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2012年8月29日 星期三

Composite Decking - The Eco-Friendly Option


What is composite decking?

Composite decking is a process in home making that requires constructing decks using recycled materials. These materials involve a mixture of environment friendly materials like plastic, fibers and wood. Often manufacturers add pigment and preservatives in this mixture, which are then baked to into board shapes and cooled. Though the resulting composite deck weighs heavier than wood but is not so strong. However, it is rot resistant and does not warp. Besides, it doesn't even give splinters like wood. Therefore, composite decking does not require the extra protection measures like sealing, painting or staining.

Types of composite decking

Composite decking can be divided into wood and non-wood composites. While some composites are made with a mixture of plastics, hardwood fragments and other materials, the rest comprise vinyl and plastics.


Polyethylene Composites - The materials used in these are oil based and contain wood and plastic. These compress with seasonal changes and temperature fluctuations.


Polypropylene Composites - These include a mixture of polypropylene and reclaimed hardwood lumber. These are fade-proof and hardier than polyethylene composites.


Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Composites - Made from plastics, these composites never stain or imbibe water. These are not very hardy and are good for shorter spans.


Hollow Composites- The materials used in these, damage easily but contract or expand less. Besides, these are lighter.


Solid Composites - These are stronger and damage resistant. However, these are not resistant to expansion and contraction.
Drawbacks and solutions

Though composite decks are much better than their traditional wooden counterparts, these too have a handful of drawbacks. These are as follows:


Composite decks have a tendency of getting heated up under the summer sun and this can cause cracks in them. For this reason, you should always buy decks which have been developed using pigments that protect the decks from heating up and go for the UV protected decks which keep cool even during the hottest summers.




Besides, not all composite decks are made of the same kind of plants and this makes the lasting different for different planks. Buy composite planks which offer the longest lasting warranty like twenty years or so.




After the initial installation, composite decks may start fading in color. To maintain them, sweep them clean, remove stains if any and try to scrub with soap and hose it town two times a year.


The initial cost of installing composite decks is quick higher than installing wooden decks. However, with composite decking you do not have to spend extra money on painting, weathering, staining or sealing each year.




For more info visit: Home Repair and Improvement





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2012年5月23日 星期三

Composite Decking - The Eco-Friendly Option


What is composite decking?

Composite decking is a process in home making that requires constructing decks using recycled materials. These materials involve a mixture of environment friendly materials like plastic, fibers and wood. Often manufacturers add pigment and preservatives in this mixture, which are then baked to into board shapes and cooled. Though the resulting composite deck weighs heavier than wood but is not so strong. However, it is rot resistant and does not warp. Besides, it doesn't even give splinters like wood. Therefore, composite decking does not require the extra protection measures like sealing, painting or staining.

Types of composite decking

Composite decking can be divided into wood and non-wood composites. While some composites are made with a mixture of plastics, hardwood fragments and other materials, the rest comprise vinyl and plastics.


Polyethylene Composites - The materials used in these are oil based and contain wood and plastic. These compress with seasonal changes and temperature fluctuations.


Polypropylene Composites - These include a mixture of polypropylene and reclaimed hardwood lumber. These are fade-proof and hardier than polyethylene composites.


Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Composites - Made from plastics, these composites never stain or imbibe water. These are not very hardy and are good for shorter spans.


Hollow Composites- The materials used in these, damage easily but contract or expand less. Besides, these are lighter.


Solid Composites - These are stronger and damage resistant. However, these are not resistant to expansion and contraction.
Drawbacks and solutions

Though composite decks are much better than their traditional wooden counterparts, these too have a handful of drawbacks. These are as follows:


Composite decks have a tendency of getting heated up under the summer sun and this can cause cracks in them. For this reason, you should always buy decks which have been developed using pigments that protect the decks from heating up and go for the UV protected decks which keep cool even during the hottest summers.




Besides, not all composite decks are made of the same kind of plants and this makes the lasting different for different planks. Buy composite planks which offer the longest lasting warranty like twenty years or so.




After the initial installation, composite decks may start fading in color. To maintain them, sweep them clean, remove stains if any and try to scrub with soap and hose it town two times a year.


The initial cost of installing composite decks is quick higher than installing wooden decks. However, with composite decking you do not have to spend extra money on painting, weathering, staining or sealing each year.




For more info visit: Home Repair and Improvement





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2012年3月16日 星期五

Choosing Eco-Friendly Decking


Recently, there has been a lot of pressure and focus on homeowners to become environmentally responsible, or "green." This could mean anything from finding ways to conserve household energy, recycling household trash, and using building materials that are renewable and environmentally friendly. Luckily for the homeowner, this movement of "going green" has also applied to the decking industry and there seems to be a multitude of environmentally friendly options available on the market today. The purpose of this article is to research a few different options out there and see which is truly "green."

