In light of consumer resistance to annual or bi-annual refinishing, many new “maintenance-free” products have appeared on the market.
Composite materials have become all the rage, with the Trex line evolving as the “Kleenex” brand that everyone seems to know. You will find many popular products under names like Fiberon, Timber-Tek Azek, and more.
Most are made from wood fibers, plastics and a bonding agent and have proved themselves, through product evolution, to be worthy choices for this application.
The upper-end product holds color well, is easily cleaned and provides wood grain patterns and decent slip resistance.
One alternative is PVC decking that does not use any wood. It is a fairly expensive choice, but one that offers excellent features, including a capped version that presents a wood grain.
Another market choice is extruded aluminum decking. An upper end product that offers a virtual lifetime of use, it can be created in a variety of textures and surfaces, but is not a “through-color” product.
Exotic woods such as Ipe, (ee-pay), Brazilian Teak, Tigerwood, and Brazilian Ash to name a few, have also come on the scene and, like the redwood and cedar earlier mentioned, have great natural beauty and decay resistance.
In most cases, use of a natural wood requires periodic application of oils to maintain the color and visual grain pattern of the wood.
All such surfaces may demand occasional cleaning with soap solutions and, in some cases, high pressure water depending on exposure.
Buyers should ask about scratch resistance, color fade, slip resistance, heat absorption, decay resistance, maintenance and long-term warranty.
And, as always when trying to maximize the total value of home improvement dollars, you should use a trusted professional like those found at InsideOutsideGuys.com.
