The Future is Strong for Composite Decking

That scenario has been repeating for many composite brands, as the benefits of a splinter-free deck surface that is far more resistant to warping, twisting and rotting than any natural wood decking often are worth the extra upfront cost to many consumers. “One disadvantage composites face is that with the way the lumber market is now, treated lumber is very inexpensive,” says Jim Precht, senior vice president of sales and marketing for AERT, the manufacturer of ChoiceDek. “But consumers still recognize that composites carry warranties, and that often offsets the higher initial cost.”

Fedor says the low-maintenance aspects of composite decking are such that after a few years a composite deck will actually cost less than a comparable wood deck. “After four years or so, wood decks actually begin to cost more when you figure in the added cost of cleaning and restaining them,” he says. “The added lineal foot cost is negated starting at about year five, and consumers are recognizing that. They want a relaxation piece in their backyards, not a workpiece.”

Green Still Growing

Comparing the green aspects of wood decking to composite decking can be tricky — wood is a renewable resource, after all, and the treatments are becoming more Earth-friendly. But most composite manufacturers are doing more than their share to increase the green aspects of their products. Chris Fox, marketing manager for Latitudes Composite Decking and Railing, says that waste wood from other manufacturing facilities are reclaimed and turned into wood flour for use in their Latitudes decking products.

ChoiceDek products are made from 90 percent recycled content, and Precht says that 889 plastic grocery bags and 92 plastic milk jugs are reused to make one 12-ft. composite board. Trex’s Fedor says that no trees are cut down to manufacture Trex decking, as each board contains 98 percent recycled content. “We are a LEED certified product, and last year we were able to keep 600,000 tons of wood and plastic out of landfills,” Fedor says.

CrossTimbers decking is manufactured with polypropylene (as opposed to polyethylene) and a nonwood-based organic material, which allows GAF/Elk to manufacture a board with voids and channels in the middle. “The result is a lighter, stronger board that uses less material in its manufacture,” says Todd Christiansen, marketing director for GAF/Elk. “Our board will also span 24-in. on-center joists or 16 in. on-center when the boards are laid diagonally, which means less framing material as well.”

New Products to Meet Demand

The exotic/tropical hardwood segment is one of the few segments of the natural wood decking industry that has shown increased demand over the past few years. Wood species such as Ipe are more popular — often for some of the same reasons as composites such as resistance to splintering, insects and rot. As a natural response, composite manufacturers now offer new colors and products that mimic these exotic — and often far more expensive — materials.

Trex now offers its new Brasilia line, which is pregrooved for hidden fasteners and its new espresso color, which is intended to mimic natural mahogany decking. Latitudes decking is perfecting its new co-extrusion process on its line of tropical boards. “We wrap another co-extruded material around our tropical boards for [none or] extremely minimal color fading,” Fox says.

Waterfront locations are another growing segment of the composite decking category as more people are building docks, decks and piers with these moisture-resistant materials. To meet increased demand and provide product diversity in this segment, composite manufacturers are rolling out new decking products.

Latitudes offers a new marine board, which is thicker (a full 1½ in.) and wider than regular composite deck boards. “These will be suitable for use on joists spaced at 24 in. on-center, and they will have two slip-resistant surfaces — wood grain on one side and a brushed finish on the other,” Fox says.