The first on the list is PVC decking. As a plastic, PVC decking is resistant to mold, mildew, pest infestations, and other issues that may lessen the lifespan of other decking methods. This means a longer lasting product that has low impact on the environment, right? Wrong. Plastic is derived from petroleum, or refined oil. Drilling for oil is one of the industries that are the most destructive to the environment. Plus, refining the crude oil into petroleum releases thousands of toxins into the atmosphere and water supply. PVC is also manufactured with toxic products that are known to cause health problems such as neurological damage, immune system damage, birth defects, child development impairment, and cancer. What homeowner wants their children playing on a deck that contains these harmful chemicals?

A similar product to PVC decking would be composite decking. Instead of boards that are completely plastic, composite decking is a mixture of wood and plastic. Most of the raw materials are recycled, and mixing the plastic in with the wood helps to curb a lot of the issues that natural wood decking faces (insect infestations, moisture damage). However, the majority of the wood product going into the decking is soft woods like pine that are extremely porous and tend to soak up moisture. This actually increases the likelihood of mold, mildew and rot within the deck boards. This means the deck boards tend to wear out faster than other decking methods, and will need to be replaced more often, increasing the cost involved and lowering the "green" factor of the product. In addition, while the plastic materials are usually recycled, using any plastic at all means encouraging the production of the product. This increases the amount of oil being drilled, and the number of toxins being released into the air and water.

So what about natural hardwood decking? Exotic species such as Ipe decking, or Garapa (both from South America) are usually resistant to domestic insect attacks and are dense hardwoods that do not absorb water as quickly as softer woods. This would mean an extremely low risk of mold, mildew or rot problems, lengthening the life span of the decking. And contrary to popular opinion, logging is not a destructive practice (when done correctly). In fact, over 80% of deforestation in the Amazon comes from cattle ranching, not logging. The practice of clear-cutting to make room for the cattle destroys the nutrients in the soil, making it impossible for new forest growth. A logging company can responsibly harvest a few trees per acre of forest, clearing out older trees that no longer reproduce and making room for the younger saplings to grow. That acre of forest also becomes protected from clear-cutting for several years, ensuring the continued growth of the forest.

It's important to consider all of the factors that make a product "green"; lifespan, production process, and product makeup. Hopefully, the preceding facts have helped make the decision easier and homeowner's can make the most environmentally responsible decision.




http://www.advantagelumber.com





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2012年2月4日 星期六

Eco-friendly Decking - The Real Deal


Eco-friendly, green, recycled, renewable, environmentally friendly, sustainable, bio-degradable and energy efficient are all key words used more and more often these days. This is a positive movement that has grown internationally and is well marketed. We all want to contribute to saving the planet and doing our part to keep our earth clean and free of chemicals and pollutants. There are now many organizations that are set up to help us do just that. Let's take a look at what this means and how a wood deck such as Ipe can be eco-friendly.

First what is eco-friendly mean? If we don't Google it, I would say it means friendly to our environment, no chemicals no harmful out-gassing and uses only raw materials. The Wikipedia definition states it is product that inflicts little or no harm to the environment. This is a very grey area. Now lets apply this to decking. There are several products available; pressure treated, composite and hardwood decks.

Composite decking is the least environmentally friendly product. Let me state that this product is marketed as green but let's examine a few things first. The decking is man made from plastic or composite that has been recycled. Testing performed on the recycled plastic (High Density Polyethylene ) has confirmed that the recycling process loses some of its original tensile strength and the recycled product does not readily biodegrade in the landfills. The fact that this plastic is made of petroleum also escapes the corporations that tote its environmental benefits. Petroleum is costly and sometimes environmentally damaging. The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill is one example of the damages transportation of petroleum has caused. Now going back to the loss of tensile strength, how does that affect the life of the deck once installed in an external environment? What happens when plastic is exposed to heat over a long period of time? Again Google one of the composite company names to expose warping, staining, flaking, molding, fungus and other complaints and lawsuits. If you are replacing your deck in less than 10 years time is it really environmentally friendly or if you have to apply chemicals to it to prevent mold and fungus? Do a little homework and you will realize wood is the only eco-friendly decking resource.

