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IN DEPTH: Decks

Market Continues Growth
Regardless of the material or color, the deck market continues to grow, says Ken Jacobson, a partner with Principia. Composite products are benefiting from the economy’s return, growing at a faster rate today. A combination of tighter budgets and lower lumber prices had earlier pushed consumers toward choosing treated-wood options more often. Now, as the economy rebounds, composites and hardwoods are becoming more popular.

North-American-Residential-Decking-Demand

“People are interested in darker colors and more exotic looks,” he says. “The vast majority of decks are still lighter, but darker colors are being used more often to promote deck projects.”

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Adds Fiberon’s Kello, “Composite decking is growing faster than lumber, but it’s still not dominant. That’s in keeping with the overall trend: Everything else on the house’s exterior has a wood alternative today. Decking has been the last holdout in that regard.”

Capped composites have become the dominant material, but others haven’t disappeared. “Our capstock sales continue to grow, but not at a loss to our uncapped line,” says MoistureShield’s Gwatney. “Manufacturers have stopped making uncapped composites to a large extent, and we’ve seen some pushback on that from customers who want to use them. Our sales grew more in uncapped composites last year than in capstock products due to its performance. That’s the critical part of selling these products. Those who couldn’t do uncapped products well are gone, but those who had good products are still doing them. Composites have strong product offerings, and the ones that remain have been proven.”

Bamboo-decking-from-BamkingBamboo decking from Bamking offers a highly renewable wood source, as bamboo can be harvested without killing the plants, allowing them to be reharvested many times. The durable boards are made from 99% natural bamboo and E0 adhesives, which are said to be the lowest emitters of VOCs available.

Some consumers remain wary of the various materials. “Our fear is that the industry will take another black eye on performance with capped composites if manufacturers try too hard to lower costs by adding too much recycled polymer and lower the overall quality and performance,” says DuraLife’s Descoteaux. “There’s a saturation point for the ability to handle expansion and contraction and moisture retention, even if the product is capped. We certainly don’t want that to happen.”

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Those concerns aid traditional wood options, says Chris Kollwitz, director of marketing for Viance—Treated Wood Solutions. “Pressure-treated wood remains a strong value for customers. Some composites have had issues, and they have a cost that can be four or five times higher than wood. Wood decking provides a better return than composites when looking at the value that real-estate people put on a deck.”

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