We get asked this question a lot these days. Everyone is interested in a long lasting maintenance free deck, but composites are a fairly new technology so there are still questions to be asked.

This article isn’t meant to be a complete guide to all composites, there are too many to list and new ones are coming out all the time. Rather it is just our opinion gained from our experience in installing composite decks and from the research we have done.

After checking out the prices, appearance, track record, and innovation of various composite companies, we at Deck Masters, llc have come to the conclusion that Timbertech is the best overall composite decking manufacturer. In case you are wondering, no, they don’t pay us a dime and we don’t get any special manufacturer’s discount.

We like their product for a variety of reasons. First, they have a few levels of different price ranges and appearances to their decking products. The entry level is the Valueplank, it comes in the three colors of Cedar and Grey, cannot be used with their hidden fasteners and runs approximately $2.10 a foot as of 12/26/2009. Next up is the Twin Finish board, it comes in the same two colors as well as Redwood but can be used with the hidden fasteners and runs about $2.65 a foot. The next level is the Earthwood series, it is the most realistic looking and beautiful composite and comes in Rosewood, Walnut, and Teak. There are intentional color variations in this series that make the boards look like exotic hardwoods. These can use the hidden fasteners and they run about $3.38 a linear foot. The other main category we will cover here is their pure PVC decking which they refer to as their XLM series.

While PVC decking is not a true composite because it has no actual wood fiber content, it is included here because it is a great product and is often used in place of composite material.

So why use PVC instead of a composite board?

That’s a good question. In the early days of composite manufacturing there were mistakes that were made and lessons learned. One problem was that boards would “delaminate” or come apart after being used for a few years. This was caused by problems in the manufacturing process such as unequal moisture contents in the wood being used, the wrong types or amounts of plastics being used, or inconsistent ingredients in general.

Fortunately those days seem to be a thing of the past. Some companies went out of business and some had to replace some people’s decks, but now everyone seems to have their manufacturing process down and problems like those are much less likely. One of the responses to those early problems however was to go with an all PVC board so that there is no chance of it coming apart.

PVC decking tends to look more like plastic and less like wood so that is a drawback for some customers, but it is the most long lasting, stain resistant, and scratch resistant of any decking material other than something like stone or metal.

Azek PVC vs. Timbertech PVC

Besides being a great product by itself, Timbertech went the extra mile when developing its XLM series by giving it an extra thick outer layer of plastic. When you look at a cross section of PVC decking from any company, you will notice the inside is softer than the shell. If you look at the shell you will notice that Timbertech’s PVC decking is about 1/16th of an inch vs. competitors who only make theirs about 1/32nd of an inch, so the XLM decking will last longer and is more scratch resistant. Depending on which color you go with, the XLM series will run about $3.12 to $4.00 a linear foot. The newest decking to hit the market is usually the most expensive and right now it is the Desert Bronze XLM decking. They have combined the color variation of the Earthwood series with the technology of the XLM series and made the most realistic looking PVC board out there.

Back to our discussion on true composites though, there is still the issue of inconsistent moisture or wood content in the composite deck boards being made. You hear a lot about using recycled materials in composite and how this is good for the environment. We agree that recycling is an important part of the solution for taking care of the planet, but what we choose to make out of the recycled materials is another question altogether.

In other words, given the issues that plagued some composite companies early on, does it really make sense to use recycled plastic in an outdoor building product instead of virgin plastic that is more consistent? We agree with Timbertech and the answer is, in general, no. All Timbertech products are made with virgin plastic because it makes a better more long lasting product. It might feel good to install a recycled material deck, but if it has to be replaced in ten years neither the homeowner nor the Earth benefits from the added materials and resources being used. A deck board gets more abuse than any other part of a home. It gets walked on, rained on, blasted with sun, and even frozen, so this isn’t the best place for using a potentially inconsistent product.

This brings up another point as well, what about the wood fibers used in the manufacturing of the boards? Again, many companies advertise and use recycled wood for their composite decking. This is another potential mistake because the content of the recycled wood is less consistent and therefore more prone to problems. Timbertech gets around this by using the end cuts from hardwood furniture manufacturers so that they can monitor exactly the type of wood being used and the moisture content of that wood. This is wood that was headed for the recycling plant anyway, they just get it before it gets co-mingled with everything else. As a result of taking these measures in their manufacturing process, Timbertech is able to offer a 25 year warantee on all its decking products. No one has a longer warranty in the industry and this is one of the reasons we feel confident using their product. One more thing to note is that there are two other categories of decking made by Timbertech, one is the Docksider board which is extra thick for docks and the other is the Floorizon board. We don’t recommend the Floorizon board for use in this area but the Docksider board is great if you need a dock.

The final reason we think Timbertech is the best composite board out there is their hidden fastener system. Most companies require you to use a third party hidden fastener system in order to fasten their boards, Timbertech is the only company that designed their own Concealock fastener to be used exclusively with their own product and it is the best made hands down. It is stainless steel, powder coated brown or black to make it virtually invisible, and installs quickly and securely. In short, Timbertech is a great innovative company that makes some of the best composite and PVC decking on the market.

With that said however, we still get a lot of people saying, “I’d really like a composite deck, but Timbertech is just too expensive, do you have anything cheaper?”.

The only other composite we recommend and this is for economy only, is the Elements decking by Tamko. It comes in three colors, Cape Cod Grey, Weathered wood, and Redwood and runs about $1.85 a linear foot. So it is $.25 cheaper by the foot than Timbertech’s Valueplank and about $.20 cents a foot more expensive than tight knot cedar depending on the current prices.  So if price is the main factor, give Tamko’s Elements decking a shot, you can see a completed deck in our gallery to get an idea of what it looks like.

We hope this has been informative and will help anyone who reads it understand some of the qualities to look for when choosing a composite decking material.