Reasons Designers Prefer Composite Decking To Traditional Timber Decking

Composite decking is considered among the most durable and stylish products you can add to your property. Although traditional timber is still an option for some property owners, composite decking is more advantageous and even adds a sense of class. This article outlines/discusses ten benefits of investing in composite over traditional timber.

With summer knocking on the door, more and more brits are yearning/desperate to get outside to do some gardening and bask in the sun. Most of us love to use our outdoor spaces to plant some crops, create a beer garden, terrace, and even create a sweet spot to unwind in the evening. Almost everyone in the UK worships sunshine, a reason many of us cannot wait till it is morning to bask in the sun. Thanks to the many beautiful memories created during summer, many Brits take to decking to help make every moment count. Decking dates back many centuries (in colonial times), with many creating decks as walkways of grand ships and riverboats, as well as verandas.

Today, decking is an essential feature in many home landscaping projects in the UK. It provides a way to extend living areas by connecting outdoors to the indoors. The thirst for reliable, durable, and aesthetically appealing decks has forced modern landscapers, designers, and homeowners to look beyond traditional wood only to discover composite decking.   Many homeowners and designers today prefer composite decking.  Outlined below are some of the reasons why.

   1. Requires Little To No Maintenance

Unlike traditional timber, composite decking boards need very little to no maintenance once installed in place. You therefore never have to spend much of your quality summer days re-staining, fixing loose screws or decking boards, or even power washing it. Composite decking gives you a reason and peace of mind to focus on preparing the best barbecue you’ve had in months. In addition to this, you don’t have to wait for the decking to dry after installation. This makes it the ideal option for busy homeowners that have less time to spend repairing or fixing the decking area.  Another reason you too should invest in composite decking is you don’t need to seal, stain, or paint the decking area once it is installed.

Nothing looks good in summer than a freshly built wooden deck. A correctly installed wooden deck will give you all the satisfaction you need (for about five years) until it starts calling for repairs and maintenance.  It all begins with faded paint chips, wood warps, mildew and mould growth that causes the boards to discolour.  Composite decking, on the other hand, isn’t affected by all that. All you’ll need is wash away any food materials from the barbecue or burger you had yesterday just to keep it clean. Some of the best and higher-quality decking materials out there come with a warranty against rotting, cracking, splitting, and insect damage.

   2. Composite Decking Doesn’t Splinter, Warp, or Rot

Unlike wood, composite decking materials do not absorb water or need any protection against rotting, cracking or splitting. For this reason, the planks do not swell or warp when exposed to rain or sun. Better quality composite decking materials rarely stain, fade or even attract mould growth. High-end options (e.g., Forma Composite Decking Board) have stain and UV protection which gives enables them to last much longer than standard ones. The boards have a more hardened outer polymer that provides additional protection against fading, staining, and most importantly, scratching.  Composite decking preserves its original colour all through its lifetime.

   3. It’s Very Easy To Install

Composite decking is considerably much easier to install when compared to traditional timber. In addition to this, the installation systems come with invisible fixing thus providing an even and seamless look and feel. No one, and especially design-savvy individuals wants to see an exposed screw fixing.  The Clarity Composite Decking Board and Forma Composite Decking board use a unique t-clip fixing system to prevent exposed fixing.  The two systems are specially engineered to guarantee easy and quick installation while providing a high-quality finish. The T-shaped clip systems employed here help allow for expansion and contraction of boards due to temperature variability.

Installing composite decking boards takes half the time you’d need to install traditional timber boards. Pre-drilling is no longer required with only one screw required per station. This not only saves you time but also leaves the deck with an uninterrupted smoothness with no visible screws on the surface.

   4. It Gives A Natural Look And Feel

Thanks to the latest advancement in composite design, composite decking boards are available in a wide range of wood finish textures and the natural wood colour.  Manufacturers have been able to produce composite boards with a very close resemblance of exotic woods.  This has made it possible for homeowners and designers to bring back the look and feel once produced by natural hardwood materials that are not available in the market today.  The sharp decline in the availability of softwoods and hardwoods has also paved the way for composite materials.

Pine, the most common raw material for wood decking requires pressure treatment and/or extensive chemical treatments to help it withstand the various seasonal climatic changes while maintaining durability. Pressure-treated wood packs many health and environmental hazards if not handled properly ?” chemical compounds used for pressure-treatment are highly toxic. Several precautions have to be taken when recycling or disposing off the chemically treated wood. Research shows that the chemicals used to preserve wood often leak into water polluting water sources, and even produce poisonous gasses when being recycled in recycling plants. This makes it highly hazardous to the environment.

   5. Composite Boards Are Made From Recycled Materials

Some of the best composite decking boards on the market today (Forma Composite Decking Board and Clarity Composite Decking Board) are made from 95% recycled materials. The raw materials used to manufacture composite boards include reclaimed wood fibres and recycled (high-density) polyethylene plastics.

