.  (A list in progress)

When a composite decking manufacturer closes, the implied warranty is worthless. Maybe we need to asess their stock before buying to get an idea of whether they will be there to honor a warranty.

Correct Deck  Filed Chapter 11 Bankruptcy and sold all of its assets to a subsidiary of Building Materials Corporation of America (BMCA) in 2009.  To see a large set of comments about Correct Deck (click)  (composite decking warranty--Contact CorrectDeck Directly)
CPI Plastics (EON),  Went through a restructuring and could not meet its financial comittments, was liquidated by the creditors in 2009 (composite decking limited lifetime warranty--Worthless)
Xtendex   Manufacturing plant in Barrie (Carney Timber Products) closed and was liquidated.  2007
Dexx    Composite decking plant in Bolton Ontario burned to the ground in 2005. For some reason they never resumed production.
ProCell   Purchased by AZEK 2008
GeoDeck  Original company no longer operating, Name has been sold to 2 companies since and warranty is no longer valid.
Brite    Bankrupt in 2007, business closed in 2008  (no warranty service)
Elk Cross Timbers   Purchased in 2007, Closed in 2011
Monarch Deck Products   (Green Tree Composites)  Closed in 2008
Life Time Lumber   Business Closed 2011

There are literally hundreds of now defunct composite decking companies, this is a list of the largest companies. Please let us know if there are other defunct companies that should be added to this list.

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Coupling Vinyl with Wood

 

Offered a strong but flexible product without as much temperature growth over time. They missed a couple of factors however. The “Pulp” wood they use is made up of fiber (small wood particles) that is of species not known for outdoor durability such as pine, spruce and bark from these trees. It’s basically the wood left over that isn’t good enough to use to make paper.

 

Since this wood absorbs moisture, then dispels it this creates a pocket within the vinyl that soaks up moisture every time it gets wet. Over time… black mold—like an un-vented shower stall and it will never subside. Cleaners may make it look alright for a few days—but it will always come back. Apparently they still have issues.

 

If composite decking contains wood it may be prudent to steer clear of the product.

 

Warrantees offered by Composite decking companies are notorious for pointing out their tragic flaws. Pool chemicals, mechanical wear, mold growth are often not covered by their limited lifetime warrantee.

 

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Composite Decking Testing Methods

 

 Generally, when they test composite decking durability and color-fastness they test for the equivalent of about 6 months in the real world. Furthermore manufacturers have told me that each batch of composite decking will be a slightly different color. I haven’t personally seen a composite testing that included testing for freeze thaw stability.  

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Fade Resistant Composite Decking 

 

Most manufacturers are advertising their decking as Fade Resistant. Again... Since the testing is a vague thing, once it gets into the real world it may simply be a different case. Here are photographs of  Trex Decking Brasillia sent in by Robert Rackish this past year, 2010.  "Little did we know that it would fade and pick up stains easily"  he said in an email. He went on to say he has been searching for a product that would restore the color and hasn't found anything yet.

   

Robert wetted the decking to show what the original color looked like. In the first photo you can see the two scraps that are the original color on the faded background.

 

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Is Composite a Structural Material?

The simple answer is that when you can legally use it for joists and handrails then it will be deemed structural materials. Most composite hand-rails are not Building Code Legal. Most composite decking manufacturers advise to create a frame that has the joists about 12” apart, rather than the typical 16” since the materials will tend to sag under it’s own weight.

 

 

 We get numerous people asking for composite pergolas. Since we can’t fasten to it securely, or span more than a couple of feet without deflection designing one that works well is a challenge we just don’t see as a sound investment.

 

 

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Vinyl Decking (without wood pulp—Virgin Vinyl)

 

Is apparently durable and long lasting. One of our builders says he decides which composite is good by laying it on something solid, hanging a 3” corner off the edge and giving it a good whack with a hammer. If it shatters off—Don’t use it. He sticks to Virgin Vinyl products and has had good luck. (EON by CPI is not Virgin Vinyl, we would suggest it is a PVC product classed with PVC patio furniture)

 

Virgin Vinyl composite decking does expand and contract a great deal and this needs to be accommodated by using different methods for fastening and leaving tolerances (spaces) to allow expansion based on temperature. Variance of about 200 degrees F should be standard in North America, which means up to 2 or 3“ of expansion should be expected with some products.

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Cheap Composite Decking

 

When something is just too cheap you want to steer clear. Cheap gas will always contain water or toxic waste. Cheap composite could have any number of horrors lurking within it especially if it comes all the way from another continent.

 

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PVC Composite Vinyl  Fences

Many Builders attest that the vinyl fencing has improved over the years. If what they say is true--Fantastic. However here are some photos of vinyl composite fencing failures. UV breaks down PVC. Spray paint will be nearly impossible to remove.

 

  

 

 

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Builders Recommending Composites may be Libel for supplying free labor to replace decking?

Speaking as a builder, we have a tough enough time getting jobs finished on a schedule and on budget. We work long hard days in the elements to keep our customers happy, and when a warranty issue with a composite decking company causes this important relationship with our clients to be jeaprodized we as builders need to pay particular attention to it and weigh the issues. Only Evergrain offers a 5 year Limited Warranty that covers Installation Costs--but not disposal costs.

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A visit with Tom Jacques from Hickory Dickory Decks.

 

Tom was kind enough to show me around a few composite decking installations in Burlington.  The decks looked good—that’s why he’s our competition in many areas. He tells me that 90% of their work is composite decking. I offer a great thanks for his time showing me his work.

 

Being a large company with many sub-contract employees it is hard to keep a tight control on quality control so there were flaws here and there. I think their work is quite good generally.

 

Many of the decks realistically did not look 3 years old, but they may have been close. At the time of this revision we did not have disclosure as to how old exactly they were. Regardless, there were flaws in some that indicated that they were likely in the range of 3 years old.

 

   click to enlarge

 

All the decks I viewed had obviously been professionally cleaned. Some of the composite decks containing wood showed evidence of mold growth and staining.

 

 

Expansion had caused some boards to shear screws, and there were quite a few joints that didn’t quite line up. Plastics expand when you heat them, and contract when you cool them. Unless the temperature is the same as the date of installation there will be gaps and/or pressure distortion.

 

  

 

Wood expands when it absorbs moisture, and shrinks when it dispels it. This factor has to be accommodated by leaving spaces or using special techniques to minimize the visibility and effects.

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Extendex Composite Decking Plant:

 

We photographed this display fence in 2004 and we understand that the company went bankrupt and was bought out by another company.

   click to enlarge

 

The display, as you can see was listing badly. The new owners removed the display—I guess they had better taste.  The entertaining part was that their yard was fenced using steel siding rather than their own products. The steel fence is still there, but keep in mind that decision was made by the old management… not the new.

 

 

Be Careful out there!

 

Lawrence W

 

Note: the opinions expressed in these articles are simply an opinion of the author. No malice is intended. If you have information or evidence of errors or possible corrections we invite your comments at plans@gardenstructure.com

 

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