Composite Decking the new trend in Garden Decking

Are you immersed in decking designs for building a deck and searching for decking ideas?

Maybe you are still considering a new area of garden decking or you have had a harsh experience with traditional timber decking? It could lead you to the exciting alternatives making up the new trend in garden decking, composite decking.

Those of you swayed enthusiastically towards hardwood decking boards or any kind of timber decking boards for that matter should consider the many different types of composite decks.

This increasingly popular and highly rated, versatile material is now used far more frequently instead of the traditional rough-cut, real timber decking. It just might be the next evolution in domestic construction and landscape beautification.

Composite decking looks, is measured by and has more than double the strength of real timber decking.

It can be made up of an incredibly intriguing combination of high tension plastics, non-caustic glues and emulsifiers which in concert, create near perfect imitations of wooden decking boards without flaws like knots, splinters, fungal threads and natural susceptibilities.

It can also be made up of timber composite materials, timber fragments reconstituted to form the required shapes and form of normal decking timber components. Similar in manufacture in some ways to MDF board. Composite timber (Lumber)

The various types of composite decking are considered to be stronger than natural materials, have triple or quadruple the lifespan of real hardwood decking boards, and as stated by some,  they never require maintenance, but this is not entirely true, composite materials do require maintenance to keep them looking spic and span.

This was taken from Wikipedia that gives a greater amount of detail relating to the various types of composite decking:-

 Recycled planks made from high-density polyethylene(HDPE), polystyrene (PS) and PET plastic as well as mixed plastics and wood fiber (often called “composite” lumber). Artificial decking products are often called “wood-plastic composites“.

A composite deck is extremely useful for the modern busy gardener because the deck components are generally cheaper than real timber garden decking and require less maintenance.

Composite decking materials do not attract pests, nor emit smells and saps.

Natural timber garden decking sometimes introduces acidity whereas, composite materials are ready-made and reportedly never leech chemicals into the garden.

Maintenance of real wood involves solvents, surfactants and colorants that may be harmful to the gardening process.

With composite decking, no layers of chemicals or additives are needed post-installation.

A composite deck is a completely inert ornamental improvement to the garden area.
NOTE: These statements are somewhat subjective and opinion does vary depending on which decking type supporter you listen to.

One of the advantageous qualities of composite decking for the gardener is the ability to choose customized colours for garden decking boards etc.

The option is there to perfectly match and blend your new garden deck with the floral landscape design you are working so hard on, season after season, to create and maintain.

With natural woods you are limited to a few traditional decking colours that tend to weather poorly.

Composites can be special-ordered in a vast array of factory produced colours that fit your garden ambience perfectly.

Once installed as a featured element of your garden, composite decking is easily cleaned, season resistant and should not degrade too quickly.

There are opposing views on composite garden decking.

http://www.gardenstructure.com/composite_decking

Some useful further discussion and views on the various types of composite decking.

http://deckadvisor.com/2011/01/09/pvc-deck-boards-or-capped-composite/

http://www.deckmastersnw.com/blog/which-composite-decking-is-the-best/

If you are doing this work yourself make sure that you have some good garden equipment available

Composite Decking examples:-

http://www.houzz.com/composite-decking

Image by: http://www.houzz.com/