subject: Finding The Best Marine Decking For Your Pier [print this page] Whether you have lived on the water for years or have just recently moved to a waterfront property, you likely know the importance of choosing building products that will hold up to the wet conditions. Through the years, wood has been the building material of choice for piers, but now there are composite products made from recycled materials that look great, are durable, and may be under warranty.
There may be a downside to choosing marine decking that is made of composite material. The product may hold up for the twenty-five years of the warranty, but it will not age with the beauty that wood often does. Wood takes a lot more work to keep up, but if it is well cared for, it can have character that people will continue to enjoy through the years.
The upside of a composite product is that you do not need to put weatherproof coatings on it every year. It comes in the color that you order, so you do not need to paint or stain it, either. The durability of the product is also good. It will not splinter or warp, unlike wood.
Before making the choice between wood and composite marine decking, do some research, as it is an important choice. You will want to do research into the various companies that offer composite materials. With this, compare the prices as well as the warranties they offer. Compare them to each other and to wood materials.
Another option to help you make your decision is to look for reviews online. Most people who write reviews fall into five types. They either have a legitimate complaint, have had a wonderful experience, are just negative about all experiences, are positive in general, or just like to see their name published on the internet. This may sound like reviews would not be reliable, but if you read them carefully, they can be. Just make sure to look for common complaints about companies and products.
Marine decking for your pier could mean the difference between enjoying your time by the water and having your time by the water be way too much work. If you use wood, it will be a lot of work every year. If you use the newer composite material, you might have a warranty, and less year-to-year upkeep.
The decision is yours, and it will just depend on your preference. The appearance of the specialty marine decking often looks similar to wood because it can have a wood grain and come in a variety of colors. Real wood definitely looks like wood. You will have to weigh the importance of appearance versus other factors.