Wood is a renewable, recyclable and totally biodegradable product. This product is a primary producer in that it only requires its natural habitat to develop and grow. The sun, water and soil along with the seed produced from another tree is all required to make this raw product. Wood uses less energy to process than steel, concrete, plastic and aluminum. It is used for insulation and has low thermal diffusivity (measure of how quickly a material can absorb heat from its surroundings). The only downside is wood made of certain species of wood will not be as dense and strong as others and would require some type of treatment to be usable outdoors. The new technology now available has opened doors to allow other wood to be available that has otherwise been unaccessible.

Pressure treated decking has been the most commonly used lumber. This lumber is in-expensive, readily accessible and easy to install. The chemicals used to treat lumber, has helped its resistance to insects, decay and mold/fungus. The only problem is the chemicals used to pressure treat the lumber has been chromated copper arsenate, a toxic chemical used until about 2003 and now other chemicals are used such as copper azone but no current information has been supplied as to whether it is any less hazardous also CCA is still being used in certain industrial and marine applications.

IPE decking is made from a hardwood with origins in South America, Central America and parts of the Caribbean. This hardwood is one of the strongest densest woods available. The janka hardness for Ipe is 3680 compared to the California redwood at 420. The fire spread is rated the same as concrete and steel. Naturally resistant to mold, fungus, decay and insects, Ipe requires no chemicals. The lifetime of the wood without a UV inhibitor is 40 plus years and with the inhibitor over 100 years. Ipe has a slip co-efficiency above the requirement for commercial applications for restaurants and hotels. This is the deck you will get to enjoy without all the maintenance. FSC certified Ipe is also available for the most discriminating clients and projects. The Forest Stewardship Council will certify that your lumber comes from a responsibly managed forest. Now that is as eco-friendly as it gets.




Rosi Lehr is a contributing writer for Advantage Trim & Lumber Co.

Ipe Decking





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2012年2月2日 星期四

Eco-Friendly Wood For Your Deck Or Patio


There's no doubt about it, eco-friendly wood is all the rage. There are a lot of companies out there promoting ipe, teak, tigerwood and other domestic and exotic hardwoods as eco-friendly. This leads to a dilemma; how can consumers find lumber companies that are truly dedicated to sustainable forestry practices and the production of eco-friendly wood? As the general public becomes more environmentally conscious, we must not be quick to believe anything labeled organic, eco-friendly, and/or environmentally safe. After all, it's one thing to merely say, or promote yourself as eco-friendly; it's another to actually live and form habits that are designed to promote an eco-friendly lifestyle and economy. This is true whether you are buying ipe decking, tigerwood flooring, or even composite decking.

To put it simply, companies are trying to cash into the green building revolution by simply putting a banner on their website stating that they offer eco-friendly wood. These companies believe that consumers will go to them, see their website and say, "That's it. I've found the perfect place to buy my eco-friendly decking. My search is over!" However, one thing that these companies fail to realize is that homeowners are not as naïve as previously hoped. In fact, thanks to the Internet, homeowners and builders alike are weeding out those companies who are not committed to sustainable wood and forestry practices.

Finding eco-friendly lumber companies is easier than ever thanks to organizations such as The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). These organizations are dedicated to ensuring that the forests and rainforests where many of these woods come from are preserved and taken care of for generations to come. The Forest Stewardship Council also has a strict set of policies and forestry procedures that must be followed to the letter. For example, if a direct importer of ipe decking wants to harvest some ipe lumber from a managed forest, the FSC will specially designate which trees are to be used, and which are to be left in place. In addition, the FSC could also require that a FSC Certified lumber company also harvest some other hardwood such as cumaru, or garapa. The FSC mandates forestry practices like these in order to balance out the environment. Only then can that ipe decking receive FSC Certification.

As you can see, there are valid and reliable non-profit resources that are able to adequately provide decking materials that can truly be called eco-friendly. Homeowners and builders who want to work with lumber companies that are FSC Certified can do so without worrying about being manipulated.




A couple of lumber companies that fit the mold are Advantage Trim & Lumber Company and Ipe Depot. Before they received their FSC Certification, they were already a leader in promoting managed forests and sustainable forestry practices. Advantage Trim & Lumber Company and Ipe Depot don't just say that they're eco-friendly, they actually go out of their way to make sure that all of their wood and not just their inventory of FSC Certified wood is eco-friendly.

Advantage Trim & Lumber Company, FSC Ipe Decking, Ipe Depot





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2012年1月24日 星期二

How Is Ipe More Eco-Friendly Than Composite for Decking?


