![]() ![]() And we send more than a dozen samples of each material to two areas with extreme climates: hot and dry Arizona, and Florida, where the humidity presents a different challenge to certain materials. We drop weights of various sizes on the surface of each board to see which samples dent on impact. We also evaluate each sample’s slip resistance, which is very important if you’re installing a deck near a pool. Next, we size up which materials resist staining from spilled ketchup, mustard, and other common items you might use while eating outside. That ensures that boards won’t bow or bend if you’re entertaining a crowd or if you park a heavy grill in a particular spot all summer long. We use specialized instruments to test each decking sample for resistance to flexing. Consumer Reports’ performance tests address these factors. Ideally, the composite decking you choose will last, look good, and remain safe for years. ![]() (But based on current recycling technology, that product’s destination after a typical life span of 25 years is still likely to be a landfill.) The manufacturers claim that many of the products we tested are made primarily from recycled materials-recycled plastic grocery bags, for instance. “Manufacturers usually use a few different molds to make their composites, so there’s some pattern variety,” he says. That doesn’t mean composite decking looks boring, says Rich Handel, the engineer who tests decking for Consumer Reports. The woodlike grain lacks irregularities like knots that can show up in the real thing. ![]() That would be expensive to duplicate in solid wood decking.Īesthetics are a factor, too, especially if you like a uniform look. For instance, some planks are flexible enough to be heated and shaped, allowing you to create, say, rounded corners, railings, or a border for a kidney-shaped pool. Upgraded composite options will still cost considerably more than real wood.Ĭomposite decking has other advantages. A single 16-foot pine decking board was selling for nearly $26, only $6 less than you’d pay for a board of Trex Enhance. I also estimate at least 100 pounds of scrap that will go to the landfill, even after you make as many composite birdhouses as you can.We compared the two options at a Lowe’s near our headquarters in Yonkers, N.Y. If your deck uses 100 twelve-foot boards and you are averaging three cuts per board with a 1/8-inch saw blade you will produce 8 pounds of this monstrous hybrid, a significant portion of which may blow away in the wind. ![]() Since perfect collection of sawdust is nearly impossible a miter saw will spread plastic/wood sawdust throughout the construction site. This is what William McDonough and Michael Braungart call a "monstrous hybrid" in their groundbreaking book " Cradle to Cradle: Remaking The Way we Make Things." As a result, any sawdust or construction scrap is destined for the landfill. When you mix an industrial material (plastic) that is recyclable with a biological materials (wood) that is compostable you get a material that is neither recyclable nor compostable. What makes it so environmentally friendly on the material-sourcing and manufacturing end also makes composite decking unsustainable on the installation and end-of-life side. ![]()
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