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  Trevor JH Knight January 9, 2014 at 7:16am

  I have tried it Matthew and have to say not overly impressed. After seeing some product that had been installed over 12 months the cracking the colour fade and the overall look was just not right. I am sure you can find top quality product but will it give you the look your after for such a premium price.
  
  Another issue is installing in cold temperatures you have to be careful whereas you don't get these issues with traditional timber, i am sure there will be fans of the product I am not one. Sustainable cedar hardwood decking every time for me.
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  Shaw Pye January 9, 2014 at 8:59am

  Hi Matt,

  I have spoken to several domestic customers who have used composite and find it a good product particularly the quality of the wood grain finishes. I haven't had any feedback from contractors.

  We recently had Masterjoint join us who anticipate growth in this market and I'm sure Mike Jarmey would be happy to chat to you.

  Customers are looking for maintenance free options due to cost, busy lives etc and composite is a good alternative to timber products.
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  David Cox January 9, 2014 at 9:02am

  A couple of my customers have composite decking - both was already installed when they brought the housing - same estate so may have been builders choice.

  I like it as it cleans down easily and doesnt become as slippy - but my understanding is it costs considerably more - which means a good majority of people will pluck for timber decking - and good quality timber / or even hardwood decking, is not at all expensive for what it is you get.
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  Matthew Spedding - Pile Height January 9, 2014 at 9:14am

  I am wondering whether it is going to increase in popularity the same way Artificial Grass was doing 2/3 years ago? Some interesting comments!
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  Alex Collins January 10, 2014 at 4:51pm

  As the UK's longest established & largest composite decking manufacturer in the UK with 12 years’ experience, I feel I have to put my two penneth in also!
  Composite decking is quite a 'Marmite' product, you either love it or hate it. Some people become converted after they have installed some due to the fact it’s easy to work with, always straight, no knots etc etc. I can't vouch for our competitors, but ecodek does look very smart & expensive when fitted. (Looks more expensive than it actually is.)
  We have seen a continued surge in popularity for this product, approximately 25% per year, this has meant we have had to operate from larger & larger factories as time has gone on. Because the product is predominantly recycled it does a lot to reduce landfill, it is also pretty well maintenance free, with only the occasional jetwash required. There is also no doubt that it retains its slip resistance better than wood also. I went to view one of our decks in a school recently, it was under trees, had been left un-cleaned since its install in 2009 & it still looked great, it wasn't slippery and it wasn't stained even though it had been abused by school children & subjected to plenty of leaf mould. A timber deck in the same situation would no way have fared so well. At the end of the day it comes down to personal choice & budget, but there is a good reason why we have so many commercial customers that buy off us again and again and again.
  There's also a lot of Far Eastern material imported, most of which is of questionable quality, you can’t just put rubbish into the product & expect it to perform, it has to be high grade recycled polymers, refined wood fibre (we use only Beech hard wood from a sustainable source) and you need a good quality additive pack, many companies will skimp on the additives as they are expensive, this is why some wpc decking can fail. Ecodek is made from the best materials and most importantly made in the UK, so you can be assured that even if you do experience problems (of which we have had very few!) then at least we are contactable to help.
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  Trevor JH Knight January 10, 2014 at 5:36pm

  Andy your right and this is the problem you need to do your homework....I have seen some very expensive product that looks superb and on the other hand i have seen some very expensive product that looks awful, like you say cracked and faded.
  
