If you’re planning on doing some home renovations for summer, adding a deck to your property is a great way to do so.
It can give you space to socialise outdoors when the weather is nice, and also significantly improve the value and aesthetic of your home.
You need to choose the best material and brand of decking boards to make sure they last long and keep looking good for many years to come.
This article discusses the benefits of composite decking, and why we at Ecoscape offer some of the best composite decking boards on the market.
What Is Composite Decking?
Composite decking boards are made from composite material, which is a building material often used to make decking boards, cladding boards, and fence panels.
Read on to learn more about how this decking is made and what they are made from.
Wood plastic composites
Wood plastic composite was created to look similar to wood, but it is far more durable and low maintenance.
This kind of composite involves mixing reclaimed wood fibres, recycled plastic, bonding agents, and colourants – meaning you have a range of colours to choose from.
Composite decking boards are usually made through one of two methods: co-extrusion or compression moulding.
Co-extrusion
Co-extrusion creates capped composite decking boards, which differ from uncapped decking boards.
When the composite boards are co-extruded, they receive an extra membranous coating, adding durability. The coating uses antioxidants, UV inhibitors, and colourants that help protect capped boards from scratching, staining, and sun damage.
The extrusion process involves mixing and heating the recycled materials, bonding agents, and colourants, then forcing them through an opening to adjust their shapes and sizes. This creates solid, perfectly-shaped deck boards.
While this extra membranous coating often comes at a higher price, capped composite decking boards are much more durable than wooden boards and also require far less maintenance.
Compression moulding
When a composite decking board is made from compression moulding, it usually becomes an uncapped composite decking board.
The compression moulding process involves heating the recycled materials, bonding agents, and colourants, then compressing them into a mould that customises the board’s size and shape.
While uncapped composite boards do not have an extra membranous coating, they are still far more durable than timber decking, as the mixture includes recycled plastics, giving decking better UV protection and scratch resistance.
What Are The Benefits Of Composite Decking?
Composite decking has become more popular than wooden decking in the UK over the last few years, for several reasons.
Durable
One of the main reasons people opt for composite over wooden is due to the fact that it is one of the most durable composite decking materials on the market.
Timber decking looks great at first, but tends to deteriorate faster than composite decking, unless the wood boards are meticulously maintained.
Composite, on the other hand, includes recycled plastic, making it more effective at withstanding the typically cold and wet UK climate.
Timber decking generally lasts between 15 and 25 years if it is maintained regularly with treatments, while composite deck boards normally last from 25 to 30 years. Our boards can last even longer if they are properly looked after and maintained.
Composite decking is much more fade resistant than wooden; it may become lighter over the few weeks after installation, but should then stabilise and stay the same colour for years to come.
Wood must be painted, stained, oiled, or varnished several times a year if you want it to retain its original colour.
Composite will also never warp, rot, splinter, crack or become infested by wood-boring insects, due to the inclusion of plastic in its formula. All these issues can cause significant damage to wood timber decking if it is not maintained properly and regularly.
Sustainable
One of the most appealing aspects of composite is the fact that it is far more green – or eco-friendly – than traditional wood decking.
If you think that wood decking does not harm the environment, you’d be wrong. Many trees used to make wood decking take years to grow, so many of them need to be grown at the same time to meet the demand.
This ends up creating man-made forests that destroy the natural habitat and cause local fauna to flee the area because of loud machinery and a lack of food.
This timber then needs to be transported long distances to be treated and crafted into decking boards and other building materials, burning through a significant amount of fossil fuels in the process.
Composite decking material, on the other hand, is made from reclaimed wood fibres and recycled plastics, which would have otherwise ended up in a landfill.
This means that composite decking is incredibly sustainable, as humans will always generate plastic and wood waste. The fact that it is made locally means that fewer fossil fuels are burned during transportation.
Low maintenance
As previously mentioned, timber decking might look great when it is first installed; however, it requires a significant amount of effort to stay looking that way.
Wood decking needs to be treated through oiling, varnishing, or painting a few times a year; otherwise, it can rot, warp, splinter, become infested with wood-boring insects, and fade.
Composite decking, however, only needs to be cleaned every few months or when you notice it has become dirty, as it is resistant to many of the issues listed above that affect wood.
Cleaning your composite deck is also a rather easy process, as you can use a pressure washer with the pressure set to low, or if you don’t have a pressure washer, you can use a brush with soft bristles and some warm soapy water.
Who Is Ecoscape?
If the idea of composite decking appeals to you, then you will likely want to know what the best composite decking brands are.
At Ecoscape, we offer some of the highest quality composite products on the market, with great warranties and a wide range of colours.
Below we’ll explain why you should choose Ecoscape to purchase composite decking boards.
Why Is Ecoscape Composite Decking The Best Option?
Warranty
We have two ranges of decking to choose from at Ecoscape: our Clarity range, and our Forma range.
Our Clarity range comes with a 20-year warranty that will cover you in the case any of your boards happen to malfunction in that time.
Our Forma range comes standard with a 25-year warranty that will also cover you if anything goes wrong with your boards that are out of your control.
The fact that our boards last between 25 and 30 years means that your composite boards will be covered throughout their lifespan.
Colour and style choice
Here at Ecoscape, you’ll be able to choose from 11 different colours between our two ranges, as well as three different types of finishes.
Both our ranges feature reversible finishes, with our Clarity range having a wide grooved finish on one side and a narrow grooved finish on the other.
Our Forma range features a wood grain effect on one side and a wide grooved pattern on the other, so you’ll be able to take your pick.
Product testing
Ecoscape’s decking materials undergo extensive testing to ensure that they are of the best quality possible.
Some of the testing that our decking has been subjected to includes:
- Falling mass impact resistance
- Resistance to artificial weathering
- Water absorption and swelling
- Fungi resistance
- Moisture resistance
- Heat reversion
- Indentation resistance
- Salt spray testing
- Pull through resistance
- Fire resistance
Get Your Composite Decking From Ecoscape Today!
All of the above benefits make Ecoscape one of the best composite decking brands out there, so if you’re based in the UK or elsewhere in Europe and are in need of composite products, then you don’t need to look much further, as we can deliver composite products right to your doorstep.
FAQs
Can you pressure wash composite decking?
Yes, you can pressure wash your decking, but you should not set the pressure too high, as you could damage the surface of your boards.
Is composite decking slippery?
Composite decking is often slip-resistant; however, if there is standing water on your deck, it will likely be quite slippery.
How long does composite decking last?
Our decking normally lasts between 25 and 30 years but can last even longer if it is looked after properly.
