Composite Decking Sucks
Wow, that's a pretty harsh statement! We don't make it lightly. For a while composite deck boards we're gaining massive amounts of popularity. With cheap prices and big promises of durability, America trusted the composite decking manufacturers and bought these cheap deck boards up. Then one by one, the decks started failing. The decking material manufacturing companies pointed to their long and strangely worded warranties and said we're not replacing the boards. After all what would be the point? These sub standard products would just fail again.
Then came the lawsuits. People were falling through their decks and getting injured! People were angry that the warranties weren't being honored and sued. Responding to the increased costs of legal fees, these composite decking manufacturers raised the prices on composite deck boards.
| Soaks up water like a sponge |
| prone to molds and mildew |
| Promotes irresponsible forestry (any size tree can used, perfect for clear cutters) |
| Termites (and other insects) love this "pre-chewed" and "cooked" food. Wouldn't you if you were a bug that had to eat wood? |
| glues inside are toxic |
| Must be replaced frequently, even if treated |
| Expensive, to pay for the lost lawsuits |
| Dangerous, prone to "fall through's" |
| They require more energy to make marketable than solid wood |
| A concern with the resins used is the release of formaldehyde in the finished product |
| Photodegradation - products degrade due to UV exposure rapidly |
| The more plastic in the product, the more likely it it is to warp, the less plastic that's in it, the fast it rots. |
Below are some photos of what happens to a typical installation of composite deck boards. This particular composite deck is less than 2 years old.
Composite Deck boards that has broken completely through.
This composite deck is made of high wood content composite decking, it acts as a sponge and warps easily.
Mold resistant composite decking, really? I guess they'll say anything to get a sale.
Maybe one day in the distant future science will come up with a material that as good as or better than wood, metal or concrete as a building material. They haven't even come close as of yet. In fact all attempts have come up with products that are cheap imitation (at prices just under or above their traditional competitors) that perform no where near as well as traditional materials.