  It does have its place in the Market it is seperating the wheat from the chaff. The original decking is what it is and you are unlikely to get stung due to its generic nature. Like Alex says it certainly has its benefits and the commercial guys have their reasons for using it.
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  Alex Collins January 13, 2014 at 9:04am

  The majority of issues seem to be with hollow composite decking, there are reasons why the majority of US and major European producers do not manufacture hollow decking. A few have had their fingers burnt & returned to solid products. We have a pdf on our website promoting the benefits of solid boards. Look here: http://ecodek.co.uk/technical-information/ pdf is 3/4 the way down the right hand side under 'factsheets'.
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  Harriet Moore January 13, 2014 at 9:22am

  As a supplier of both hollow and solid composite decking I thought I would add to the discussion. Firstly, it is certainly interesting to compare artificial grass to composite decking as traditional lawns will never be replaced by artificial grass just like composite decking will never replace traditional decking. It is like others have said down to taste and I believe the main reason for the increase in the industry is the fact that people are looking for a low maintenance option and something that is going to last.

  I agree with Alex at the fact that there are a lot of suppliers out there with a poor quality product that is not going to live up to the hype. We manufacture our decking which is our own design (designed in the UK) in the Far East where we employ a specialist in composite materials who is responsible for overseeing production and dispatch in the factory that we are affiliated with.

  When choosing your composite decking supplier I would recommend looking at the following to make sure you are getting the right product for you/your client:

  1. Warranty - make sure the warranty is realistic. We provide a full 10 year warranty as our factory has only been producing it for 10 years.

  2. Thickness of the walls of the decking - the thicker the internal structure of the decking (hollow decking) then the more sturdy the product will be. We have rigorously tested our decking to make sure it is the strongest it can be without being solid (but do offer a solid alternative for commercial projects). Hollow decking has less material so is a cheaper option but is ideal for residential properties.

  3. Check the cross section of the decking for white flecks - if there are white flecks it means the plastic has not been mixed properly during manufacturing and will mean that the decking could have points of weakness as the wood fibers and plastic has not molded together.

  4. Visit show decks and get advice from other Landscapers who have installed composite decking.

  I could go on but I won't! If anyone wants any more information I would be more than happy to discuss things in more detail.

  Harriet @SAiGEDecking
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  John Brennan January 18, 2014 at 12:54pm

  I've installed a couple of different products - Ecodeck and UPM profideck.
  Ecodek is a fantastic product, UPM not so much.

  UPM is hollow and so is lightweight and easy to handle. It is also a breeze to fit. Unfortunately, even following the installation instructions to the letter it doesn't stay where it's put. Two years since fitting some of the boards have expanded longitudinally pushing the fascia strips out of line whilst some have shrunk leaving gaps. For a product which is supposed to be stable I was shocked to see this. Correctly installed timber decks are much more stable. I will never specify this product or other hollow composite decks again.

  Ecodek on the other hand is reassuringly heavy. Fitting is much the same as for a hardwood deck and the colour coded screws are a nice touch although the option of hidden fixings would be good. I fitted this product next door to the hollow deck and the difference is marked. No movement.
  One issue I did have on another project was the deckboards arrived (after a six week lead time) and they were a markedly different colour to the samples that I showed the client who was quite upset by the difference and took a lot of persuading to accept the boards.

  I spoke to Ecodek and was disappointed by the bullshit response I got when I highlighted the colour difference. First I was told that my sample had faded even though it is kept indoors, away from sunlight AND the product is supposed to be UV stable. Then I was told it was because they had changed factories and couldn't exactly replicate the original process but the there was nothing they could or were prepared to do about it. Imagine my surprise when some supposedly colour matched fascia strips arrived a few days later which were the colour of the original sample. I really don't appreciate being lied to by suppliers and the disinterest from their customer services department really compounded what was an awful buying experience. As a professional purchaser I expect a lot more from my suppliers. It's a shame as they have a great product but are let down by their couldn't care less attitude.

  I've now returned to specifying timber decking.
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  Thermo January 18, 2014 at 9:16pm

  I have to say I'm a traditionalist and I'm always wary of new wonder products, especially after having my fingers burnt with resin bound rubber mulch. It doesn't mean I'm not open to trying them and indeed artificial grass has become a very good business for us, but I do struggle with composite decks. I can see the attraction in some cases, but even if I can, clients cant for the cost implications involved.