Eco Composite decking

Adding a deck to your garden is a wonderful idea to create more space and to decorate your exterior, but with protecting and maintaining the looks of a wooden deck takes time and effort against nature’s elements. Composite decking is the solution. Whether you have a pool, a big or small garden, adding a composite deck to your exterior is a creative way to add a (little) extra to your house.

It is now widely seen as the perfect alternative to timber decking which are high maintenance, while vinyl or aluminium decking looks great, composite decking is a man-made alternative built with recycled wood fibres, recycled plastic, and bonding agents. It is therefore eco-friendly as well as being low-maintenance and having a longer lifespan than traditional wood decking. To answer to the demand of wooden coloured decks or patios, composite decking can now simulate different wood types, including exotic hardwoods which are not typically available with traditional wood decking.

The process of making composite decking is simple: mixing an equal mix of wood fibres, plastics, and bonding agents, heated to form board shaped panels and then cooled. As they are entirely man-made, they require much less maintenance than wooden decks, they don’t stain or get damaged by the rain, heat, sun exposure or wind, like wood does. By choosing composite decks, you make the investment of a durable deck, easily maintained in a wide array of wooden colours (that ends up looking more authentic and natural than other plastic alternatives proposed on the market). In that sense, composite decking is more than a fashionable choice for your garden, it’s a sustainable and economic solution.

Composite decking is made by bonding through high heat and pressure, the inner core and outer core (with additional colouring and preservatives for specific types of wooden patterns). This mix of components in board-shaped lengths are heavier than traditional wood panels, but have the advantage of not rotting, warping, cracking, splitting or giving splinters. Since it’s so resistant, it doesn’t need to be repainted regularly, stained, or sealed. In addition to these benefits, composite decking is resistant to fade (its surface has high colour retention), to mold or insects which makes it easier to clean and to use in your garden.

Installing composite decking is even easier than installing traditional wooden decking, due to new boards having grooves in the side of the decking which enables the use of hidden fasteners arranged between the boards so they will stay in place more easily. Composite decking is faster to install than wooden decks with no visible screws which can reduce the aesthetic of your deck or can harm people walking barefoot.

If you think about adding a sun-bathing area around your pool, composite decking has minimal water absorption, therefore they are slip resistant and safer than traditional wood. And to keep the area clean, a quick sweep with water and soap about every 6 months is far more than enough to ensure a beautiful stainless patio.

Composite decking while a pricey investment at first, add value to your house and exterior, and in the long run is less expensive to maintain and to install than wood decks. Furthermore, composite decking comes in different types depending on your needs, tastes and price range. While capped composite boards are more resistant with an external plastic coating, uncapped boards are a cheaper alternative without compromising quality. They’re material is resistant and durable, but aren’t as protected against staining and fading as they’re capped counterparts. They will after months fade slightly due to the elements’ effects on the wood oils. On the other hand, choosing capped composite decking while more expensive guarantee a high quality of colour for years even when exposed to the environment. In addition, composite boards can either be hollow or solid, choosing a solid board is a better solution if you need a stronger and heavier material for your deck than hollow ones.

One of the most popular colours in now grey composite decking which looks great in most situations and is available in light grey and stone gray.

The increase in popularity of composite decking in the UK is massive with over 60,000 people searching online for composite decking each month.

How composite decking is made

Making composite decking involves using a co-extrusion process where you take all the raw materials and mix them together into an extruder which melts the mixture and forces it through a die and is then formed into the composite decking board shape.