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MAN MADE DECKING BOARDS: THERE ARE SO MANY COMPOSITE, PLASTIC AND/OR MAN MADE DECKING PRODUCTS FLOODING THE MAKET PLACE (TOO MANY!). WE HAVE GROUPED THEM TOGETHER BELOW BY CATEGORIES, AGAIN THESE ARE MANUFACTORED BOARDS RATHER THEN REAL WOOD. MOST ARE COMPOSITES, WHICH CONTAIN A PLASTIC BINDER AND WOOD FIBERS,DUST OR FLOUR. THERE ARE A VARIETY OF FORMULAS, AND GRAIN SIMULATION TECHNIQUES, SOME CONTAIN PARTIAL RECYLED MATERIALS, ALTHOUGH THE TREND SEEMS TO BE LESS RECYLED AND MORE VIRGIN MATERIAL FOR HIGHER QUIALITY BOARDS.
Basic Composites    single color, simple grain or combed finish  USUALLY CONTAINS HDPE (HIGH DENSITY POLYETHYLENE) AND A WOOD FIBER OR FLOUR. SOME MANUFACTURERS USE RECYCLED PLASTICS AND/OR WOOD. Most of these materials are very similar in looks, performance and pricing.
NAME  MATERIAL(S) COLORS  WEBSITE  NOTES 
BOARDWALK (CERTAINTEED) 
 DISCONTINUED
CHOICEDEK  RECYCLED
HDPE/RED OAK FIBERS

6 

 http://www.choicedek.com/products/
 		 SOLD AT LOWES ,NON STANDARD GROOVED BACK BOARD
FIBERON PRO HDPE /WOOD FIBERS

4 

 http://www.fiberondecking.com/default.aspx?page=deckprofessional
 		 SOLID AND SLOTTED BOARDS 
LATITUDES  HDPE/WOOD FLOUR 

4 

 http://www.ufpi.com/product/latitudes/
 		 MAY CONTAIN HIGER THEN 50%WOOD FLOUR 
SOLID AND SLOTTED BOARDS
OASIS  (ALCOA) HPDE FINE WOOD FIBERS 

4 

   DISCONTINUED? 
PORTICO  HPDE/MAPLE WOOD FLOUR 

3 

 http://www.porticodecking.com/home/home.asp
 		 SOLID AND SLOTTED BOARDS 
PREMIER HPDE/WOOD FLOUR

3

 PURCHASED BY AZEK 
SYMMATRIX (DOW) 

4 

 DISCONTINUED 
 TWIN FINISH & VALUPLANK

HDPE /WOOD FLOUR

3

 http://timbertech.com/Products/
DeckingPlanks/TwinFinish.aspx
 SOLID AND SLOTTED BOARDS
TREX ACCENTS  RECYCLED POLYETHYLENE & HARDWOOD FIBERS

4 

 http://www.trex.com/accents/default.aspx
 		 ORIGINAL TREX COLORS , BETTER QUALITY BOARD THEN 1ST GENERATION TREX ,GRAIN ONE SIDE PLAIN OTHER SIDE
RHINO DECK 50% RECYCLED HDPE & WOOD

5

 http://www.rhinodeck.com/index.php
 SOLID AND SLOTTED BOARDS
VERANDA  HDPE/WOOD FIBERS 

4 

 http://www.verandadeck.com/decking/faq.htm
 		 HOME DEPOT STORE BRAND MADE BY FIBERON 
WEATHERBEST PREMIUM 
 HDPE/RECYCLED WOOD FIBERS 

4 

 http://www.weatherbest.com/composite-
decking/premium.aspx
 		  
Enhanced Composites multiple colors or hues to more simulate or copy natural wood species
NAME  MATERIAL(S) COLORS  WEBSITE  NOTES 
 VIBRANCE HDPE RECYCLED WOOD FIBERS DUST

3

 http://www.evergrain.com/create/decking/
colorsVibrance.jsp
 EMBOSSED GRAIN VIA COMPRESSION MOLDING PROCESS
FIBERON TROPICS
 HDPE /WOOD FIBERS

2

 http://www.fiberondecking.com/default.aspx?page=tropics
 SLOTTED BOARDS
MONARCH EXOTICS HDPE RECYCLED WOOD FIBERS

4

 http://www.monarchdeck.com/deck.php?content_id=21
 SLOTTED BOARDS
 MONTEREY
 HDPE RECYCLED WOOD FIBERS

2

   SOLID BOARD IRONWOOD COLOR LOOKS SIMILAR TO AGED IPE
TIMBERTECH EARTHWOOD
 		 HDPE /WOOD FLOUR

3

 http://timbertech.com/Products/DeckingPlanks/
Earthwood.aspx

 SOLID AND SLOTTED BOARDS
TREX BRASILIA RECYCLED POLYETHYLENE & HARDWOOD FIBERS

3

 http://www.trex.com/brasilia/
 NO GRAIN, EASILY SCRATCHED, PRICEY
WEATHERBEST TROPICAL

 HDPE/RECYCLED WOOD FIBERS 

2

 http://www.weatherbest.com/composite-decking/tropical.aspx
 SLOTTED BOARDS
High End Composites COMPOSITES WITH SUPERIOR GRAIN AND/OR MATERAILS
*PLEASE NOTE SOME HIGH END PRODUCTS FELL INTO OTHER CATEGORIES*
CORRECT DECK CX
 POLYPROPYLENE 60% RECLAIMED HARDWOOD FIBER

6

 http://www.correctdeck.com/products/decking/cx/
 CO-EXTRUDED ANTIMICROBIAL TOP LAYER
SOILD AND SLOTTED BOARDS
EVERGRAIN
 HDPE RECYCLED WOOD FIBERS DUST

