Where can I buy Composite Prime products?
Composite Prime products are available from stockists throughout the UK, including Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands. Please use our stockist locator to find your closest stockist Where to Buy.
Can I buy Composite Prime products online?
Yes, many of our stockists in the UK have online platforms that allows you to buy our products online, please click here to find your nearest online stockist.
Can I buy Composite Prime products direct from you?
Composite Prime products are only available to purchase from our official stockists and resellers. We are the manufacturers and do not sell direct to consumers or trade. If you wish to become a stockist of Composite Prime’s products please contact us for more details [email protected].
What length are your boards?
We manufacture all our boards at 3.6m in length. All boards can be cut to accommodate different areas. We recommend that you ask a professional to cut the boards for you.
How do I cut the boards?
The best option for cutting is to use a chop-saw with a fine toothed blade – ideally 80 Tungston Carbide teeth on a 210mm diameter blade and on a high speed. The wider the diameter of the blade the more teeth required. A 310mm blade would need at least 120 teeth (or more).
What material should I use as a base for the decking?
We suggest that you use a treated / tanalised timber with graded C16 or C24 for your subframe. This will provide a solid structure for you to apply the clips to and attach any fascia boards you may use to finish it off. Please remember to follow the fitting instructions when installing your deck, you can find all our fitting guides in the resources section.
Do I have to use a timber subframe or can I use a different material (like aluminium)?
You can purchase aluminium box section which will do the job and we suggest replacing our screws with aluminium screws. Some screws available are self drilling.
We do not currently have a composite frame and cannot recommend any composite subframe product options.
Why do you recommend 300mm centres?
This is the joist spacing that we test the board to. It’s very common for composite decking to be installed at closer centres than of timber. Please remember to follow the fitting instructions when installing your deck, you can find all our fitting guides in the resources section.
Do I need to treat the joists?
To ensure you protect your timber from moisture that can lead to rot, we recommend that you use our self-adhesive HD Protect tape. This creates a waterproof barrier on the timber, and will prevent water ingress at fixing points.
Do you recommend a cleaning product for composite decking?
We recommend that you use warm soapy water to begin with or a pressure washer. For strong stains (such as berries), if necessary, a light solution of bleach and water can be used. For uncapped decking, why not try Abzorbit grease and oil stain remover!
Will Composite Prime Decking get marked?
To ensure that your Composite Prime deck looks as good all year round we recommend that you take extra care when moving heavy items such as plant pots and garden furniture across your decking and use felt or rubber feet on your garden furniture as this prevents marks and scratches appearing. For heavy items (tables, planters, solid chairs, etc.) we recommend lifting them, rather than dragging.
Post installation of uncapped HD Deck such as HD Deck XS and HD Deck 150, natural tannin water marks may appear in the first few months. These are natural tannin oils being released from the wood flour and will wash away over time or they can be removed by scrubbing brush with Oxygenated cleaner or Oxalic acid cleaner, rinse and wipe clean.
Scuffs vs Scratches – what’s the difference?
Scuffs are light, superficial marks that will appear and disappear with regular use. They will look most prominent when the boards are brand new but over time, a patina will develop and scuffs will become less noticeable with age. Scuffs are usually caused by feet and furniture and are more prominent on the black and dark coloured boards.
Scratches are deep and they penetrate or break the surface layer. They are more permanent and will not disappear without repair. Objects that can cause scratches are nails, stones and other sharp objects. For uncapped products (such as our HD Deck XS), mild scratches can be repaired with light sanding. For capped products (such as our HD Deck Dual), mild scratches can be repaired with a heat gun but ensure you consult with a professional.
My deck looks dusty, why is that?
When you first lay your deck, there can be some residue from the packaging which may include dust from the manufacturing process, also any sand deposited in the rain can also make your deck look dusty. Initially, this may cause some temporary watermarks if you try to wash it off. We suggest washing your deck with soapy water and rinsing thoroughly. You can also use a pressure washer to wash your deck.
How do I fix the balustrade properly?
