There are now several types of high quality synthetic decking materials that are a good alternative to natural redwood decking. Research your options carefully. Sempervirens Fund provides this list for information purposes only, no endorsement is intended or implied. Examples are listed alphabetically below:

Carefree Decking (recycled high-density polyethylene)
Earth Care Products
765 Skippack Pike Suite 200
Blue Bell, PA 19422
(888) 853-2784

ChoiceDek (high-density polyethylene and cedar composite)
Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies Inc.,
Farm Road 2169, HC10
P. O. Box 116
Junction, TX 76849
(800) 951-5117
www.choicedek.com

Dream Deck (polyvinyl chloride)
Thermal Industries
301 Brushton Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15221-2168
(800) 245-1540

LockDry (patented waterproof aluminum roof-decking material)
2700 Alabama Highway 69 South
Cullman, AL 35057
Toll-free: 1-800-711-1785
www.lockdry.com

Perma-Poly (recycled high-density polyethylene)
Renew Plastics (division of N.E.W. Plastics Corp.)
112 4th St.
Luxemburg, WI 54217-0480
(800) 666-5207
www.renewplastics.com

Phoenix Plastic Lumber (recycled high-density polyethylene)
Outwater Plastic Industries Inc.
4 Passaic St.
Woodridge, NJ 07075
(800) 888-0880

TimberTech (wood/plastic resin composite)
Crane Plastics
2141 Fairwood Ave.
P. O. Box 1047
Columbus, OH 43216
(614) 443-4891
www.timbertech.com

Trex (recycled wood and polyethylene composite)
Trex Co. LLC
20 S. Cameron St.
Winchester, VA 22601
(800) 289-8739
www.trex.com
My wooden deck is rotting. I know there are new materials available. What should I use?

Your budget, your long term plans, your personal preferences, and your feelings about ecology and aesthetic sensibilities will all influence your selection.

For starters, the supporting structure should be made of durable material. If it's wood it should be pressure treated. Other choices might include concrete and/or steel.

For decking you have a wide range of choices, some of which were unknown just a few years ago. There are surface materials made of various blends of wood fiber and "plastic" bonding agents (polymers). Others are all plastic, without wood fiber.

There are also some real woods which are unusually long-lived such as Ipe, mahogany, and others. Be sure to check that the source is ecologically sustainable. You don't want to support clearcutting of the tropical rain forest.

You'll also want to consider appearance, longevity, both initial and lifecycle cost, and factors such as comfort in hot weather.
______
Information courtesy of HomeWork at the Mid-County Post and Michael Mills.
[top]