What is the best rated composite decking?
Let me start with a common question we get asked all the time. Isn’t all composite decking the same? After all it all shares the same name, right? Well, it’s hard to argue with the “name” argument but that’s where the comparisons stop. Much like anything else in life, there’s a distinct difference in the quality of the materials and processes used to produce things.
Would you say all shoes, shirts, furniture or the thousands of other products you use in your daily life are of the same quality just because they share the same name? No, right. Well, composite decking is no different. It comes in a plethora of shades, colours and qualities. To be fair though, it isn’t always possible at a surface level to tell the subtle differences between composite decking boards, especially if all you have to go at are photos or small sample pieces. That being said, as more and more products come in to this sector, the gap between the proverbial good the bad and the outright ugly is getting wider.
Composite decking options
Composite decking has evolved over the years. Like much else in this fast paced world, it started off with a simple idea to try and eradicate the pain of the traditional timber deck and all its maintenance issues. Fast forward a couple of decades and we’ve got an array of designs colours and finishes to choose from
You have your contemporary grooved decking, heat print decking, 3d embossed woodgrain composite boards. Co-extrusion boards. Best rated composite decking boards can be found in in many other finishes and an assortment of colours. Greys, browns, blacks, silver, oak, walnut, if you can think it, you can probably find it in that colour. You then have the option of having these composite boards in either a hollow or solid board. The list goes on.
Is there a difference in the quality of composite ?
There’s almost as many grades and quality of composite decking boards as there are designs and finishes we’ve mentioned above. Other than the design and colour there can be much else to consider. Not all decking boards have arose from the dead equally (ok maybe a stretch too far to label it a reincarnation but they have been bought to life through recycling wood and plastic). You can get really cheap composite decking in the market. Most of the lower end of the market mimmicks timber decking and comes with many of timbers traditional issues. It doesn’t last very long, fades, cracks and splinters amongst a host of other issues.
Which explains why it’s being sold so cheap in the first place. (I mean isn’t that our experience with most things in life?) How’s that old saying go, buy cheap buy twice. That shouldn’t be the case with a well-produced composite deck. The whole purpose is to lay it once and then barely having to touch it for the next 25 years, other than the occasional soapy water wash.
What to look for
If you ordered yourself a set of samples from multiple companies you will we be able to tell the difference, somewhat, in the aesthetic qualities of the boards. Some look out right plastic and cheap. You’ll find the composite decking boards aren’t rich in colour (it doesn’t run deep into the boards and very likely to fade quickly).
Some boards haven’t been tested to be anti-slip or only have heat print patterns (much like a T-shirt would) and wouldn’t last long with much usage. Others mask the quality with the perceived need for the boards to be solid. This isn’t really the case though. To be of high quality or suitable for functionality, composite decking boards do not necessarily need to be solid. They merely need to be well manufactured so they have a good weight bearing capacity. This again should be tested thoroughly by the manufacturer.
Best performing composite decking
The best kind of composite decking should be a well-balanced mixture of recycled wood powder, high density poly ethylene and other chemical additives that not only make it eco-friendly but anti-slip, anti-rot, mould free and anti-fade along with the many other qualities for an aesthetically pleasing, long lasting deck. Deckorum Composite Decking has been awarded Best Performing Composite Decking 2022 which makes it the third year running. Lots of research and resources have gone into our composite decking boards. Not only do we use Grade A materials we also spend a lot of resources in our research and manufacturing processes.
As an example, we use much higher temperatures than most manufacturers when integrating our materials together. A highly costly process, but this allows for a stable and tight molecular structure. This immensely reduces the aging process of the composite decking boards, meaning you’ll have a weather resistant, longer lasting deck that continues to look beautiful for much longer and it won’t have any of the structural issues you see with cheaper decking made from composite materials
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