Decking: Composite decking or Pressure Treated decking – Why Pressure treated wood vs composite decking
Composite material is the superior choice for decking when building a residential deck. The two most common materials used in residential decking is composite and pressure treated lumber. Building a deck can be one of the most complex projects on a residential property due to the fact of setting footers, attaching ledger boards to the house header, flashing for proper drainage and structural integrity to ensure safety. Deck building is usually performed by a licensed, bonded, and insured contractor due to experience, liability, and the ability for the deck to maintain the highest retention value. Decking covers the structural components and joist to make a platform. This is the part of the deck that is utilized as the usable space for tables, furniture, grills, walking, playing, and socializing on. The use of composite decking has been on the increase over the last few years by homeowners, landlords, and home investors. Choosing the correct decking material for your residential deck project is very important as this is your outdoor oasis. Composite decking material is the superior choice when building a deck because maintenance is easier, the overall appearance is outstanding, and there is no splintering or rotting of the material.
Deck buyers that utilize composite decking in their building process will enjoy minimal to no maintenance to keep their investment looking new. Composite decking has a higher initial cost, two to three times the cost of pressure treated. Pressure treated decking comes with a five hundred through one thousand-dollar yearly maintenance cost to keep your material in good condition. Yearly deck maintenance for pressure treated lumber consist of pressure cleaning, sanding, and applying a semitransparent, or solid stain. Once the pressure treated lumber has received multiple coats of a product, changing from an oil to a latex product, or going from a solid to a semitransparent the deck needs to be fully stripped with cleaner/chemical, or sanded to bare wood to allow the new product to penetrate and adhere correctly. The charge for the stripping or sanding can range from fifteen hundred to four thousand dollars depending on size and coating. Composite decking never needs to be stained or painted. Composite decking can be maintained by the property owner/renter for little to no cost, and time, alleviating the need to hire a contractor to maintain your deck yearly. Composite decking is a non-porous substrate. This non-porous material will prevent any excessive mold growth, as mold spores will not bond to the material as they do with pressure treated lumber. “But even limited VOC exposure can be dangerous to people with multiple chemical sensitivities, respiratory problems, or weakened immune systems.” (Stevens, 2005). Eliminating painting and staining will insure the safety of the deck user as no VOC (volatile organic compound) cancer causing agents will have to be applied to keep the deck looking new.
When purchasing decking one of the major concerns is the result of the materials after installed, composite decking has you no longer guessing as the superior overall appearance you select will never change from day one.
“Stain Resistance: Resistant to permanent staining resulting from spills of food and beverage items that would typically be present on a residential deck Fade Resistance: Resistant to color change from light and weathering exposure as measured by color change in excess of 5 Delta E (Hunter) units provided that the Fiberon Products were installed, cared for and maintained in accordance with fiberon written instructions.” (Fiberon, n.d.)
Composite decking comes in a variety of colors also offering a smooth finish or wood grain texture and has a minimum 20yr fade and stain warranty compared to wood which does not contain a warranty. Composite decking offers a richer looking appearance holding its value year after year. Composite decking has a hidden fastener system. Pressure treated lumber has also been notorious for knot holes which are never acceptable by the purchaser, composite decking is one solid decking board never having a knot hole. The decking is installed with clips that are inserted in the grooved side of the decking board and screwed to the joist then the next grooved decking boards slides into the clip and so forth taking away the unsightly look of traditional lumber that was fastened on top of the boards with screws and nails. “I had my deck built in 1997. So, 18 years later and my Trex looks like it did when it was new.” (Dawn of Longmont, 2015). These factors have not only made for a superior product but a top rated overall appearance as we can confirm from the Dawn review. The cost of building a 300-400 square foot deck ranges from fifteen hundred to twenty thousand dollars depending on selected material and complexity. When investing this amount of money, the overall appearance is important to the purchaser because this is where they will spend a good portion of their outdoor time with family and friends. Overall appearance is important because of city and homeowner association codes and rules, also retention, appraisal, and resale value.
Homeowners, landlords, and home investment buyers know the hazards a rotting and splintering deck can impose on the people utilizing the deck.
“Historically CCA has been the principal chemical used to treat wood for outdoor uses around a home. Residential uses of arsenic-treated woods include play structures, decks, picnic tables, gazebos, landscaping timbers, residential fencing, patios, and walkways or boardwalks. After wood is pressure-treated with arsenic compounds, residues of the preservatives can remain on the surface. The initial residues wash off, but as the wood weathers, new layers of treated wood and pesticides are exposed.” (Judith, 2011).
