I am building a very small deck for my home in San Diego.  The options are to use real wood, which will cost a bit less up front, or use a composite lumber alternative such as LifeTime Lumber, Trex, or TimberTech.  I guess it is obvious that building a deck out of wood means that somewhere a tree had to die, but is that really so bad?  From what I understand, trees are planted specifically to be used for wood later.

But I digress...

What I really want to know is if the following claims are valid in favor of composite lumber:

- Made from recycled material (OK, use less wood, got it)
- No Volatile Organic Compounds into the air or water (Is this a real threat?)
- Long Life (Reduced Transportation Energy)
- Use material such as fly ash that would otherwise go in a landfill (Reduce waste)

Has anyone here built a deck with composite lumber? If so, what brand and do you recommend it?



Notes:

http://www.ltlumber.com/html/lifetime_lumber_is_green.html

http://www.trex.com/

http://www.timbertech.com

Most people I've seen put in composite decking are more attracted towards the durability and lack of maintenance offered by the product. As far as being green I'm not sure the manufacturing procedure of composite decking is in the green. Could be wrong about this ! Just my take on it.
Cheers!

I have built with it before and I will use it again. Many composites are made from recycled plastic and wood materials. For example, Trex uses used plastic bags that people return to the store. The biggest advantage I can see to using composites is no maintenance, which means no sealers or other chemicals need to be put on the deck, which means less garbage in the landfill. Just make sure the fasteners you use with it will last as long as the deck will, most manufacturers make stainless screws plated on the top to match the color of the deck.

Update, I have ordered samples of LifeTime Lumber, Trex, and TimberTech so that I can take a look at them and see what I think for myself.  I will get them in the mail in about a week or so, and I will keep you all updated on what I learn.  Are there any other brands of composite lumber that I should look at? Please let me know if there is a brand that you like.

Try TimberSilwood.com

This is class A Fire Retardant  total green product.

In the long run, wood is more environmentally sound. Even composites that utilize some recycled waste stream must transport that stream. Second, extrusion technology consumes considerable energy. I think its fair to say that composites have not lived up to expectations. The shortcomings have led to the introduction of a new class of PVC decking. There is an unconfirmed story that a certain bug spray melts PVC decking... When you weigh the cost, convenience appearance and performance of wood vs. man made materials, you can't beat wood.

The concern with wood is that it decays over time and is inclined to cup, twist and slit. There is a new process available call thermal modification that helps wood resist decay and remain dimensionally stable without the use of added chemicals. It takes advantage of abundent domestic lumber resources and has minimal embodied energy. For more information, please see www.cambiawood.com.

OK, lets open another can of worms.
Anybody out there ever used ALUMINUM decking?
I believe its cheaper than most composites, and the samples look really good.

the majority of composite decking products that you mention in this discussion are made from
polyethylene and cellulose, that being wood fibre like newspaper and polyethylene, like the old
clothesline ropes that eventually get brittle and dry and splinters cut your fingers ?
One that I prefer, that has additives for mold resistance is Correctdeck, made here in Biddeford Maine.
It is made from polypropylene and hardwood sawdust. It is a very heavy and dense product and other
than the weight issues,it is a pleasure to work with. it is made with and without a groove on each edge to allow fastening
with a hidden fastener system, allowing the product to expand and contract, and compared to the old method of counter
sinking stainless steel screws, is a fast installation. As an example, it took 3 men 8 hours to install a 20x 16 counter sunk deck
using their old system, and 2 men 3 hours to install with hidden fasteners. It also saved $140.00 in stainless steel screws VS
the hidden fastnener price. I don't recommend gun nailing or hand nailing with ring shank galv nails as repairs are difficult.
Disclaimer...i do not work for CD and have no vested interest in their business or products...I just feel fortunate
to live near the place that in my opinion makes the best composite decking yet.

Thanks for all the info guys, but I am going to go with LifeTime Lumber for this because it contains NO WOOD AND NO PVC.

www.pvcfree.org

has a cute and interesting video on PVC and why it should not be used, which is why I am not using Azek.

My deck builder said that he does not use correct deck since it contains wood and can mold.

I am also going to use TigerClaw Hidden Fasteners.

