![]() ![]() US tropical wood imports are rising, partly due to the demand for decking.ĭue to environmental and durability concerns, composite decking (a mixture of two materials, typically wood pulp and recycled material such as plastic bottles or plastic bags) have appeared on the market. Much of the logging taking place to produce these woods, especially teak, mahogany and ipê, is occurring illegally, as outlined in numerous reports by environmental organizations such as Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and Rainforest Relief. Generally, hardwoods used for decking come from tropical forests. ![]() Pressure treated wood however is treated with chemicals which have been known to be toxic. Pressure treated wood is long lasting and holds up to wet and icey weather conditions. ![]() Decks are often built from pressure treated wood. Thus, many municipalities and homeowners are turning to hardwoods. More expensive Western red cedar was available from western Canada ( British Columbia) but by then, pressure treated pine had become available.īut even with chemical treatments (such as chromated copper arsenate or CCA), pine decking is not as durable as cedars in an outdoor environment. By the 1960s, Western red cedar from the US was declining due to over-logging. Atlantic City and New York City both switched to Western red cedar. However, it was not long before the commercial logging of this tree and clearing of cedar swamps in New Jersey caused a decline in the availability of decking. Atlantic City built the first coastal boardwalk in the United States, originally constructed of Atlantic white cedar. These include Atlantic white cedar, redwood and Western red cedar (redcedar). Historically, the softwoods used for decking were logged from old growth forests. These days, WPC's have more widely known by different brands like Trex, Azek, Ecornboard etc. Artificial decking products are often called " wood-plastic composites". Recycled planks may be high-density polyethylene ( HDPE), polystyrene (PS) and PET plastic as well as mixed plastics and wood fiber (often called "composite" lumber). Lumber may be Western red cedar, teak, mahogany, ipê and other hardwoods. Decks are made from treated lumber, composite lumber, composite material, and Aluminum. Wood or timber "decking" can be used in a number of ways: as part of garden landscaping, to extend living areas of houses, and as an alternative to stone based features such as patios. ![]()
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