When I was young, my father told me not to take things at face value but to research it and look into the statements being presented. Of course I paid little attention to those words of wisdom. As I grew older I learned the value of those words. This is truly a complex and diverse world we live in and as technology expands so does our access to knowledge unlike anything before. This being said, we also live in a world of instant gratification and that can hinder our choices to make an informed decision.

We want it and we want it now. It looks great and sounds great so let's get it done yesterday. The problem results when we realize we didn't get what we thought we were getting and if we had taken the time to research and examine what we were jumping into that the choice would have been different. I know the story of your life but when you are spending $5,000-25,000 on a product, it's not that easy to correct it.

Take for example, the decking industry. This industry is growing by leaps and bounds, just take a look at the number of composite and PVC decking companies that have popped up in the last decade. The marketing ploy has been use eco-friendly products and help save the trees but what it breaks down to is a product with a bad track history and no place to recycle the deck when it has to be replaced due to deterioration, de-lamination, molding, fungus growth, warping and discoloration just to name a few. PVC decking emits VOC's and if near a fire can gas off toxic fumes for some time after fire has been extinguished. How is a deck eco-friendly when it has to be replaced in 5-10 years and has resins that do not decomposed opposed to wood, which naturally decompose back to the earth?

Eco-friendly and recycled sounds great but lets examine this, recycled plastic and sawdust manufactured for long term outdoor exposure with extreme weather temperatures and standing water. The numerous lawsuits and closed composite companies as well as the unanswered warranty requests would answer that. Research has been done on recycled plastics and it does not have the original tensile strength that the original plastic had so utilizing a product that doesn't have the tensile strength it once had doesn't sound like it would work for a product that you trust will hold people. The PVC that some companies boast as a superior deck would sound logical if it weren't for all the health issues that are directly linked to it. As for recycling, PVC was labeled a contaminant in 1998 and efforts to recycle it were declared a failure by the Association of Post Consumer Plastics Recyclers.

Tropical decking such as ipe last 50 plus years without any treatments and decomposes back to the earth. There are companies that plant 4-5 trees for every tree that is felled. There are other species such as cumaru, tigerwood and garapa that also last without treatment and are available from sustainable forests and legally obtained. Our government has processes that assure that we report our suppliers and information on container stuffing to ensure we obtain legal lumber. Our earth has supplied us from the beginning of time with this precious resource and in order to avoid using the land for cattle and agricultural cropping, buying wood ensures we preserve our land for wood.




Rosi Lehr is a contributing writer for Advantage Trim & Lumber Co.
Ipe Decking





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2011年12月3日 星期六

Composite Decking - The Eco-Friendly Option


What is composite decking?

Composite decking is a process in home making that requires constructing decks using recycled materials. These materials involve a mixture of environment friendly materials like plastic, fibers and wood. Often manufacturers add pigment and preservatives in this mixture, which are then baked to into board shapes and cooled. Though the resulting composite deck weighs heavier than wood but is not so strong. However, it is rot resistant and does not warp. Besides, it doesn't even give splinters like wood. Therefore, composite decking does not require the extra protection measures like sealing, painting or staining.

Types of composite decking

Composite decking can be divided into wood and non-wood composites. While some composites are made with a mixture of plastics, hardwood fragments and other materials, the rest comprise vinyl and plastics.


Polyethylene Composites - The materials used in these are oil based and contain wood and plastic. These compress with seasonal changes and temperature fluctuations.


Polypropylene Composites - These include a mixture of polypropylene and reclaimed hardwood lumber. These are fade-proof and hardier than polyethylene composites.


Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Composites - Made from plastics, these composites never stain or imbibe water. These are not very hardy and are good for shorter spans.


Hollow Composites- The materials used in these, damage easily but contract or expand less. Besides, these are lighter.


Solid Composites - These are stronger and damage resistant. However, these are not resistant to expansion and contraction.
Drawbacks and solutions

Though composite decks are much better than their traditional wooden counterparts, these too have a handful of drawbacks. These are as follows:


Composite decks have a tendency of getting heated up under the summer sun and this can cause cracks in them. For this reason, you should always buy decks which have been developed using pigments that protect the decks from heating up and go for the UV protected decks which keep cool even during the hottest summers.




Besides, not all composite decks are made of the same kind of plants and this makes the lasting different for different planks. Buy composite planks which offer the longest lasting warranty like twenty years or so.




After the initial installation, composite decks may start fading in color. To maintain them, sweep them clean, remove stains if any and try to scrub with soap and hose it town two times a year.


The initial cost of installing composite decks is quick higher than installing wooden decks. However, with composite decking you do not have to spend extra money on painting, weathering, staining or sealing each year.




For more info visit: Home Repair and Improvement





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