Bringing you up to speed on just how fade resistant composite decking truly is…
Timber’s inability to hold its colour without help from a variety of paints and sealants is a testament to just how damaging the weather can be on outdoor surfaces. Exposed to the sun’s rays repeatedly day-after-day, outdoor decking has a lot to contend with when compared to indoor flooring solutions.
Fortunately, NeoTimber’s composite decking products are engineered with fade resistance in mind and their resistance to mother nature trumps that of timber alternatives.
That being said, the fade resistance of our boards is a feature that varies depending on which range of decking you opt for and unlike many suppliers, we aim to clearly communicate exactly how the boards will react with exposure to UV rays, giving you a clear idea as to what you can expect once you have installed your NeoTimber® composite deck boards.
Below, we will aim to shed more light on the topic of fade resistant decking and much more! Offering an insight into exactly what to expect when installing our deck boards, outlining the core differences between the ranges we offer, and hopefully bringing you one step closer to the most suited solution for your space.
A Guide To The Fade Resistance Of NeoTimber’s Decking Ranges
NeoTimber’s four decking ranges neatly fall into two core types: a traditional composite decking option (1st generation); and a capped composite material (2nd generation). A major difference between these products is their design and material make-up. With a different design, comes a difference in fade resistance and below, we unpack the core differences on exactly how the boards weather across their lifespan.
Uncapped composite decking products constructed of recycled plastic and timber.
A composite core which is wrapped in a protective weather-resistant polymer shell.
Like all uncapped (‘moulded’ or ‘traditional’) composite decking boards on the market, the Essential and Classic boards are made-up of a blend of recycled plastic and timber fibres and much like timber, this material undergoes a process of lightening-up with exposure to both UV and moisture. This process is referred to as extractive bleeding and occurs within the opening 3-6 months of the boards being laid. The impact of this process means our composite deck boards lighten-up to achieve what we regard as their weathered colour tone. What’s great about our composite products is that once they have reached their weathered colour tone, the rate of colour change from that point onwards is nominal (unlike timber, where it will often continue to fade year-on-year).
This weathered colour tone is therefore a truer representation of the colour of our Essential and Classic deck boards and we believe it is important for all customers to consider this when aiming to gain a match to the colour scheme of both their home and their outdoor space.
We provide a helping hand by only uploading shots to our online inspiration gallery of projects whereby the boards have reached their weathered colour tone.
The capped composite decking boards we manufacture (our Advanced and Deluxe range) follow a different design to the Essential and Classic boards. Equipped with 360-degree protection from the elements in the form of a non-organic plastic wrap, the Advanced and Deluxe is expertly protected from the elements. Not only does this capping provide ‘added resistance’ to staining, but also provides the boards with protection from the effects of UV rays, making these our most fade resistant composite decking boards.
Unlike the Essential or Classic boards, this type of product will not undergo a process of extractive bleeding and comes with superior resistance to the effects of summers of sunshine and winters of rain and snow. The colour of our Advanced and Deluxe samples are therefore perfect representations of exactly how the boards will look throughout their lifespan, year-after-year (which makes colour matching that little bit easier).
Does Composite Decking Fade? – FAQs
Need Further Support or Advice?
If you’ve still got questions that have not been answered here, or you would like additional advice,
support or assistance then please give one of our friendly experts a call and we’ll be happy to help.
Just give us a call on 01530 382 180.