Appearance and Installation of composite decking

Surface hardness and the wood used in composite boards
have an interrelated roll in the potential breakdown of the
product. PVC used in a WPC decking is a ��hard�� plastic when
compared to HDPE. When installing an HDPE,composite timbers for landscaping one can easily use
a nail gun or screws but the soft surface tends to ��mushroom��
up around the fastener. Pre drilling is recommended by most
manufactures to reduce the risk of mushrooming. A PVC board
will stay flat and not dimple or mushroom. They usually come
with recommendations to pre-drill the ends of their boards and
to use screws rather than a nail gun.
Before the first tools are lifted (including building the
substructure) ensure that the products installation guide is
fully understood otherwise the warranty may be void. They all
vary slightly (i.e. joist spacing may vary anywhere between
350mm to 500mm) and are constantly changing so before
commencing a new project review the installation guide.
Most warranties require a warranty card to be filled in and
returned to the supplier within 30 days of installation.
Manufactures introduced hollow boards to reduce the
product cost, as they require fewer raw materials compared
to the same size solid profile. But hollow profiles have
an increased surface area which if installed near water
may lead to increased risk of failure as the surrounding
atmospheric moisture may be absorbed in to the wood
fibre making it swell and shrink putting pressure on the
plastic resin (refer to manufactures guidelines). Solid boards
have a reduced chance of absorption but can occur with
some products. The hollow board requires more accurate
installation due to specific fixing points; otherwise the
fastener may weaken if installed incorrectly.
Appearance
Embossing or brushing the deck surface is the norm for
this range of products. This removes lubricates used in the
manufacturing process whist adding to slip resistance and
appearance. One down side to brushing is the chance of
stain absorption as the exposed wood fibre has the chance
to suck up any red wine (or similar) to leave a permanent
mark. Deck cleaner may be used otherwise it may require a
light sand to remove the mark completely. To reduce chance
of permanent marking look for smooth or embossed products
that has not been brushed.
WPC decking products come in a great range of natural
colours including every brown possible, light brown, honey
brown, red brown, dark brown and greys.decorative plastic garden fence Literature will state
WPC decking is colour fast and is fade resistant, but it never
will state it will not fade. Therefore advise the home owner
the decking will fade over the first 10-12 weeks before it
settles down, the rate of fade and the extent of fading is
dependent on the quality of the product.
Generally appearance decisions come down to personal
preference.
Conclusion
It may be tough sometimes to distinguish the good from
the bad so do your research when selecting a product.
Remember, if you are looking at buying WPC decking,
think long-term. Get the brand that is going to address the
conditions of weather, use, construction method proposed
and wear for the home and lifestyle.
Key points to investigation?
o Length of warranty - tells a lot about the product.
o What the warranty covers - read the warranty card.
o History of the manufacturer - experience is priceless
o Installation guide - read it and follow it.
o Ingredients - pure vs recycled, softwood vs hardwood vs
not wood at all.
o Wood Fibre - generally darker the colour the greater the risk
of tannin bleed.
o Expansion Co-Efficient - understand how much it will move
o Price - you get what you pay for [url=http://www.wpcdeckingboards.com/solutions/10252.html]decorative outdoor wood floor panels[/url]
o Water absorption rate - Lower the better
o Slip resistance - Compare products