Thinking of buying new home decking? You should be aware there are new, attractive alternatives to wood decks. These deck building products provide increased durability as well as extremely low maintenance. You’ll appreciate the new styles and colors which are a break from the humdrum, common deck materials that homeowners are tired of seeing. Consumers are looking for something different this year.
Today’s deck deck building manufacturers are producing a wide array of new synthetic, plastic, and composite decking materials. New composite products are actually combining the best qualities of wood with the strength and durability of synthetic materials.
Composite Decks
Composite decks (sometimes referred to as an engineered product) are manufactured using a variety of combinations of components such as wood fibers, fillers, and binders. These components of composite decking are heated and compressed into the base composite decking boards. They offer a very durable exterior surface that is difficult to discolor and scratch, and which is easy to clean. Composite decks also resist shrinking and swelling better than natural wood decking products.
Composite decking has more advantages over pressure treated pine decking. The material is harder and won’t dent, and they are approved for fire-rated construction. Wood products will burn and plastic-based products will melt or warp when exposed to a significant heat source. Over a ten year period, your house decking will take a great deal of punishing use and weather. This physical beating which includes people walking and jumping on it, intense sunshine, barbecue grease burns, and rain with high winds, will wear down even the strongest of wood deck materials. Composite decks keep their beautiful appearance for many years to come with minimal maintenance. A simple pressure washing once a year is all that’s required.
Wood decking products have a unique set of limitations that might make you think twice about purchasing it for your home. Wood can rot; invite bug infestations, shrink, and swell when subjected to rain, then hot dry weather, thus loosening fasteners that hold it securely. That’s when squeaky, loose boards become an annoying feature of your deck, along with nails that stick up and present a real safety and health hazard.
Installation of composite decking is a breeze. These products were designed to enable easy cutting for the deck installers. Composite’s strength presents innumerably creative options that aren’t possible with expensive wood decks. This is contributing to the creative deck design boom in homes across America. Large decks would require extensive refinishing through the years and hiring a deck re-finisher every year is not something most people would consider. If you’re thinking of building a multilevel or other creative type of deck, composite decking is the right choice.
Composite Decking becomes much more affordable for today's dock projects when you consider the extra long life and the low maintenance features. Large wood docks require extensive refinishing over the years which will add to the overall cost.
Composite Decking comes in a number of different colors that can match or complement any home's decor and style.
Choosing Decking
Your choice of decking will influence the overall appearance of your home and ultimately, its resale value. Homeowners today are a different breed than those of the past. Very few people live in their homes forever. Most move to new locations to take advantage of job opportunities or need a new home to suit their suit their ever-changing family situation. Consumers today have also become bored with treated pine.
At some point, homeowners will sell their home. The quality and appearance of the decking and its suitability for their home, property and geographical location will affect the resale value of the home. The home buyer will not want to be faced with a series of expensive home improvements. With composite materials, homeowners can afford to build a bigger deck, and one with more creative designs. The scarcity of expensive woods is not a problem when you’re building composite decks.
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