now that these composite lumber materials are old

[Electric Comet]

have never used any of the composite materials for anything

i came across some discards and i noticed that they are flaking not sure how old they are but natural woods last a long time and i have a good understanding of failure modes in wood but not at all with this composite material

also this plastic is so much heavier than equivalent wood that i would say that a structure like a deck would need a very much more sturdy pilings and cross members to support the increased weight

but i wonder more how these composites are doing that are out there anyone have any decks or etc made of these materials

how old and how are they holding up

[Puckdropper]

Electric Comet wrote in news:pfuiqs$2cp$2 @dont-email.me:

Got some decking around the pool. It's about 10 years old and holding up great. Your joists need to be 16" OC or tighter, just putting it on 24" OC allows the composite material to bounce.

Puckdropper

[John McGaw]

I have a small composite/plastic deck and it is holding up perfectly after

15+ years with the only maintenance being annual pressure washing to get rid of the inevitable mildew buildup in a humid region. The deck is on the north(ish) side of the house and gets direct sunlight only during late afternoons in the late spring, summer, and early autumn so that might contribute to its lack of deterioration.

[dpb]

Several of the older I see in town that are 10(?)+/- are very sun-bleached visible from the curb; no idea just what shape the material itself is.

This is High Plains with lots of sun, heat and wind; very few plastics will survive long at all in direct exposure.

The vinyl fences with 8-ft sections all sag where they've softened in the summers...

[Bill Gill]

I don't have any recent notices, but when I lived in Florida the Park Service used plastic planks to rebuild the walks across the dunes at Playalinda Beach after a storm washed out all the old ones. While I was there they seemed to be holding up quite well over the several years I saw them. That of course is a rough environment, with lots of Sun, lots of salt spray and lots of foot traffic.

Bill