Composite Deck Comparison to Plastic Decking
How composite materials compare to the VERDURA™ Deck

Materials

• VERDURA Deck is 100% plastic. Over 95% of the material is from post consumer recycled plastic. The board is a blend of plastic resins including polyethylene, polystyrene, polypropylene, ABS and other polymers.
• Composite Deck is made of plastic and wood flour. Usually, there is as much as 70% wood flour in a composite board. Wood flour is used to reduce weight, cut costs, reduce thermal expansion and add stiffness.

Ease of Installation

• VERDURA Deck is easily installed with the modern “no fastener” look. It can be cut with any hand or circular saw. It can be sawn on a diagonal angle and butted to other boards, but you will have to plan the cuts or joist system so that the groove edge of the board can be screwed to the joist. We recommend pre-drilling the holes in the plastic to about the size of the screw being used. A battery or electric power driver may be used to drive screws through the lower groove edge. Any decking screw can be used. Just one screw per joist is recommended.
• Composite Deck installs like wood. Generally pre-drilling and special deck screws to reduce “mushrooming” are used when screwing through the top of the board (TOP installation). This requires two screws instead of one per joist. For the “no fastener” look an expensive kit of special fasteners and a time-consuming installation procedure is required. The traditional TOP installation takes about 15% longer to install than VERDURA and the “no fastener” look usually takes twice as long than VERDURA Deck.

Cost Factors - Installation

• VERDURA Deck with the “no fastener look” typically can be installed in much less time than composites using a similar “no fastener look”.
• Composite Deck installation cost is about 5% higher with the TOP installation since there are twice as many screws. The “no fastener look” installation typically takes 25 to 100% longer to install than the VERDURA deck (depending on the type of “no fastener look” hardware purchased).

Cost Factors - Material

• VERDURA Deck is typically the same material price as most composite deck materials. It is a full 6 inches wide when finished whereas many composites are only 5.5 inches.
• Composite Deck is about the same material cost as VERDURA Deck unless a “no fastener look” kit is used. Using this process will cost 40 – 100% more for decking material . For installation the cost is about 5% higher with the traditional TOP installation since there are twice as many screws. The “no fastener look” installation typically takes 25 to 100% longer to install based on the type of “no fastener look” hardware purchased. Railing systems for both VERDURA and composite decks are comparable in cost.

Cost Factors – Maintenance

• VERDURA Deck is easier to maintain than composites decks. This is largely because of the lack of wood fiber in VERDURA Deck. Plastic deck with no wood flour has no nutrients for moss and mold to grow on. Simply hosing down your deck should remove dirt that may accumulate on the deck. Since there is no wood in our decking, there is no chance for delamination or splinters or cracking.
• Composite Deck is largely wood fiber so it provides the nutrients for mold and mildew to grow in it. There are a number of cleaners available on the market but generally composite decks are more difficult to keep clean than smooth natural wood. If the wood is not fully sealed by plastic, it will absorb water and will eventually delaminate. The use of wood flour in composite lumber can also cause decking to fade and be more susceptible to stains from oil or grease. Common spills like wine and mayonnaise are almost impossible to remove.

Useful Life

• VERDURA Deck has a 30 – year warranty but will typically last longer. Our decking can't be painted by latex or oil based paint. While the surface of the decking is very tough and will wear for a very long time, it is possible to gouge or burn the decking. If that happens, we will sell a repair kit that will resurface the board where it is burned or gouged. Generally the deck will withstand most chemicals. There are some industrial solvents that will melt the plastic, but these are not usually found in homes. Detergents, bleach, grease, gasoline, oil, rock salt, and ice melt have no impact on the plastic. Because the plastic is impervious to most liquids, it can't be easily stained.
• Composite Deck comes with a variety of warranties and will typically last a long time unless the boards are not properly sealed by the factory and delaminate. If a composite deck board is gouged or burned it will typically be replaced. They are highly susceptible to stains and fade in color so that if a board must be replaced it will not be replaceable with the same color board.

Deck Strength

• VERDURA Deck is strong and light in weight. It is made from very rigid plastics that give the decking board twice the strength of composites with less weight. It meets BOCA code for residential, playground and commercial applications. We warrant the board for installations that are 16" on center. While the surface of the decking is very tough and will wear for a very long time, it is possible to gouge or burn the decking. If that happens, we will sell a repair kit that will resurface the board where it is burned or gouged. Generally the deck will withstand most chemicals. There are some industrial solvents that will melt the plastic, but these are not usually found in homes. Detergents, bleach, grease, gasoline, oil, rock salt, and ice melt have no impact on the plastic. Because the plastic is impervious to most liquids, it can't be easily stained.
• Composite Deck is adequate in strength but heavy. In some applications a larger and hence more expensive support structure is required. If the composite boards are gouged or burned replacement is the typical option but that means the boards will be different in color than the older boards that usually weather and fade substantially in less than 6 months.

Living with the Deck

• VERDURA Deck has ridges that wick away water and provide a slip resistant surface. The ridges also make the deck boards cooler to bare feet in sunshine. Another reason VERDURA Deck stays cooler is that is lighter in weight and has less mass to absorb heat. A light color like white will actually be cooler than a regular wooden board. The boards will expand and contract since they are made of plastic. Because the boards are screwed down every 16 inches, and the amount of expansion and contraction is negligible, expansion and contraction will be virtually unnoticeable. Our board design has been in use for almost 10 years and there have been no reports of screws loosening. Water freely passes down through the tongue and groove. Like any deck surface, you should remove ice and snow for normal foot traffic. Snow can be shoveled off and ice is removed with an ice melt product. As snow and ice melt, the water will pass between the boards. The color coat of the deck has additives that protect the deck from ultraviolet light that can break down plastic. Color changes will be very hard to notice over the life of the deck.
• Composite Deck is heavier with wood flour that also tends to increase the retained heat from the sun making the deck hotter on feet. Most composite decks are smooth encouraging water to puddle and making it easier to slip in wet conditions. The boards will expand and contract but will never be noticeable. Sunlight will change the color of a composite deck substantially in just six months and continue to fade during the life of the product.

Environmental Friendliness

• VERDURA Deck is extremely friendly to the environment. It is made from over 95% recycled plastic. This saves tons of plastic from landfills and incinerators. No chemicals leach into groundwater. There are no hazardous materials and low energy is used to produce, transport and install VERDURA. VERDURA is a formally listed “green” material that helps qualify projects for LEEDs credits. The material can be recycled again.
• Composite Deck is friendly to the environment. Most are made from recycled or virgin plastics and wood fiber. Some composites may offer LEEDs credit. Composites can rarely be recycled.

Design Elements

• VERDURA Deck has a unique look that fits in most applications. There are a wide range of colors possible and 5 different standard colors. It will work with virtually any railing system.
• Composite Deck has a broad number of styles and looks that range from a very basic plastic look to that of wood. Colors are available and it works with virtually any railing system.