Thank you Gman for the info on aluminum, I think that it would be way to hot in the summer, especially in SoCal.

My stuff is ordered, and my deck should be built in about 3 weeks.

I will attach pics then !!!

One thing to check out in San Diego city is that since the witch creek fire two years ago that caused so much damage if you're within a 300' buffer zone with a canyon the deck will have to be one hour fire resistant, which translates to 4x framing members per the city requirements.  Also, composite lumber can be used for decking but are not strong enough to be used for the joists as far as I know.  If anyone knows of a good, class A fire resistant composite framing member that can be used as a joist or post, etc. please post the information.

The San Diego Union/Tribune recently had an interesting article outlining some of the advantages and disadvantages of using composite decking.  As mentioned in this thread mold can be an issue.  I think they have their articles archived and available on line so that might be another source of some information.

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/may/10/1h10wood195113/?uniontrib

Here is the URL to the SD Union Tribune Article you were talking about, Rio.

In that article it shows a deck being built with STEEL substructure.

Not cheap, but if you have been burned before, you may see the value.

Also, it is possible to get Class A Fire Retardant pressure treated lumber for the joists.

The joists usually burn slower, but still, getting the Class A is a safe bet in San Diego.

I am new to this forum.  I too am researching materials for a deck that I am planning on building.  As a resident of the Antelope Valley, fires are of great concern.  I want to thank MarkEver for the information listed on this thread as I have found it very informative.  I find it interesting that the main material used in the production of LifeTime Lumber is "fly ash", which would otherwise sit in landfills. It would be nice to have the ability to use a product that is both fire resistant, environmentally friendly, and durable.  Does anyone else have any thoughts on LifeTime Lumber?
Here are some links to the sites I have been using in my research:

http://lifetimelumber.com/html/about_us.html

www.oikos.com/library/betterconcrete/index.html

http://www.bmtpc.org/pubs/papers/paper4.htm

In reading Lifetime's warranty, the only thing that is covered is termite and fungal damage. That may be good,, but I would hardly expect either to emanate from a composte of Urethane and fly ash anyway. I would like to see what the expectations, or actual test results from exposure to household chemicals, materials that generally satin, but most importantly, SUN. Urethane generally has very poor UV tolerance as can be seen in any variety of "paint" products and foam that is exposed to sun.

Yikes a deck that catches fire 1000 ft from the flash point.

Not on my house.

Was in Sandy and deago once. Learned to fly kites with four control lines each kite. The US Navy was nice. You folks never have winter. So there is not a lot of motivation to make a deck that lasts in winter.

Want to learn about seasons come visit Cleveland.

One advantage of composite decking is that you can heat it and bend it to form curves.

LarryT ... In reading Lifetime's warranty, the only thing that is covered is termite and fungal damage.... test results from exposure to household chemicals, materials that generally satin, but most importantly, SUN.

Dear LarryT, Thanks for the post. I asked the salesperson at LifeTime Lumber what they are doing to protect the product from sun, since I researched that Polyurethane can be damaged by the sun. He showed me that the product is coated with a UV resistant coating, pretty much like a paint. The samples that I have seem to be pretty stain resistant (and satin resistant... hehe) mostly because the material does not absorb liquids. It kinda feels like wood in that is has the same density, but otherwise it seems more like a chunk of plastic. The salesperson told me to leave it in a jar of water to show that it is not water soluble, which he said shows that LifeTime Lumber is not going to pick up anything. Any household chemical that will damage the coating will leave a stain, so you don't want to use a paint remover or similar product.

BTW, thanks so much for the help on this decision, everybody.

I better make sure this deck looks good after all the talk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think I would base my decision on which one you would like best. I have a treated wood deck that is twenty years old and still solid as ever. It has never been treated or painted. It has weathered away to a silvery grey color and the floor has some black coloration. This was the look I wanted when we built the house. I know I could power wash and restore some of the original color but the reason I built it from treated wood was because it would never need any care. I see people all the time painting and staining their treated decks and power washing and treating with sealers. If you like that look go for the composite material and skip the maintenance but the treated wood lasts for your lifetime and needs nothing, just be sure you like the look of weathered wood if you choose treated.