The traditional way to prevent this was with the use of chemical treatments. The industry has utilized chemicals to prevent the issues of rotting and splintering of pressure treated lumber knowing that most of these areas stated above were highly used by consumers, while not educating them on the health effects from these chemicals, composite material does not contain these harmful chemicals allowing you and your family the ability to feel safe about your health. “But some composite decking is made from recycled plastic and wood product (including recycled pallets), and the wood sometimes is not appropriate for outdoor applications, also leading to expansion, rotting, etc.” (Vogel, 2011). With the new capped composite decking material, you can ensure yourself the material will not have any underlying health effect, and the PVC capped layer prevents the inner materials from rot and splintering like Vogel stated previously above in relation to generation 1 composite material with no PVC capping.
“The positioning of the WPC decking materials is closest to the statistical mode of the demand distribution and is centrally located in the density map. WPCs are perceived to have a moderate mix of longevity, decay resistance, ease of use, low cost, and high availability.” (Ganguly, Eastin & MacLachlan, 2011).
The WPC (wood plastic composite) material represented on the density map proves that the material has developed over the years and generations to surpass pressure treated lumber in the categories of longer life span and durability while being readily available giving the buyer the ability to know the product will hold up over time and is safe to use. If you refer to the points on the overall appearance that we spoke about on the hidden fastener system that composite decking utilizes compared to traditional nails and screws in pressure treated installation. These screws and nails used in pressure treated decking created lower areas in the lumber were water and mold would sit resulting in premature rotting/splintering of the decking and some fasteners would have a chemical reaction to the chemically treated board resulting in increased rotting and breakdown of the fastener. As the sun dries the pressure treated decking and the expansion and contraction of the yearly weather change the boards tend to crack, water then resides in the crack and breaks down the top layer of the decking resulting in splintering.
Composite decking can hold up to exterior conditions for many years, as pressure treated decking needs costly yearly upkeep to maintain its integrity.
“According to research, certain woods can be expected to last up to 40 years as decking, if properly treated and finished on all surfaces, and although composite may be touted as “maintenance free,” some maintenance may be required to keep the finish from becoming powdery or fading.” (Vogel, 2011).
Composite decking generation 1 was a porous wood, plastic, and adhesive combination pressed decking board. As the trial and error of all material to exterior conditions such as sun and weather conditions have been assessed all composite decking material is now wrapped with a PVC outer shell to eliminate the powdery and fading aspect. The composite decking PVC Wrap has made the wood and plastic inside material non-porous resulting in a product that can be considered as low to no maintenance because there is no need for preservative treatment, just a simple soapy water and soft bristle brush cleaning one or twice a year. With the new and improved PVC capped composite the material can outlast wood without becoming powdery and fading with no treatment of the material making it the superior choice in decking.
Homeowners, landlords, and home investment buyers might still be wondering is composite decking the best option for my residential deck. Your deck holds a 90 percent retention value of the cost, you want to protect this value because at the time of a housing appraisal or sale you want to be guaranteed your investment is the same as the day it was installed allowing you to reap the benefit. As exterior products have advanced over the years we now have a product that will hold up and keep its beauty without costly routine maintenance allowing more enjoyment through the life or the deck. Composite decking not only has a rich looking appearance from day one, it’s also backed by a 20 yr. plus material warranty to make you feel secure in your purchase. Why use outdated material that you must maintain yearly and will still splinter and rot causing you, your renters, or buyers safety concerns and time away from the deck. With low maintenance, outstanding overall appearance, and safety as the top concerns when selecting decking choose the best as composite decking out weights the rest.
References
Fiberon. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.fiberondecking.com/en-uk/resources/warranty-registration
Ganguly, I., Eastin, I., & MacLachlan, D. (2011). An analysis of the US decking materials market: perceptual mapping approach. Canadian Journal Of Forest Research, 41(4), 669-681. doi:10.1139/x10-244
Judith L., S. (2011). Arsenic-Treated Lumber. Environmental Encyclopedia, 107.
Longmont, D. (2015, October 25). Consumer affairs. Retrieved from https://www.consumeraffairs.com/homeowners/trex_composite_decking.html?page=1#sort=recent&filter=5
Stevens, S. (2005). THE HIDDEN LIFE OF house paint. Sierra, 90(2), 30.
Vogel, C. (2011). COMPOSITE VS. WOOD DECKING. The St. Petersburg Times (St. Petersburg, FL).
