• 
  • Carpentry
  • Plumbing & Wiring
  • Energy Efficiency
  • Kitchen & Bath
  • Building Codes
  • Interior Finish
  • Foundations & Masonry
  • Building Plans
  • DVDs
  • Magazine Archives
• 
  • Digital Issues
  • Member Home
• 
  • Subscribe
  • Renew
  • Gift Subscription
  • Current Issue
  • Magazine Extras
  • Magazine Index
  • Advertiser Marketplace

Is Synthetic Decking Right for You?

FHB_WEB, member

47 users recommend

The pros and cons of synthetic decking

Add Comment
Print

by Chris Green

Now available in a variety of colors and textures, synthetic decking products won’t rot, splinter, or crack. We've identified some of the pros and cons ofif synthetic decking. Post a comment and let us know what you think about sythetic vs. real wood.

Pros • Synthetic decking is durable; it won’t rot, crack, or peel. • No maintenance beyond cleaning is required. • It can be installed with ordinary power tools. • There’s no waste from material defects. • Some products are made from recycled materials. • Most composite decking is nontoxic. • It’s available in a variety of colors. • Matching handrails and accessories are available.

Cons • Synthetic decking is 2 to 5 times the cost of pressure-treated wood. • It doesn’t look as good as new wood decking. • Special fasteners sometimes are required. • High temperatures can cause wood-plastic composites to become more flexible. • Wood-plastic composites are nearly 2 times heavier than wood. • Availability varies considerably throughout the country.

Read the complete article... Synthetic Decking Takes Off Now available in a variety of colors and textures, this durable array of products won't rot, splinter, or crack. What's not to like? by Chris Green

Add Comment Print

Take Your Best Shot - Deck Photo Contest Rules

Back to List

How To Clean Up Mold

Comments (7)

tim0072 writes: Add me to the long list of very unhappy customers of Azek decking. I have a variety of ugly unremovable stains that have ruined my extremely expensive Azek deck. The sales literature I have says "stubborn stains don't stand a chance". I get no satisfaction whatsoever from Azek.

Posted: 7:12 pm on November 3rd

jak36 writes: Just installed Azek decking. Looks good so far, but personally does not have the same natural feel for me. I was contemplating Ipe wood initially and have almost wish I had gone that route. A little scary reading these posts.
Posted: 9:03 pm on August 19th

moe231 writes:
We have had problems with our Procell/Azek deck and so has many others. We paid top dollar for this material and still have the original pamphlet that says "stubborn stains and mold don't stand a chance". We have over 1,000 sq. ft. of decking that cost a lot of money and it started to look old and worn after the first few months. We called the company and they sent a crew to clean it, a three step processand very time consuming. As a matter of fact the company had a crew traveling all over the states doing exactly this (cleaning Procell decks). We asked what would happen if this treatment didn't hold and it stained again. They said that they would come back as often as needed because it was guaranteed. It held up for a few months and them it happened again - mold, stains, white spots, black spots, and fading. The company advertised that all you need to clean it was soap and water. Well soap and water did not clean this. We called them again. They sent a crew out again and they said it was oxidation and they would clean it with a newer solution and, they cleaned it once again. It was ok for a few months. Then, stains, scratches and spots appeared again along with stains now on the Azek white trim that the crew had touched with this "solution." I am about to call them again. This deck is not quite three years old. Someone online said that they heard It had to be a bad batch. It must have been because there are some people who have this decking and have had no problems so far. Now the company is saying that you have to apply a solution to the decking every year to restore it. Well, that is not good enough. We purchased Procell (top dollar) because you did not have to do anything to clean it but use only soap and water for stains. If that was the case we would have kept our wooden deck that looked much better than this! This is false advertising. And this "solution" costs $69 dollars a bottle. Well if this deck has a lifetime guarantee how much will this cost year after year after year. I am reaching out to anyone who has had problems with this product. Maybe we can start a class action suit and get our money back. Other companies have had problems and they stood behind their product and refunded the cost of materials to their customers. We are out a lot of money and I will not stop until something is done. Please let me know if you have any suggestions on how to handle this.

