Comparing Plastic Decking & Wood Decking – What’s the Difference?

A common question frequently asked when it comes to composite decking  – ‘What’s the difference between plastic decking and traditional wood decking?’. Both types of decking can be similar in appearance and require roughly the same degree of skill and cost to install, however a few notable differences between the two materials are worth highlighting, especially so if you are considering options for a new decked area for your garden. We decided to review these differences to help with the decision.

Extended lifetime

Treated wood has certainly been a favourite for a while when it comes to decking. With good maintenance, it can look good and perform well for years but the strength and durability of composite wood-plastic far surpasses that of timber only products. Composite wood-plastic combines the strength and durability of recycled plastic with natural wood flour. The resulting composite material is tough, highly resistant to the elements, has the appearance of wood and won’t suffer damp, rot, dents or other issues that eventually cause deterioration to timer. With these more resilient properties, you can afford to worry less about kids playing, barbecue parties or moving furniture on your decking.

Easy to Maintain?

Unlike wood decking, composite wood-plastic requires very little in the way of treatment to keep it looking good. This is due partly to it’s natural resistance to fungus and rot, is not very susceptible to damage and takes a very long time to suffer colour fading from UV light, which reduces the need for repair or permeable treatment like preservative or staining. The contrast in maintenance requirements between timber and composite material,  makes composite wood-plastic decking a far easier and hassle-free option.

Safety properties

Wood flooring is a softer material and as such, more likely to cause things like splinters. For garden users who like to walk about barefoot, this can present a danger of cuts, scrapes and grazes. Furthermore, that damage to the wood is a perfect breeding ground for bacteria and dirt that can then go on to cause infection if it comes into contact with human skin.

For garden users with children, composite decking proves to be a more suitable choice. Children crawl, run and sit on flooring, so there’s more contact with their skin. The Composite Prime products are all safe underfoot so that your little ones are kept from harm’s way.

Sustainability

A hidden benefit of composite wood-plastic is the sustainability credentials. Although not all composite decking manufacturers are as environmentally conscious, Composite Prime products are FSC certified, which means that they only source their wood flour from sustainable timber. Furthermore, there is the equivalent of more than 3,000 recycled plastic bottle caps per square metre of their composite decking. They continually strive to achieve a high proportion of their products to be as environmentally friendly as possible.

Strength and resilience

Probably the best selling-point for composite wood-plastic over traditional timber, is it’s strength. Very few decorative outdoor flooring solutions can out-perform this new material. As advocated by a growing number of architects, builders and consumers – a decking material that is easy to work with, can resist all weather conditions, hold more weight, and withstand most lifestyle activities, is perhaps inevitably going to be popular to the masses very quickly.