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Over
the past ten years we have been focusing our sights on stronger,
longer lasting and more durable products. Although we still construct
a full line of products made with real woods such as Redwood and
Cedar, our clients are finding themselves with less time and more
obligations with the time they do have and are requesting products
that require much less maintenance.
Many
new composite materials, solid plastics, vinyl coverings and even
fiberglass products have recently flooded the market and have
some very lofty promises to limit or even eliminate the normal
maintenance problems. It has been our experience that a lower
density mixed composite material can provide the longevity, durability
and can limit the maintenance, while staying in a similar cost
range. Allow us to share the positive
and negative aspects from our perspective
of the most popular choices in today's retail decking market.
Trex
- "Trex" brand decking has become the most popular choice
because of its composition which is a balanced mixture of plastic
and wood which gives the product a life span many times that of
real wood, with much less maintenance. Trex was first used over
a decade ago and has a promising track record and the companies
sincere response to fix and improve the product has made Trex
a leader in the composite market. Trex will expand and contract
less than solid plastics or other composite materials allowing
normal deck hardware to be used in its application. Trex comes
in different colors, blending nicely into landscapes. Trex provides
textured decking options, increasing control in heavy weather.
Over the course of several months to years Trex will fade to its
desired consistent color and can be sanded when dented or marred.
In heavy weather conditions, standard Trex can become slippery.
When exposed to certain oils, stains and dyes, Trex will discolor
and require cleaning, sanding or even months to fade out. Trex,
by its composite nature has no natural grain strength,
is classed as a nonstructural material and cannot be used
exclusively to construct structures but only face or cover them.
Cedar
- has been widely used in the United States in various
applications for hundreds of years and is growing in popularity
in today's decking and structural landscaping markets. Cedar is
milled for so many different applications and textures making
it the most versatile wood used in America. Rough cuts are produced
for fencing, siding, facing and trims. Timbers of all sizes are
cut for both structural and architectural uses such as roofs,
pergolas, arbors and gazebos. Smooth cuts of Cedar are so beautiful
because of their grain and knot configuration and are milled for
many deck and rail applications. They can be cut, routed and milled
easily on the job site to fit any purpose. The strength of its
grain allows it to be used in almost all structural uses. Cedars
softness allows it to age well in very dry climates, paints well
and resists the normal cracking of denser woods, and dry very
quickly in wet climates. Cedar has a very pleasing natural aroma
and is resistance to rotting. Cedar will oxidize and gray if not
treated properly and mildew or even get burned by the sun if it
is oversealed. Its softness also allows it to be scratched, dented
or marred quite easily. In Colorado's dry climate, Cedar needs
to be sealed yearly or biyearly to maintain its natural beauty
or should be primed before being painted.
Redwood
- has been American's primary choice for decking products in the
past, but is quickly losing its charm and popularity because of
its rising cost and high maintenance. Redwood has a natural lasting
beauty in its grain and knot configuration, mixed colors of common
and B-grades and consistent color and wood grain of the heart
grades. The strength of its grain and high density for a softwood
make the heart or center portions of the Redwood tree extremely
durable, resistant to marring or denting and versatile for structural
applications. The nature of Heart Redwood allows it to be very
resistant to decay and can be used for many applications in the
most humid of environments. In more arid environments., Redwood
can crack, split and raise its grain when not protected properly.
The changing laws and management of the Redwood forests in the
United States has greatly increased the cost and limited availability
of Redwood products. With the introduction of farming (a process
of planting and clearcutting) Redwood forests, the products on
the market have weaker grain strength, diminishing resistance
to decay and a brighter, but immature bond to the color that fades
quickly and can bleed or can gather more readily over time. Redwood
should be sealed every year in the early fall.
Denser
Composites - such as Weather Best, Evergrain, Boardwalk,
Timber Tech, Choice Dek and Carefree decking systems are all newcomers
to the composite decking market. These new products offer a variety
of colors and stamped or formed wood textures. At extreme temperatures
they will remain more consistent than the softer materials. Their
denser composition affords the desired durability,
strength, resistance to denting
and requires potentially less maintenance respective to each product.
With the higher density of these products comes the possibility
of fracturing, greater movement, increased expansion and contraction
and the need for stronger and more expensive fasteners. Although
affording more strength and durability, these products have no
natural grain strength, are also classed as nonstructural materials
and cannot be used exclusively to construct structures but is
used to face or cover them. There is also an increased liability
with each new type of fastening system or application required
by the manufacturer that varies from the previous industry standard
or adds a production cost to its installation. Some of these products
have been modified from their original design to overcome apparent
difficulties in application or marketability and more time will
be needed to fully assess their performance.
Hardwoods
- such as Mahogany, Ipe and Cypress have been widely used in the
construction of decks and other landscape structures for many
years in other countries, but have just recently been gaining
in popularity in our area. The true beauty and consistency to
a real hardwood product is very attractive to the consumer in
this market. The durability and longevity are clearly acknowledgments
of the hardness and extreme density of hardwood trees. The grain
strength of these products affords them to be used in almost any
structural application. With all of that said, these hardwoods
can be very expensive to buy, mill and cut and to purchase the
appropriate fasteners. The strength of a drying board of this
density often requires a stainless steel screw (costly) application
to hold it firmly in place and will also require high grade steel
or titanium drill bits to bore pilot holes. The hardwoods require
more intricate and involved construction applications, and in
turn requires a more experienced and talented carpenter with many
more tools. The additional labor involved with this type of construction
can be as much as double the normal time and can cost between
double and triple the normal fees. In our climate, normal oil
based sealants may take several additional days to soak into a
hardwood product and specific ones may require a special type
sealant, but only every 5 - 7 years.
The
opinions expressed here are those of Denver Decks and more specifically
of Philip R.Tussing, the owner and your "Deck Answer Man".
Note: The consumer should always
thoroughly investigate a product before chosing to purchase a
material or product for use in their construction project. It
would also be prudent to test every opinion in order to determine
its factual nature.
We
have determined that products such as vinyl, solid plastics and
fiberglass decking materials have too great of a financial or
health risk, or some type of liability we are not willing to undertake.
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