Composite decking in New Zealand is made from a combination of wood fibre and plastic material. Some companies use 100% recycled materials, making them an environmentally conscious choice. When the composite is made from a combination of wood and other materials, it constitutes half of the weight of the board. Composite lumber is resistant to insects and rot, making it a suitable choice for installation on the ground under the right circumstances.
Disadvantages of wood-soil contact
When the wrong wood is chosen for the construction of a deck requiring ground contact, two main problems occur – insect and rot damage. Wood can’t rot if the moisture content is kept low, but moisture will seep from the ground in moist weather or climate. This means that untreated wood will rot and make the structure unstable. This is very dangerous. Also, most of the termite infestations begin when with the wood coming in contact with soil. Termites will make wood unstable.
On the other hand, composite decking solutions is highly resistant to rot. It is also resistant to insects and this makes it a great choice for ground contact.
Why the ground isn’t the problem
While we know that composite decking is an acceptable material for applications that require ground contact due to rot and insect resistance, it isn’t acceptable for support or framing structures. Composite is not strong enough and won’t be able to bear heavyweight. Composite doesn’t experience insect and moisture problems but it cannot bear the weight that redwood and other hardwood materials can bear. This means that if you have decking projects and you would like to use composite, you can use ground or modular decking for support.
Uses for decking
While composite decking NZ cannot be used for supports of structural decks, it is the best choice for rails, posts and deck boards. If the boards are on the ground then composite decking will work fine.
