Decking and Outdoor Living

There are many brands of wood plastic composite decking on the market, and in my opinion, only a few should be considered "high quality". The best composite decking brands share three common traits:Made using finely ground wood flour that has very consistent particle size which mixes very well with other ingredients. Many composites use very large wood particles which create the rough surface and voids or open areas in the product which allow dirt and debris to collect.  These open areas may allow the decay to start and to attack the wood.

Superior raw material
Top quality composite decking contains very carefully selected, consistent engineered high density plastics. Some of the plastics used in the best composite decking are recycled from other industrial sources where the key characteristics and purity of the polymers used can be relied upon and checked for incoming quality. Other composites contain various mixtures of recycled plastics from many sources and other foreign matter which lead to product inconsistency.

Proven process technology
Strandex extrusion process and die technology improves and assures the dispersion, mixing and proper processing of all ingredients in the formulation. Strandex has a long and proven track record of durability and strength including years of technical development of products for US Naval waterfront facilities. Strandex provides nearly 20 years of composite development experience and is solely focused on new research which will help maintain its technology leadership position in the composite decking industry. 

Product uniformity
Finished product is uniformly mixed and is very consistent in density. No voids, or open areas are present on the surface or throughout the depth of the product. Many voids exist on the surface and throughout the cross-section of other inferior composites creating a loss in properties and durability.
 

Virtually all composite decking brands are different, so it's important to know and understand what makes a quality composite deck board. And when it's time to shop for the best composite decking, make sure you consider these common traits.

Top performing, proven composite decking brands from Universal Forest Products, like Latitudes composite decking and Veranda composite decking, employ Strandex technology and should be considered when you want to buy composite decking.