Seeing as Spring is rolling around (allegedly – it’s snowing here in Vancouver today…), my mind has turned to the subject of decking. And in my travels I found this article about how the composite decking industry is shifting.
Photo courtesy of Greenbroke. Click image to view Greenbroke's photostream.
It used to be that wood decking was the standard by which all other decking products are judged. This makes sense, given that most composites and vinyl decks for instance are made to resemble wood. There are textural elements added to the boards, and ‘grain patterns’ as well.
But, what was also true is that the makers of wood alternative decking had a common enemy. It made sense at one time to draw comparisons between composites, say, and cedar and leave competitors to do the same. Yet, now with the developing technology to make composite and PVC decking even more durable and great looking, that informal ‘truce’ between manufacturers has given way to skirmishes in the marketplace, vying for the attention of the consumer.
First, I think this demonstrates that the products are becoming more commonplace. Buyers turn to composites and vinyls for what they are, not for what they appear to be – wood. As the article points out, I think this makes for a more diverse market for consumers, who for the most part tend to do a lot of comparison shopping when it comes to exterior building products. And second, I think it injects a healthy challenge into the mix for manufacturers to expand their offerings too.
Cheers!
Rob.
Related posts:
It’s interesting that you mention the comparison between composite decking/pvc and wood…or rather that the composite decking has been manufactured to resemble wood.
In my opinion, that is the problem. It is not wood and it never will be wood. It’s not a natural product and because of that, it will never have the beauty of wood.
Of course there are many out there who don’t care. Their main priority is low maintenance and I believe that has been the selling point.
It’s rather similar to concrete pavers and natural stone. The more a paver design and color looks like stone, the more desirable it is. Again, it’s just not stone.
You can get something to look good if there is a good design and workmanship, but for those of us who like natural materials, composite or pvc decking just doesn’t make it. As one who appreciates the look, feel, color, and the fact that wood comes directly from our earth, I would never suggest composite materials. They just don’t compare.
I appreciate your post.
Susan
Hi Susan, and thanks for comments,
I think you’re right on the money about low-maintenance being the major selling point for composites. A lot of the time, the purchase of any building material comes down to priorities. Some feel that the additional benefits of a wood deck, which includes I think that wonderful aroma of something like a cedar, is worth the more frequent maintenance. Others just want something that’s functional, and don’t really notice the extra dimensions which can be appreciated in a wood deck. Luckily, the market supports both worldviews.
Thanks again for your comments!
ROB:
I RECENTLY HAD A COMPOSITE WOOD DECK BUILT VIA CONRACTOR AND USING BUILD DIRECT MATERIALS
THE FIRST SHIPEMTN HAD DISCOLORATION (BLUE BLOTCHES) AND TOOK FOREVER TO SHIP
THE SECOND SHIPMENT WAS SOMEWHAT WAVY BUT MY CONTRACOT INSTALLED IT ANYWAYS–AND LESS THAN 3 MONTHS LATER THE DEDCKING AMTERIALS BUCKLED–WITH WEAK SPOTS AND I THINK IT IS RATHER THIN, WAVY WITH VERY WEAK POINTS THAT CAN BE STOMPED THRU BREAKING THE BOARDS—–NOW THE CONTRACTOR PICKED YOU THE COMPANY AND THE ACTUAL DECKING
NOW WE NEED THE WHOLE DECK RIPPEDUP AND REDONE–
I MIGHT CHOOSE PVC OR WOOD DECKING–AS THIS COMPOSITE I AM NOT IMPRESSED WITH–
THERE ARE VERY DIFFERENT TYPES OF COMPOSITES–BUT ONE SHOULD NOT SELL A MATERIAL THAT CANNOT WITHSTAND PEOPLE STANDING ON IT
Hi Christine,
Thanks a lot for taking the time to write about the troubles you’re having with our composite decking, and I’m sorry that it has not worked out (to say the least). I will put you in touch with one of our salespeople to see if there is anything we can do for you. One thing you should probably do is to take a lot of pictures of the damage. This will allow us to figure out whether there was a problem with the batch from which your order was picked, or if there is a greater problem to look into.
Thanks again for the time you took to write to us, and apologies for the additional complications to your project.
Cheers,
Rob.
I am still waiting for that sales person to get back to me
Lots of pictures were taken of the defective material
You think that quality control would have caught these two shipments prior to going out
Is this material like seconds??Are we dealing with a foreign manufacturer??
I cannot have people standing on a deck that buckles so easily…I hope that your company will stand behind its products and be sure to sell the highest quality material
I paid a lot of money only to have 2 defectiove shipments–and two summers where I have been unable to use my new deck
Hi Christine,
I’m sorry for your continued frustration with this situation. And I should say that I have been out of the loop regarding your particular situation, not being directly involved in the sales process. But, I’m in the loop now.
As you’ve mentioned, you’ve missed out on enjoying your deck for two summers, which is quite a while. If I was in that situation I would be angry too. Since then, a lot has changed with our composite decking offering, and the manufacturer of your particular choice has since been replaced. We’re interested in communicating honestly with manufacturers, customers, and users of the products we sell. And we’re interested in bringing about win-win situations for everyone involved.
Getting back to your particular situation, I’ve discovered that it was your contractor that placed the order, not yourself (which I had assumed), and that negotiations with him regarding this issue have been in process for sometime. The latest correspondence was in fact yesterday, February 25th , although it took almost a full year, allegedly, for your contractor to follow up the complaint between the beginning of 2009 to approximately November of that year. Your contractor has since rejected our offers for compensation; offers we felt were well in the realm of fairness. We are now, at the time of this writing, awaiting a response from him.
Christine, you are free to leave further comments here on this post if you wish regarding your situation. However, I’m not sure how much more I can help you with here other than what I’ve said here in this reply. I also do not wish to muddy the waters when it comes to a situation already in play offline between us and our customer. So, I don’t feel that any further responses from me on this blog are going to be very productive to anyone.
I wish to say again that I understand your frustration, and in your place, I’d be frustrated too. I can only hope that with the ongoing negotiations between us and our customer, your contractor, will end with both parties being satisfied, and with you, the end user of our products, soon to be enjoying your deck as you are entitled to do after investing your resources in it through our customer.
It’s interesting that you mention the comparison between composite decking/pvc and wood…or rather that the composite decking has been manufactured to resemble wood.
Thanks for providing the information.
I purchased your composite decking about 3 years ago. Some of the planks shrunk, leaving noticeably large spaces.
The reason I got this material was the “low miantenance” selling feature. It has also spotted & some areas are mildewed.
I will not recommend this to my friends , now that I have seen that it does not stand up to Ontario’s winters.
Totatally disappoined.
June
Hi June,
I’m sorry that you were disappointed with your purchase. It’s pretty disappointing to us here that you didn’t get the results you were after, and it makes sense that you wouldn’t recommend it to your friends.
Since your purchase, the composite decking industry is evolving to include a more robust product, specifically with more extreme temperatures in mind, and with fewer instances of what you’ve described here.
Once again, sorry that you are not pleased with your purchase.