4

 http://www.evergrain.com/create/decking/colorsClassic.jsp
 CONVINCING EMBOSSED WOOD GRAIN VIA COMPRESSION MOLDING PROCESS
CELLULAR PVC (POLYVINYL CLORIDE) process developed by Procell, now owned by Azek.
CELLULAR PVC BOARDS LOOK MUCH MORE SYNTHETIC BUT ARE LIGHTER AND HAVE A HARDER SURFACE, FASTENING IS VERY EASY, MAY BE MORE SLIPPERY WHEN WET, POSSBILE CHALKING.
AZEK CELLULAR PVC
FLAX

5

 http://www.azek.com/viewProduct.php?id=5
 PROCELL TECHNOLOGY
WHICH PIONEERED CELLULAR PVC PROCESS
PASTEL COLORS
CELLEK CELLULAR PVC

5

 http://www.structuredecking.com/ProfileFeatures.html
 AS WITH OTHER PVC PRODUCTS POSSIBLE CHALKING SOLID AND SLOTTED BOARDS
SANCTUARY FOAMED PVC CORE NO FIBER FILLERS

2

 http://www.fiberondecking.com/default.aspx?page=sanctuary
 PHOTO REALISTIC EMBOSSING PATTERN
SQUARE AND SLOTTED BOARDS
SENSIBUILT CELLULAR PVC
FLAX

4

 http://www.sensibuilt.com/our-products/decking/index.php
 GLOSSY COLORS, CLAIMS NOT TO CHAULK HAS "LUMENITE" URETHANE SURFACE LAYER
TIMBERTECH XML CELLULAR PVC CORE

3

 http://www.timbertech.com/Products/
DeckingPlanks/XLM.aspx
 CORE AND SKIN DESIGN
CO-EXTRUSION
SOLID AND SLOTTED BOARDS
TREX ESCAPES CELLULAR PVC

3

 http://www.trex.com/escapes/default.aspx
 LOOKS VERY SIMILAR TO AZEK
VEKA DECK REINFORCED CELLULAR PVC

5

 http://www.vekadeck.com/default.asp
 HARD COAT IMPACT SHELL CO-EXTRUSION SATIN FINISH
SOLID HDPE (PLASTIC LUMBER) SOLID DECKING BOARDS MADE FROM HIGH DENSITY POLYETHYLENE, SOMETIMES ReHDPE (WITH SOME TO ALL RECYCLED PLASTIC) and usually no substantial fillers
BEARBOARD
 HDPE

9

 http://www.epsplasticlumber.com/
 ALSO SELLS BENCHES ETC.
DURAWOOD
 HDPE

6

 http://www.american-plasticlumber.com/decks.html
 ALSO SELLS BENCHES PICNIC TABLES ETC.
ELOLVE ReHDPE

5

 http://www.renewplastics.com/ GENERALLY 90% RECYCLED
FOREVERDECK
 HDPE

9

 http://plasticlumberyard.com/foreverdeck.htm
  
TRIMAX HDPE

7

 http://www.trimaxbp.com/pages/index100.php
 FORMALLY CARE-FREE DECKING
There are also many more less standard decking products.There are decking boards with voids or holes like Crosstimber, Geodeck, and Ameradeck to various Tongue and grove materials like Timbertech's Floorizon and Eon and even hollow vinyl snap together decking  like Deck Lok. we prefer to work with standard deck boards and have not added these products to our chart.
Our Choices Each category has it's advantage. The "basic" composite will be your most economical board, and really all the products in this sector are very similar and will perform just fine. We have been using Trex accents, only because it is readily available, well received and competitively priced. Veranda is probably the cheapest board and lower on the desirability list. Interesting enough Symmatrix Dow's offering which received top spot from consumer reports has discontinued their product. Most of these basic composites will price out very closely. 
We have like the Evergrain product for quite some time, Evergrain has arguably the best wood grain and has good color choices. An Evergrain deck looks more natural or more "wood like" then all of the basics and certainly less man made then most of the high end materials. We have found Evergrain to hold up well, be fairly scratch resistant and easy enough to clean, although it does require some cleaning from mold, mildew and dirt, like anything left outside.
We like Azek's "procell" board, great product to work with and makes for a very 'clean" look, although definitely much more artificial looking, but if you are not looking for a wood-like appearance and you like their more subtle or pastel colors this is a great deck board. Similar but with more vibrant colors and even less natural looking is the Sensibuilt offering. Sensibuilt has a co-extrusion  harder outer layer and 5 very vibrant colors.
Another co-extruded man-made decking is TimberTech's XML , a cellular PVC board worth considering, again very man-made in appearance and among the most expensive decking material, and also Correctdeck CX a polypropylene composite with a hard co-extruded shell with antimicrobial properties and a nice embossed grain pattern. Please note, we have some reservations with the co-extruded products, the harder top layer can be a good thing, but is chipping or scratching of this thin layer and exposing the core a long term issue? Some manufactures' suggest using a torch to blend in chipped areas and others sell touch up paint, as these products are newer to the market time will tell if this becomes a problem.
We have been using Foreverdeck's solid HDPE boards for our solid white rail systems for several years and have been very pleased, these are solid HDPE planks with no internal voids and a subtle but pleasing grain that looks similar to painted wood.
         
                       
TimberTech twin finish                   Latitudes                                         Trex Accents
  
Monarch Exotics                                Correct Deck                                           Evergrain
     
Sensibuilt                                     Azek                                                    TimberTech XML
         
BearBoard                                    Rhino Deck                       real Tigerwood Monarch composite Tigerwood
                                                             AArgh!
Cross Timber     Floorizon
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