All About Composite and PVC Decking - The Ultimate Deck Show // Episode 10 

Thanks so much!

Sounds great to us! As you probably know, maybe avoid a visit in February. :D

The Ultimate Deck Shop Yeah, I’ll probably be cutting my lawn in Kelowna then anyway...

@@toolsavvyhandymanservices7736 😖

I would say that is 100% accurate. PVC is a little more flexible, and as such, some people much prefer the "feel" if it's installed on 12" OC. They are all warrantied for residential install at 16" OC, but if you're someone who will be bothered if you can feel it flex a little bit under your foot on a hot day, then yes, increase to 12" OC. That's a fairly low cost upgrade, typically 2 more joists per 8 feet of deck, and makes a noticeable difference!

Yes you can rip them, now you don't need to seal it, and not advisable to round over the edges as it won't look nice as the core will be exposed. I supposed a VERY small touch with a 1/8" round over MAX might be okay to soften the edge. But too much won't look good.

Jay did you also use to rip on David Letterman's monologue before he did his Top Ten? The value is in the journey, not the destination. 😂 Thanks for the feedback. We gotta have some fun with it along the way, or we would have quit long ago.

@@TheUltimateDeckShop I agree with Jay. I am not here to be entertained. I am here to learn. If I want to be entertained I will watch David Letterman re-runs.

Stick with Trex/TimberTech.

Not much, sorry.

Thanks for the feedback! Any capped composite or PVC will not mold. Mold needs a food source, which traditionally with composite decking has been the wood fibers that are in the board. But with CAPPED composite, the wood fiber core is protected by a pure layer of HDPE plastic. And in the case of PVC decking...there's no wood at all. Other composites such as Deckorators EOVations lines also don't use wood filler. Your only potential issue would be with the bottoms of some brands of boards such as Trex, who do not cap the backside. Timbertech Edge line is also not capped on the back, nor is Fiberon Good Life or Sanctuary lines...but the rest of their lineups are. Whether a few mold spots on the backside of the board bothers you or not depends on the person. Ensuring at least 6" of airflow beneath the framing of the deck should hopefully keep enough air flow to keep things dry and not attract the mold/mildew/moss. Hopefully that helps!

If you're looking for durability first and foremost, it's tough to beat Ipe. It's nearly indestructable stuff. It can scratch, but the scratches can be sanded out if need be. As for composites or PVC's, if you were going to go that direction, I would say the following brands provide the most durability: Trex Transcend (composite - scratch and impact durable), Deckorators Eovations lines (composite - scratch and impact durable), Clubhouse (PVC - scratch durable), and Veka (PVC - scratch and impact durable). Hope that helps! Let us know if you have any more questions!

When it comes to decking staying "cool" it's all pretty relative. Based on our tests all the decking gets hot. The darker colors are hotter than the lighter colors and they are all hot when the sun sits and bakes them. So all in all if you are looking for a cool deck a lighter product color is going to be your best bet with any brand.

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Steer clear. If it's the one I'm thinking of, it's brand new to market. PVC board made by a fencing manufacturer. Don't be the guinea pig.

Hopefully your next search doesn't take more then a couple more minutes, or that won't net out in your favour! Can't win 'em all. :)

TivaDek is not a Canadian product, but it is a Canadian brand. The product is made in China. It's too new and to know how it will perform long term, and aside from handling samples, we do not have much experience with it. It looks nice, but it's pricey. Jury is out.

The Ultimate Deck Shop good to know, I almost went for this product. Which ones are made in Canada?

@@jordaney76 The only manufacturer that actually makes the product in Canada is TruNorth Composites and they make the TruNorth composite brands and the Clubhouse PVC brand.

The Ultimate Deck Shop I am probably going to get the Clubhouse PVC as it looks to be a great product and is available, unlike most of the American boards!

@@lorenzocab It's a good product for sure. Very scratch resistant and great traction. Expands and contracts a lot is the only thing so be aware of that when installing.

We'll take it. Thank you.

Thank you for the feedback. See the thing is, this is intentionally a long format show where we want to add some entertainment along with the education. That way we can take a boring topic like plastic and........ Wait...we're doing it again aren't we? Check out Deck Shop Shorts. Same topics, to the point. It's perfect for people with shorter attention spans!