Any experience with composite/plastic decking? I'm at a loss!
ckrohe
6 years ago
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Non-plastic looking porch decking (composite)?
Comments (5)We chose Earthwood Evolutions Terrain line by timbertech. I don't think it looks very plasticky but its texture is quite rough. This made this particular product stand out from all the others we looked at. I may regret that texture come time to clean but eh. Definitely go check out samples before you pick a product We got Silver Maple (grey) Wish i had a picture of it installed but we apparently missed that in our picture taking adventures..here's a shot of the two samples side by side though. Here is a link that might be useful: Earthwood Evolutions Terrain This post was edited by niteshadepromises on Thu, Apr 24, 14 at 5:07...See MoreProcell Composite Decking
Comments (8)I am confronted with making a decision on replacing a large volume of decking at a shore property in South Jersey. Whatever we do will be gray. I initially made a decision to use Weatherbest since I installed approx 950 sq ft of it at my primary home which has held up pretty well into it's second season. We used the redwood color and although there is a grey cast in places, and some surface scratching, it has a better overall appearance than other neighbors who built from Timber Tech and Trex. Those brands had much more color shift and uneven discoloration. Our contractor in New Jersey just said the local building supply stopped carrying Weatherbest because of complaints of it turning "purple". I have seen this with the darker Timber Tech color but not with the Weatherbest. Seeking some input (Ken?) on observations of what composites have held up best 5+ years and if you have had any real life experience with ProCell PVC decking. It seems to be more like the AZEK trim material being used all over the beaches than the other more "plastic" decking I have seen (Eon). Using a wood product at the beach requires more maintenance as the salt air really beats up the material or finish. It seems like a routine cleaning of PVC decking and vinyl (composite) rails would be easier....See MoreAffordable Ipe or Composite? Experiences about which to go with?
Comments (4)Hi Ron! Word of caution on buying black locust. You are correct, black locust is a very durable wood exceeding white oak in hardness. Unfortunately there is not a ton of domestic availability. We wish there was more! That said, a distinction needs to be drawn between black locust heartwood and black locust sapwood. Black Locust heartwood is very strong, but the sapwood is not. The trees available today are not exceedingly large so you have a pretty good chance of having some sapwood in the boards. Additionally, while it is admittedly a durable wood..... it doesn't compare to Ipe. The main unit of measure we use to determine how well a wood will withstand dents, dings, and wear (as well as indirectly predicting the difficulty in nailing, screwing, sanding, or sawing any given wood specie) is the Janka Hardness test. The Janka Hardness Test is a test measuring the amount of pounds-force (lbf) or newtons (N) required to imbed a .444″ (11.28 mm) diameter steel ball into the wood to half the ball’s diameter. Black Locust comes in at about 1,700 lbs Ipe comes in at about 3,680 lbs ***Wood nerd side note.... Lignum Vitae, which grows in SE Florida comes in at about 4,500 lbs, but the trees are incredibly small so you can't get any meaningful lengths out of it and it is so slow growing that it's not a sustainably harvestable specie... Many of the blocks and dead-eyes on the USS Constitution are made out of Lignum Vitae as the wood is so dense and oily when the lines pass through it the friction warms the wood which releases oil that acts as a lubricant. As recently as the late 70's early 80's, the US Navy used it as a bearing for a propeller shaft on a nuclear submarine. Until that point no manmade synthetic could compete with it's performance....See MoreCali Decking BamDeck 4G composite
Comments (4)I have had Cali Bamboo decking for 1.5 years now. No smell at all. However, I wouldn’t recommend it for any areas that are continually soaked. It’s ability to retain water and expand / contract are giving real problems. Some boards are splitting, others are buckling and warping. Cali said it’s installer’s issue. The said it is documented in their manual to leave a 1/2” of space between boards if boards are to be in high moisture area. Its not! Neither on their web site! But 1/2 “ space isn’t enough. I’ve replaced their deck material on my dock. Will never use again....See Moreckrohe
6 years agotessyts
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agobrownsphoto
2 years agopjay123
2 years agoAlan Strassberg
2 years ago
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