How to Keep Your Composite Deck Cool During a Heatwave

There are many common misconceptions about composite materials being much hotter than timber. The truth is that modern composite decking boards don’t become much hotter than traditional wood decks when all other factors remain the same. That’s why it’s so important to select high-quality boards that have been manufactured to offer optimal performance.

That isn’t to say that composite decking doesn’t get a bit uncomfortable underfoot on a blisteringly hot day. Although in temperatures approaching 40 degrees, with the sun beating down on a surface all day, nothing is going to feel particularly comfy to the naked foot – except a dip in the pool. Ahhhh.

Composite decks aren’t much hotter than any other surface in the hot sun – but nor are they cooler!

In respect of this long, hot summer we’ve been enjoying (or suffering, depending on your POV), we’ve put some thought into ways you can keep your deck (or any garden surface) as cool as possible. This way, you can slow the pace and enjoy sauntering across your garden as you soak up the sun, rather than hot-footing it to safety.

Opt for lighter colours

It’s simply a matter of physics. Dark colours don’t necessarily get hotter than lighter colours. If you blasted the same decking boards in different colours with the same hairdryer, they would achieve roughly the same temperature. Darker decks get hotter in the sun because dark colours absorb more light energy than lighter colours, which actually reflect solar heat. The closer a colour is to black, the ultimate solar heat absorber, the hotter it will be. So if you have a particularly sunny location for your deck, keeping to the lighter end of the spectrum could be sensible.

Plant for shade

Strategic planning of dense or large-leafed plants, trees and shrubs can work wonders in cooling down your garden on hot days. Not only will they provide functional shade to keep your deck from absorbing that solar energy, but plants have also been shown to reduce the ambient air temperature around them by as much as 11 degrees.

Build shady structures

One way to create shade from planting is to grow creeping plants and trees like wisteria, clematis and honeysuckle. Even if you don’t want to grow plants, pergolas and verandas can provide stylish shade solutions that can stop the sun from chasing you off your deck.

Water your deck

Misting your deck with water can help cool it down during very hot temperatures – and thankfully Composite Prime decking is highly slip resistant even when wet, so you don’t need to worry about creating hazards.

Install shade-giving fabrics

From retractable awnings to shade sails, to cantilever parasols, to outdoor bamboo blinds and fabric-draped gazebos. The options are multiple and so fashionable. Just beware of strong winds and ensure your fabric shade solutions are well-secured.

Use outdoor rugs

A super simple solution to keeping the direct sun off your deck and sparing your feet on super hot days is the installation of outdoor rugs. With so many cost-effective options, even if they last one season due to weathering and footfall, it’s simple to replace them next year. Just be sure, if your composite deck is relatively new, to change the rug position regularly. This is to encourage even fading in strong UV light. Composite Prime decking products are highly UV-resistant, but capped products have a higher degree of UV stability than uncapped ones.

Why not order some samples to see how our decking products withstand the great British summer in all its glory? It’s free. Go to https://www.composite-prime.com/order-sample/