Posted: 8:18 pm on March 29th

Cedarist writes: After observing the host of Composite decking products that have been introduced over the last 20 years, I have come to the conclusion that they are all chasing profit more than they are trying to do the right thing for our planet.

Many of these composite deck products have tried and failed.

Chris Green in describing, "the pros and cons of synthetic decking" sounded more like a commercial for composite decking than a non biased discussion.


Chris Green notes • "There’s no waste from material defects." He failed to consider the scrap from Composite decking products are not recycled by Waste Management. Because of the fillers used, the scrap goes directly into land fill. That is not Green.

Mr Green States • "No maintenance beyond cleaning is required."
That is of course if you don't mind looking at a black stain
left from where the family pet likes to sleep. That won't come out.

Does he know about the stain manufacturers that have come out with stain products designed to cover up the stains that accummulate in composite decking?

He left out the fact that unlike natural wood products, composite decking have no fiber memory. Sagging can occur and you can't fix that.

Composite decking is proving not to be a stable as expansion from heat can cause buckling in long runs.

Truth is; we are all wanting to build, "green" and a fossil fuel sourced building product can't equal the, "Green" benefits of a sustainably grown wood decking material, ie. Western Red Cedar.

FYI-
"Seal-Once", is a great wood sealer. It can be machine applied before the decking goes to the job site. It is water based, will not harm Fish, Pets,Plants or Wildlife & safe
to use near lakes & streams. It is Green Spec listed.

In Summary; First impressions of composite decking can mask the realities and they are still an experiment that can fail.

Time tested sustainable wood decking products still provide the best "Green Value" when compared.




















Posted: 2:34 pm on September 29th

Jimboo writes: I would not go with the composites or frankly anything with wood fibers or other natural materials. I make Adirondack chairs and picnic tables and have had great success with a pure PVC product named Azek. This is pure virgin PVC nothing natural in it. I have chairs and benches that are three years old and have been sitting outside. You might have to wash them once every couple of years if they have been sitting under trees but thats it! Comes in five colors
none of which is very dark. Comfortable in direct sunshine!
I have sent the composite folks email saying why don't you make some lighter colors. No response.
Now I don't get paid for saying any of this it's just the truth! Oh yea - does not mold or mildew! I'm telling you this stuff is great.
Posted: 5:43 pm on June 27th

gordon67 writes: I agree with the previous post. In fact I would like to see FineHomebuilding do some articles on the calamities of synthetics. The fact is they are not all “Fine”

Our personal experience has been with ChoiceDek and it was probably the worst decision we could have made when it came to our deck.

Time line:
DAY ONE - looked good - happy.

2 WEEKS - we notice it very hot under foot, so hot a pair of my shoes melt out of shape while left out for a few hours. We can’t walk on deck barefoot because too hot on sunny days, while sitting in chair feet must not be on the surface, burn feet. Heat seems to increase air temp as well.

9 MONTHS - BLACK MOLD spots develop. We start our web search and find mold is an issue with product. We buy a product to clean deck. It does wash off the black spots; however it also washes out the color of the deck.

20 MONTHS - the mold returns and we learn of class action lawsuit.

24 MONTHS - preparing to remove our chalky moldy deck, after 2 years of time, money and heartache.

Maybe someday these products may be ready for primetime, my advice to the average citizen if they decide to use one would be: make sure that there are guarantees & warranties and your builder will guarantee (including labor) if the product “goes bad” on you. .. Don’t get stuck like us!!

Anybody have advice on woods to use?

Posted: 3:49 pm on May 31st

kledeen writes: DON'T!!!!

I had a Trex deck, installed about 3 years ago in Sedona, Arizona. It is dissolving in front of our eyes. We've contacted Trex and they have acknowledged that this is a common problem. They will provide replacement material, but will not cover the cost of labor, which is substantial.

Basically, the stuff is manufactured from recycled material, and (I'm guessing) sometimes the get biodegradable stuff. Add a good helping of UV exposure and, instead of deck you have dust.

I've had at least one friend who suffered even more serious problems, but I'll leave it to him to describe them.

My personal view is the that CONS outweight the PROS by a vast margin with these products.


Posted: 3:14 pm on April 20th

You must be logged in to post comments. Click here to login.