Building wood plastic composite decking

Building a deck can be an expensive and time-consuming project. Once built, most owners want their deck to last forever. A number of factors will determine the longevity of your deck, but each of the decking materials discussed here should provide many years of satisfactory performance.

Treated wood and naturally durable wood have long histories of proven performance. As mentioned, there have recently been changes in the preservatives used for treating wood, but testing indicates that these new products should perform about as well as the previous formulations. Naturally durable wood has also been used for decking for many years.

There is some concern that the younger and smaller trees that now being used for naturally durable lumber might not be as durable as the older trees that were used in the past, but this has not been well documented.

WPC is a relatively new product; thus its potential durability is not well understood. It is often advertised as being rot-proof because the plastic encapsulates and protects the wood  bers. However, research and experience have demonstrated that the wood component of WPC can mold and rot. In addition, there are many types of WPC on the market, and formulations are changing over time. Only time will tell how durable WPC really is.

Building wood plastic composite decking

Availability

Treated wood is the most common decking material, and it is widely available in many dimensions. WPC lumber is also becoming widely available, but retailers usually carry only one manufacturer’s brand. If you are looking for a particular type or color of WPC, you may have to shop around. Naturally durable wood is a less common choice for decking. While many retailers carry it, the dimensions or species that you prefer may have to be ordered.

Convenience/Ease of Installation

Many people are familiar with working with wood. For this reason, some people will  nd installing treated wood or naturally durable wood easier than installing WPC decking, which is heavy compared to wood. In most ways, however, all three decking types are installed in a similar manner. WPC materials are generally screwed together and can be routed like wood. With treated wood, brushing additional preservative onto cut ends to maintain the “envelope” of protection is recommended.

Wooden decking surfaces should be planed, with the edges smoothed to avoid splinters. These steps are normally performed in the manufacturing process. WPC does not splinter, but it is not as stiff as solid wood lumber. Thus, special construction methods, including the use of wooden framing, may be required under a WPC deck. On the other hand, this  exibility can be an advantage; WPC lumber can be bent on-site to make attractive patterns. It is recently withdrew the most widely used wood preservative — chromated copper arsenate (CCA) — for decking applications amid concerns over the presence of arsenic in the environment. New treatments, which do not contain arsenic, have been developed as substitutes for CCA. These treatments — copper azole” or alkaline copper quat (ACQ) — contain copper and other biocides, leave the wood with a green color and are usually used with pine lumber in the southern United States. There is no reason to believe these new chemicals will not be as safe as the traditional, treated wood products.

People are generally less concerned with the safety of naturally durable wood or WPC products, and there is no reason to suspect that any of these decking materials are unsafe. Wearing gloves and eye protection when working with treated wood are the same safety precautions that are recommended when installing naturally durable wood and WPC lumber. Naturally durable wood contains (naturally occurring) poisons that protect the wood. Sawdust — including that from WPC lumber — can be irritating to your lungs or skin.