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  1. #1

    Off Topic

    Morning

    anyone got composite decking and is it good and does it scratch easy? also if you have it where is the best place to order online?

    Thanks in advance



  2. #2
    I have it on my decking. It does scratch quite easily however it’s fairly easy to jet wash off unless you leave a deep mark.

    Mines underneath a large silver birch next to my pond. It’s holding up well with everything that drops on it. My only gripe is that it breaks more easily than wood so you need more struts and noggins underneath than with a typical wooden deck.

    I got the boards from a local “bargain depot” about 18 months ago, they were £15 each (3.6m).


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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  4. #3
    Thanks Ben thats what i thought about the scratches

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  6. #4
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Sansai StevePeps's Avatar
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    I too have it around my pond and will agree , it does scratch easy .
    be careful , in this weather it gets very hot , wear yer socks

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  8. #5
    lol thanks steve

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  10. #6
    Composite decking has one major weakness which you must take into consideration when using.
    It is made of plastic and in this case the word "plastic" is crucial as it describes how it deforms under load.
    Wood is actually structurally very strong and deforms elastically and the type of plastic used in decking isn't and quickly moves from elastic to plastic deformation under load - bends and stays bent, with the permanent bend increasing bit by bit over time, so (as already mentioned) it needs much more closely spaced suports if you want to avoid permanent sagging.
    At work we used some "heavy duty" planking (it must have been 30mm thick) for a ramped access and with normal foot traffic it developed a permanent sag after a couple of months. Supports were at approx 400mm spacing.
    I would still be happy to use composite decking, but would make sure it was very well supported at close spacing.
    With regard to fading, it depends on the grade of plastic used for the surface layer. The compounds used to reduce UV degradation are more expensive, so guess where money gets saved when producing some budget decking.
    My DIY ponds from 1988 until present day.
    All can be found here:
    https://www.ukzero.com/pond.htm

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  12. #7
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion RS2OOO's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ukzero View Post
    Composite decking has one major weakness which you must take into consideration when using.
    It is made of plastic and in this case the word "plastic" is crucial as it describes how it deforms under load.
    Wood is actually structurally very strong and deforms elastically and the type of plastic used in decking isn't and quickly moves from elastic to plastic deformation under load - bends and stays bent, with the permanent bend increasing bit by bit over time, so (as already mentioned) it needs much more closely spaced suports if you want to avoid permanent sagging.
    At work we used some "heavy duty" planking (it must have been 30mm thick) for a ramped access and with normal foot traffic it developed a permanent sag after a couple of months. Supports were at approx 400mm spacing.
    I would still be happy to use composite decking, but would make sure it was very well supported at close spacing.
    With regard to fading, it depends on the grade of plastic used for the surface layer. The compounds used to reduce UV degradation are more expensive, so guess where money gets saved when producing some budget decking.
    Personally, having recently installed a load, I worked on basis of maximum spacing of 300mm, and less where possible. 80% of mine has spacing of less than 250mm.


    Added about a dozen extra pieces of framework after this photo was taken:


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  14. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Ukzero View Post
    Composite decking has one major weakness which you must take into consideration when using.
    It is made of plastic and in this case the word "plastic" is crucial as it describes how it deforms under load.
    Wood is actually structurally very strong and deforms elastically and the type of plastic used in decking isn't and quickly moves from elastic to plastic deformation under load - bends and stays bent, with the permanent bend increasing bit by bit over time, so (as already mentioned) it needs much more closely spaced suports if you want to avoid permanent sagging.
    At work we used some "heavy duty" planking (it must have been 30mm thick) for a ramped access and with normal foot traffic it developed a permanent sag after a couple of months. Supports were at approx 400mm spacing.
    I would still be happy to use composite decking, but would make sure it was very well supported at close spacing.
    With regard to fading, it depends on the grade of plastic used for the surface layer. The compounds used to reduce UV degradation are more expensive, so guess where money gets saved when producing some budget decking.
    Thanks Ukzero I only did a decking area 3 years ago and I was planning on just overboard this decking with composite so it would be solid, it is a large area and the cost to supply is around 4k so want to make sure it is the right product and won't look rubbish in a few years time

    Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk

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  16. #9
    Not sure about the decking boards but I have used the composite gate boards (which I guess is produced in exactly the same way) to make steel/composite gates & railings,it’s decent stuff to work with and does look good initially but it really does scratch easily and the fading is definitely an issue

 

 

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