Composite decking is a material made for the outdoors and it needs to be durable. It resists the elements around and can last a lifetime. This doesn’t mean that it can’t be damaged though.
This can happen due to a number of reasons, such as faulty installations, wrong supplies, inadequate preparations amongst other reasons.
How to minimize and prevent damage
So, How to minimize and prevent damage.
Follow the installation guide
Start by following the installation guide and instructions provided by the vendor where you have received the material. You can even ask them for the installation guide beforehand just so that you can know what to do and have the knowledge before you have even bought the material.
Right joists for Installation
Make sure to use the right joists for your application.
You can either use wooden joists or composite joists (Which we have made a comparison which you can find HERE) so do some research about subframes and joists. This will provide the best possible support for your application and make sure that it will last as long as your decking.
Buy Now: Composite Joist
Leave space between boards
Make sure to leave enough space between the boards and eventual walls or other obstructions.
Since composite expands and contracts during weather changes it needs ample room to do this so that it doesn’t break.
Take all products from same source
Get all your products from the same source. When building with composite material it’s important to follow the manufacturer’s advice and they usually have the right material for their own products. These materials are the best to use since they have been tested and made sure to work for the material, this reduces any risk of any bad things happening to your deck.
Buy now: Accessories for composite installation
Maintain the deck
Composite generally is maintenance free but that doesn’t mean that you can just leave it be forever.
The deck needs to be cleaned when it gets dirty to make sure that it can last. This is done by usually scrubbing it with a hard plastic brush and soap. Make sure that any algea or other foreign substances aren’t allowed to stay on the decking for longer periods of time.
Read more: What you need to build a deck with composite decking
Read more: Wood or Composite decks?