The plastics are obtained from regular household materials returned for recycling such as shower gel bottles, milk cartons, and polyethylene bags.  Most of the wood fibres are wood chips and sawdust from wood manufacturers.  In other words, 95% of all materials used for the manufacture of composite decks are ethically sourced. The end product is however waste-free which makes use of wood and plastics that would have otherwise ended up in landfills.

   6. Durability

Many of the composite decking board manufacturers offer warranties of not less than 20 years.  20 years is more than you get from traditional wood competitors. Traditional wood decks will only last 10 years if taken care of properly. The ten years will however be coupled with extensive repairs, repainting, and even waxing when needed.  You’ll however never have to paint or seal composite decking even for the 20 years, though many last much longer than 25 years.

   7. Safe For Family Use

Loose screws, slippery surfaces, and splinters pose a huge danger to both young children and adults. Loose bolts and splinters are very common with traditional decking. Some of these flaws have been taken care of with composite decking. In addition to this, composite decking is slip resistant, meaning you won’t have your wife or lovely children writhing in pain after slipping on slippery decks.  You therefore never have to worry about a slippery floor after sudden showers.

According to St. Kilda Decking (Melbourne based), composite decking is safer for your family in that:

1. It improves your home/garden’s aesthetic appeal

2. Enhances mood  and a sense of warmth in late summer evenings

3. Takes care of unsightly things such as drains and inspection covers

4. Is easy to install, modify, or extend

5. Reduces the need for groundwork preparation and excavation

6. It is comfortable to sit, lie, or walk on

7. Helps create new dimensions by elevating outdoor space

8. It means more fun time with friends/family and BBQ in summer

8.Composite Decking Improves Your Home’s Value

Simply investing in composite decking gives your home a value boost without spending too much. The improved house value comes with other perks such as a better look, feel, and comfort.  An article published in the New York Times confirms this by stating that, a well-crafted composite deck can increase your home value by up to 80%. This of course depends on how well the decking is installed and the contractor’s creativity. Adding a deck to your home can improve chances of selling the house at a higher price than it was initially.

Real estate agents in Melbourne also value homes with proper landscaping and decking 15% higher than those without, says St Kilda.  This has been attributed to the increased demand for houses with the same, and house owners investing in composite decking for the homes.

In the UK, homes with a beautiful garden and decking have at least 20% resale value as opposed to those without any of these features; Jonathan Haward, County Homesearch. A landscaped garden also adds a wow factor to the house, helping it sell at a higher price. This is according to Marsh & Parsons Realtors in London. Maintenance can however be an issue for homes with traditional timber decking, which gives preference to composite decks.

   9. It Makes A Bold Statement

More and more landscapers and top designers use composite decking to create outdoor spaces for both commercial and domestic use. According to them, composite decking makes a bolder statement and has a huge impact on the home’s aesthetics while complementing window-frames. Composite decking also ensures the decking blends well with the surrounding environment while creating a seamless outdoor to indoor flow.

Coloured vinyl window and door frames are a common fashionable trend for households today. Most modern homes invest heavily in grey and black shades for their window and door frames.  Nature-inspired bright reds, blues, browns and greens are all making way in the world of vinyl frames today.  Such not only help make your home more vibrant, but also enables you to update how your home looks both on the inside and outside.

With the wide range of composite decking board colours to choose from, you can never lack a creative way to complement certain aspects of your house. Nature provides an implausible assortment of colours and themes to choose from to create that exceptionally-unique look and feel for our homes. Composite decks come in tones that imitate those produced by natural and exotic hardwood grains such as ash, birch, and oak. Such match up perfectly with lush green foliage and unembellished white exteriors.

You don’t necessarily have to paint each composite decking plank to make a statement or create a design feature. With the wide variety of design patterns to choose from, you should be able to create complimenting colourways with just the original sets. Composite decking planks come in diagonal, horizontal, herringbone, picture framing, diamond insets, and patchwork designs. You can also use these planks to create hot tub surrounds and seating areas.

   10. Worthy Long-Term Investment

All thes features and benefits come at a cost. Composite decking is costlier than traditional wood decking.  For this reason, you need to hire the best landscaping specialist to help fit the decking expertly and as it should to ensure product guarantees.  Although the initial cost may be on the higher side, the quality and long-term benefits are worth every penny. With composite decking giving at least 20-years’ worth of warranty, and hustle-free maintenance, it is a wiser investment.
Unlike wood decking that is prone to warping, splinter, and rot, composite decking gives you peace of mind, improves your home’s value with minimal upkeep expenses. This is the ideal choice for all.

The 10 benefits of composite decking outlined above should be enough to make you an informed decision when installing new decking in your house. With the help of a good designer and contractor, you should have a long-lasting, low-maintenance, family friendly, natural looking, and a wise long-term investment for your home.  Needless to say, composite decking is very easy to install and environmentally friendly as well.  Choose your composite decking suppliers carefully to enjoy these and many other benefits. A little window-shopping, research, and help may come in handy when looking for the best supplier and contractor to install the decking.