To ensure that the balustrade is secure you must fix the system to the subframe. You can cut the boards around the post mount to create a space for it to fit. However you decide to secure the balustrade, please ensure you leave expansion gaps to allow the deck boards freedom to expand and contract. Always consult a professional installer for decking installed over 600mm off ground level.
How does it compare to a solid board?
Most of our decking is manufactured hollow to help with weight and heat absorption. HD Deck XS is actually stronger than many other solid boards on the market.
Does Composite Prime Decking come with a warranty?
Yes, Composite Prime HD Deck is manufactured with the highest quality materials and processes available. All of our products are covered by a limited manufacturers warranty and are there to cover against product failure and manufacturing defects to give you peace of mind. For more information please see our warranty documents here.
Do Composite Prime’s Products require painting or treating?
Composite primes products are already coloured so they do not require any painting. Due to the plastic content within Composite Primes products there is no need for any additional treatment, this is what also makes Composite Prime easy to clean.
Does HD Deck fade?
Composite Prime products contains Recycled HDPE Plastic & Hardwood Flour and this minimises the natural UV fading effect, however you should expect some fading during the first 6-12 months while the colour pigments stabilize, before weathering naturally to a similar colour pallet. Whilst every effort is made to match our colours from batch to batch we recommend fitting HD Deck from the same pack. Capped products such as HD Deck Dual and HD Deck Pro have a higher degree of UV stability to uncapped products such as HD Deck XS, HD Deck 150 and HD Deck 3D.
How Slip resistant is your product when wet?
All of our decking products are tested for slipping in wet and dry conditions to EN 15534-1:2014 Section 6.4.2 and all of our results including in wet conditions achieve a Low Slip potential grade. For more on our results please see here
How does your product react to water?
Due to the manufacturing processes and quality materials used by Composite Prime, our products have a minimal absorption rate, resulting in a product that is much lower maintenance than timber.
Are your products fire proof?
The fire resistance rating for Composite Primes products can be found here in our technical documents. Composite Prime also manufactures HD Deck XS & HD Deck 150 Fire, B rated products specifically for commercial applications where additional fire resistance is required.
Can you screw fix your boards?
We do not recommend screwing our HD Deck or HD Clad through the face to secure the boards and doing so will invalidate the warranty, instead we strongly advise that you use the correct Composite Prime fixings in accordance with our installation guides (however it is acceptable to screw our fascia boards as per our guidelines). As our boards are made from a composite material they are subject to expansion and contraction due to changes in temperature, using a clip will ensure that the boards can expand and contract freely without causing any long term damage. Also the use of a hidden fixing clip system ensures a clean, smooth finish without unsightly screw holes.
Do you need spacing gaps for your product?
Due to the plastic content, Composite materials expand and contract along their length due to changes in temperature, therefore adequate expansion gaps are needed between the ends of each board. The correct spacings can be found in our installation guides here.
Can you recommend an installer for your products?
Composite Prime’s PRO Installer scheme is a network of installers that we trust to bring your decking plans to life. Our network of installers have been chosen because of their high quality of work and professionalism, but they are all third party’s and thus you should do your due diligence before entering into any contract with them.
What is your product made from?
Composite Primes products are a wood polymer composite, this means that they are a blend of end of life timber and recycled plastic. The make up of Composite Prime is 60% FSC certified hardwood flour (oak) this is offcuts from hardwood flooring manufacturing, the rest of the make up is 35% recycled HDPE plastic and the remaining 5% is additives. We recycle the equivalent of 280 plastic milk bottles per m2 of Composite Prime decking.
Does your product expand and contract?
Composite decking boards expand in heat and contract in colder temperatures. Our clips have been specifically designed to control the movement of our decking boards. For the most effective installation please adhere to our installation guides.
How much decking do I need?
We would ask that in the first instance you contact one of our Pro Installers and they can assist you with this, alternatively please refer to our coverage calculator on our website.
How can I get samples?
At Composite Prime we take pride in our product and that is reflected in the quality of our sample packs. For your free samples pack please see here.