Is Composite Decking Good?

It’s only fairly recently at Wood and Beyond that we’ve added composite decking to our product range.  To be honest, we held back from adding a composite deck for many years.  Why?  Because it’s only recently that we’ve tracked down a composite decking product that passed muster with us.  Those of you who know us will know that we are very selective about which products make it on to our website or into our showroom.  Until we had found a composite decking product that passed our tough tests, we simply weren’t able to add one to our range.  Now we have tracked one down and since we’ve introduced it, we’ve often been asked: “Is composite decking good?” and it’s for this reason that we’ve decided to put together this article.

The first thing we have to say about much of the composite decking that’s available today is that it is significantly better in both looks and durability than the options that were available only a few years ago and that’s good news.  The other bit of good news is that composite decking is typically made of wood fibres and plastics that are bound together using a binding agent and that makes this decking option a really strong and durable option.

Here’s what we believe to be the three key reasons to choose composite decking:

1. There is no getting away from the fact that the major appeal of composite decking is that it is pretty much maintenance free.  This is great news for anyone who hates the thought of ongoing wood treatments.  Once your decking is in place, apart from a sweep and a hose down from time to time, you can more or less forget about it.
2. It’s available in a whole host of natural and appealing colours.  Across the board, wood comes in wood colours (unless of course it has been stained or painted), but composite decking comes in pretty much every colour you can imagine.  So, if you’re looking to create a splash with colour, it’s likely that composite decking will be more suited to your project.  That said, before going mad with colour, it’s always worth imagining how you will feel about your frivolity in a few years time J.
3. It commonly has a high-friction surface that means it won’t be slippery under foot.  One criticism of hardwood decking is that it has a tendency to become slippery when wet or when there’s a build up of algae and, or fungus on the surface, but that’s one thing that you won’t get with composite decking.

So what are the downsides of composite decking?

Þ   It looks good, but it’s not wood.  Although many of the composite decking options that are available today look great, the vast majority no longer try to copy wood in looks.  This is good news.  When this option was first released, it was a competition in the composite market to be the best at replicating the look of real wood.  Now, composite manufacturers accept that they have their own place in the market and don’t necessarily need to make their products look like wood to make sales.

Þ   It’s recycled, but it’s not natural.  Although composite decking is made up of recycled  and some natural ingredients, there’s no getting away from the fact that the product is not 100% natural.  This is good news if you’re someone who believes that we shouldn’t be chopping trees down in order to supply decking, but if you’re someone who prefers to be surrounded by completely natural products, then you’re unlikely to plump for composite decking, probably hardwood decking.

So there you have it, an overview of what’s great and what might not be so great about choosing composite decking.  At the end of the day, we find that most people make their final decision based on how important it is to them that they choose a product that is completely natural versus a man-made product.  For the people who are happy to plump for a product that is not completely natural, and especially those who are looking for a largely maintenance-free option, there’s really no beating composite decking.