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  Andy Westacott January 29, 2011 at 6:35pm

  I only have experience of one project where we used composite decking (couple of pics below). My overall impression was pretty average, we found the boards got scuffed very easily and weren't easy to clean off.  As we used very long lengths which are quite bendy the boards seem to mould themselves to the tiniest dips in the sub-deck. Obviously this is fine if the sub-deck construction is absolutely perfect but whereas a stiff wooden board will iron out any very small variations we found the composite did not.

   

  Also be careful when speccing what screws, we went for a mid price specific composite deck screw and had nightmares with rounding off the heads.

   

  Being able to spec long lengths was a bonus as we minimised joints and I can see the advantages of lifespan etc But overall it just lacks the character and feel of wood for me especially when the cost was higher than a top end hard wood.

   

  Finally, we were advised to avoid any of the boards that have the hollow cavity design as apparently these are prone to cracking - although this was only one suppliers word!

   

  

   

   

   

  

  

   

   

   
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  Jackie finch January 29, 2011 at 6:39pm

  Thanks for input, Jackie
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  Lawncare-4u.co.uk January 29, 2011 at 11:23pm

  from what i gather its  mdf ,  is this correct ?   with pva  mixed in,  a way of off loading by products like most co's always have to maximise profit out of the comsumer ?  it has its uses and is cheap i agree.

   

  id much prefer rear real wood,  if it is pine or hard wood .

   

  you get the grain,  the looks , the weathering naturally and can    srew drill/ fix , sand and stain  etc etc

   

  just my opinion ,  i hate marketing of products that gloss things over and are hyped up.

   

  give me ' real'  anyday.      it lasts longer , looks better and is better for you  .   natural all the way.

   

  like real turf ......................................  if you want to live in a man made .plastic and concrete jungle drinking cyber/euro fizz enjoy it !         now wheres that cambra membership form :)
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  Alex Collins January 31, 2011 at 12:04pm

  Interesting topic! And one that I can (hopefully) add some useful comments to.

  Algae will grow on the surface of anything, even Millboard. This is because dirt will sit on the surface and the algae will grow/feed from that dirt. Millboard, being non-porous, will prevent algae growth as long as the surface is regularly kept clean (ie no dirt to feed from).

  Composite decking does have wood fibres included in it so there is more for the algae to feed from. However, a good quality composite board (such as Ecodek) is made from high quality raw materials and is produced in such a way as to expel any air/voids from the polymer/wood matrix - this prevents moisture from penetrating deep into the board. Therefore the algae can only grow on the surface wood fibres (hence easy to clean off). With timber, the algae can penetrate further into the board making it pretty well impossible to remove successfully.

  Basically whatever the surface – it must be kept clean to keep mould/algae growth at bay.

  Biocide inclusion into the product during manufacture helps but you are still only protecting the material and not the dirt that sits on the surface!

  One last point (hopefully Karl can answer this) – having looked at the construction of Millboard, it appears to me (although I could be wrong) that there is glass fibres moulded into the product along with an Epoxy based cellular foam. When cutting Millboard surely you need breathing apparatus as glass fibre is not nice when it gets into your lungs? Do Millboard supply a MSDS (material safety data sheet) that describes the precautions required? I couldn’t see anything on their website.

  I hope that helps – and thank  you to Gary and Gaynor  for mentioning Ecodek in this thread.

  Thanks

  Alex
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  Alex Collins January 31, 2011 at 3:16pm

  Climate should not play a massive part (unless you were in the tropics and had 100% humidity). We have supplied Ecodek all over the world (last interesting place was The Rupublic of Congo!). Snow is fine, does not affect the board. (I can only talk about Ecodek, I have no connection with Millboard).

  Something that does accelerate algae growth is pots, ornaments etc. These get left in one spot and are constantly wet underneath, so a great environment for mould/algae.  We would advise cleaning under pots when cleaning the deck.

  
  Hope that helps.

  
  Thanks

  Alex

  Ecodek gets on the 6 o clock news!

  
  

   

  Brigitt Stevenson said:

  Alex would this be used in all Climates, or are both Millboard and Composite, meant to be used in areas with warmer Climates??

  What would happen with Snow sitting on these materials for 2-3 months?

  Brigitt.
  
  Alex Collins said:

  Interesting topic! And one that I can (hopefully) add some useful comments to.

  Algae will grow on the surface of anything, even Millboard. This is because dirt will sit on the surface and the algae will grow/feed from that dirt. Millboard, being non-porous, will prevent algae growth as long as the surface is regularly kept clean (ie no dirt to feed from).

  Composite decking does have wood fibres included in it so there is more for the algae to feed from. However, a good quality composite board (such as Ecodek) is made from high quality raw materials and is produced in such a way as to expel any air/voids from the polymer/wood matrix - this prevents moisture from penetrating deep into the board. Therefore the algae can only grow on the surface wood fibres (hence easy to clean off). With timber, the algae can penetrate further into the board making it pretty well impossible to remove successfully.

  Basically whatever the surface – it must be kept clean to keep mould/algae growth at bay.

  Biocide inclusion into the product during manufacture helps but you are still only protecting the material and not the dirt that sits on the surface!

  One last point (hopefully Karl can answer this) – having looked at the construction of Millboard, it appears to me (although I could be wrong) that there is glass fibres moulded into the product along with an Epoxy based cellular foam. When cutting Millboard surely you need breathing apparatus as glass fibre is not nice when it gets into your lungs? Do Millboard supply a MSDS (material safety data sheet) that describes the precautions required? I couldn’t see anything on their website.

  I hope that helps – and thank  you to Gary and Gaynor  for mentioning Ecodek in this thread.

  Thanks

  Alex