Home Repair and Paint Guide

Composite decks are advertised as maintenance free and able to withstand weather extremes. But this is not necessarily true. Not all composite decking materials are the same. Some are made from recycled materials, and the strength can vary widely between types and brands.

There are a lot of composite deck installations that have not held up to the original claims. There are several in my neighborhood that look very rough. The surfaces show exposed “wood” fibers that are obviously not wood. The fibers look more like old newspaper and are just awful. On top of that, water has started to penetrate and the material looks like it’s getting bloated and soggy. Definitely not something I want on my house.

The way to prevent these types of problems is to get the right product for the intended application. Weather extremes have to be taken into consideration. Does it rain or snow a lot in your area? How much direct sunlight will the deck be exposed to, and are outside temperatures regularly very high in the summer? What about average humidity? Mold? Will large pets be walking or running on the deck? How much traffic will the structure be exposed to?

There are a lot of companies that offer composite deck boards and railing. What if you buy one of these products and the manufacturer goes out of business? You can purchase enough excess material to make repairs, but your warranty will be worthless if the company goes belly-up.

Composite deck boards are made by mixing wood fibers and plastic. The plastic is the binder, while the wood fiber provides strength. The problem is that there are a lot of different grades of plastic and wood fibers. Also, the ratio of plastic to wood has an impact on strength and longevity. This is an area where you have to do a lot of research and not try to skimp on price. If you start out with something that’s not up to the task, you will be very sorry several years after the project is complete.

Some of the past failures of composite decking materials have been traced back to water being present in the wood fibers. This prevents the plastic binder from being completely absorbed into the wood. The best materials contain wood fibers that are extremely dry. This allows the plastic binder to be completely absorbed.

But even with the best materials and manufacturing processes available, you still might not be happy with your deck. Many of the composite materials end up with exposed wood fibers at the surface. These will eventually discolor and probably rot away as they get wet.

One of the products currently on the market uses recycled plastics and high quality extremely dry wood fibers. The decking is completely covered on the outside surfaces with plastic that has an embossed wood grain texture. This coating prevents the exposed wood fiber problem and the decking should last longer.

Regardless of what the ads say, there is still maintenance that has to be performed. Your deck has to be cleaned periodically to remove dirt and mildew. Be sure to use the cleaner recommended by the manufacturer. Trees surrounding your home can cause mildew problems.

Some products can be easily dented and will incur damage from dropped objects. You should test for this before making a purchase. Cooking grease can be a real problem. If your deck has exposed wood fibers, the grease can soak right in. You can purchase a special cleaner from home improvement stores to remove these stains. Be careful and test the cleaner on a hidden area first.