When looking to choose the perfect composite garden decking for your home, it can be difficult and slightly overwhelming. The first step is knowing your options and what type of composite deckings there are. In this blog post, we are going to outline the differences, and which composite deckings we offer and recommend.
There are 2 main types of composite garden decking currently out in the marketplace. Wood Plastic Composite Decking (WPC), known as 1st generation and Capped Composite decking (Co-Extruded), also referred to as 2nd generation. Both composite deckings can be bought with a solid or hollow profile in a wide range of colours and finishes. The most popular deck board is the deep embossed wood grain finish due to its incredible realism compared to natural wood grain boards.
Wood Plastic Composite Decking; is made up of a 60% Recycled Wood Powder, 30% Recycled Plastic and 10% additives such as, Anti UV agent, Anti Oxidant agent and Stabilisers. These are mixed up in giant hoppers to form a consistent blend and then extruded to form composite decking boards. WPC decking is the same colour throughout the board and is very durable in a diverse range of weather conditions. Which is why it has proven such a popular alternative to natural wood decking. The majority of composite decking boards are dual sided, this enabling them to be used either side up. Often one side is a wood grain finish and the opposite side a grooved lined finish. Don’t let the term ‘1st Generation’ put you off WPC, it is a great product and has developed considerably over the years.
Capped Composite decking, is referred to as 2nd generation composite garden decking. It is made up of a WPC core which is then ‘Capped’ (covered) with a high quality plastic coat sealing the core. The coating making the board very hard wearing, enabling it to handle heavy foot fall and be resilient to staining. Co-Extruded decking also comes dual sided, giving the buyer a choice. However what is on the market currently does not provide as much wood grain texture as the WPC boards. This has been resolved with some of the new boards coming into the market place in early 2022.
People always ask, ‘What’s best, Hollow or Solid . . . ?’, the answer is there isn’t a better or worse. In the past solid has been recommended for commercial or heavy domestic areas with high foot fall, as it could handle high ware and tear. Hollow Composite garden decking is by far the most popular and has been improving year on year. In order to compete with Solid boards there are now boards with rectangle and circle hollows on the market with the better qualities and high break loads. The Outdoor Looks ‘Deep Embossed’ board has been tested and results show the boards have a 5KN break load the equivalent to 5 tonnes of pressure to snap 1 individual board. Now more than suitable for Commercial or Domestic jobs this being the reason it is a fantastic seller in the UK. To Shop our vast range of composite decking, head over to The Outdoor Look.
