Composite decking myths debunked

Very often we hear myths about composite wood plastic from stockists and consumers. Immediately whenever anybody hears “plastic” they have visions of cheap PVC decking that is ugly, likely to break and a nightmare to install. To directly counter some of these myths, we’ve put together a list of the most commonly heard and have debunked them…

“Composite decking isn’t environmentally friendly”

The connotations of plastic automatically make many think that composite decking isn’t likely to be environmentally friendly. Whilst some products do use unethical wood flour and/or are not using recycled plastic, Composite Prime leads the way in environmentally friendly decking. We have recycled the equivalent of over 300 million plastic bottle caps in the last 6 months alone and saved 25 million milk bottles from landfill in the same period. Our wood flour only comes from ethical and sustainable forests and in many instances, is more environmentally friendly that traditional timber products.

“Composite decking is cheaply made”

Unfortunately, there are some composite decking products that do cut corners to save on cost. Increased hollow decking boards are a way manufacturers can reduce costs. Cheaper and unethical wood flour can be used to cut down the price but this compromises on the quality. At Composite Prime however, we only use oak hardwood wood flour from sustainable forests. Our product is one of the most robust, thick boards in the marketplace and we spend a great deal of time, material and money on ensuring that our product is of the highest quality in the market.

“Composite decking is weaker than wood”

Composite Prime makes the most of the best qualities of wood and plastic. We use hardwood wood flour as a primary ingredient over softwood wood flour, at a higher cost but to ensure the absolute most strength. We combine this with a high-density plastic ingredient that actually makes our composite decking stronger than hardwood. It is the inclusion of plastic that makes our composite decking products extra durable and extra strong.

“Composite decking is overpriced”

Whilst composite decking can sometimes appear to be more expensive than other alternatives, the investment of composite decking will prove to be cost-effective in the long term. Cheaper alternatives may have a lower initial cost but the quality of the materials used could mean the decking is more easily damaged and requires greater maintenance and additional spend on wood stain, paint and sanding equipment. Composite Prime’s durability and high-quality finish means that colour, texture and structural integrity are far less likely to degrade, hence requiring substantially less maintenance.

“Composite decking looks horrible and fake”

It is true that there are some composite decking products that do compromise on look and feel for durability and cost. However, at Composite Prime we’ve worked incredibly hard to produce a product that retains the looks and texture of natural wood grain whilst retaining the strength of plastic. Our products are ultra-realistic, and a vast array of colours means that owners of our composite decking can achieve a visually stunning look whilst enjoying the strength and durability of composite wood plastic.