More Than Plastic And Less Than Wood: How Composite Decking Revolutionized Decks
Composite decking materials are a mixture of plastic and wood bits. The plastic and wood bits or sawdust are stirred together in a big melting pot, colored and treated for outdoor use, and then poured into molds to shape the material while it cools. The results are planks that look like wood, feel like plastic, and are durable like steel. It has revolutionized the way you build a deck in all of the following ways.
Fewer Fasteners for Faster Installation
With wood, you have to nail, glue, and screw down every plank, every couple of feet. With vinyl planks, the planks are bolted to either a wood surface and/or bolted to each other. Composite decking snaps together and is only bolted together where it is necessary to hold the planks in place. Fewer fasteners means faster installation, which translates into an easy DIY project you could do this weekend.
DIY Decking Made Easy
Homeowners, more and more, are becoming DIY people. They want to do as much remodeling and renovating themselves as they can to avoid contractor costs. That makes sense. When you have products like composite decking, that also makes your DIY projects a whole lot easier. You do not need as many tools, and you can complete this project in just a matter of a few hours.
Less Wood Equals Less Trees Cut Down
If you are a tree lovin' type, then you can really appreciate how composite decking has revolutionized this industry. It used to take several trees' worth of lumber to create a deck. Now it only takes a single tree, at most, to create the composite planks to make an average-sized deck. When you use composite decking, you are telling the lumber industry that you want to save trees, and you are only going to buy products that do just that.
Long Lasting Decks That Need No Maintenance
When you have a composite deck, it needs no real maintenance. For the most part, the rain can wash the deck. You do not have to sand or seal it, or replace the planks for at least a couple of decades. That means you are working with a very eco-friendly product that saves you time and money. All other decking materials either need replacing when they crack from exposure to the elements or utilize materials that are not earth-friendly (e.g., wood sealants and stains that help preserve a wood deck).
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