WPC, deck and decking board: comparison for the terrace

Recommendation points

• Production technology and classification
• Deck board and deck
• Pricing principles
• Appearance
• Armature and fasteners

Few are faced with real-world experience with wood-plastic composites or stabilized wood. At the same time, it is one of the best and most durable materials for flooring used in an open environment, which does not require periodic processing during operation..

Production technology and classification

The concept of wood-polymer composites unites all types of materials, which include natural cellulose, as well as natural or synthetic polymers. The functional role of cellulose and polymers can be different, as well as the production technology, but in general, three types of WPC can be distinguished.

The least traditional (but very indicative from the point of view of technology) type of polymerized wood is made from the highest class sawn timber that has undergone finishing and calibrating processing after intensive chamber drying. The result is excellent profile constancy and no residual warpage, while the workpiece is almost completely dry. At the second stage of manufacturing, impregnation with liquid polymers of the chemical method of curing is carried out, which clog the vessels at a considerable depth from the surface of the product and solidify in them..

Most of the deck planks and decking are so-called DPKT. Unlike the previous type of materials, wood does not act as a base, but as a filler and strengthening agent. Shredded cellulose is mixed with thermoplastic compounds like polyethylene, polypropylene, PVC and others like them. The production of finished products is carried out by the extrusion method, therefore, molded materials of this type are limited only by logistics conditions, but rarely exceed 6 meters.

The third type of WPC includes stabilized thermowood. For its manufacture, as well as for the first type of wood polymers, high-quality sawn timber from wood species with a high natural resin content is used. In the manufacturing process, the blanks are impregnated with a complex complex of natural oils and drying oils with accompanying vacuuming at high temperatures. Since monomeric compounds are used as impregnation, a significant penetration depth is provided, which cannot be achieved using complex polymer compositions. After impregnation, the products undergo heat treatment, during which oils and drying oils polymerize and acquire high strength.

Deck board and deck

In addition to the variety of types of WPC, there are also several formats for finished products. The most popular is the deck board for seamless mounting. In cross section, it is an ordinary grooved board made by stabilization or thermal extrusion. Due to the high precision of processing, a tight closing of the locks is ensured, therefore such materials are optimal for the installation of floor coverings for which surface drainage of rainwater is provided. Materials of this type, made by the method of wood stabilization, as a rule, are not designed for operation in conditions of prolonged contact with water, therefore they are used mainly on closed terraces..

The board, laid with the formation of gaps, has a rectangular profile with straight or rounded chamfers. This material is ideal for outdoor terraces where frequent contamination of the coating is possible. Such a board is very easy to clean from dust and dirt, while practically no water accumulates on it. Planks can be manufactured either by thermal extrusion or wood stabilization, but in the latter case, the thickness of the planks is limited. Main area of ​​application – decking with limited subfloor ventilation.

The third format of products is called decking and is a square, less often rectangular tile that serves as a garden parquet. Decking can be modular, or it can be recruited from separate planks by analogy with room parquet. Modern decking is made, as a rule, from extrusion raw materials by pressing, older varieties – from milled wood parts with polymer impregnation or undergoing a stabilization process.

Pricing principles

Deck or decking is one of the most expensive materials found in the construction industry today. There are several reasons for this: this is a complex production technology, and the remoteness of manufacturing plants from the end consumer, and a low prevalence of the product..

WPC production in Russia is growing from year to year; at the moment, several dozen enterprises produce products of this type. At the same time, the production capacity of the factories is not high: expensive imported equipment, qualified personnel and high-quality polymer chemistry are required. The price depends on profitability, which, in turn, depends on the scale of production, therefore, in the near future, a decrease in prices for domestic WPC is not expected. In turn, import manufacturers face other difficulties: low availability of forest resources, difficulty in delivery and sale, high cost due to the collection of customs duties.

An interesting picture is emerging: a domestic manufacturer is ready to supply inexpensive material, but only if there is a sufficiently high demand, while imported products are of high quality, but they are more expensive. One thing can be said with complete certainty: the cost of WPC products always pays off due to the high operational properties of these materials, and therefore the game is definitely worth the candle.

For example, the cost of one square meter of coverage from a budget terrace board starts from 1,700 rubles, the fastening system, logs and supports – about 1,200 rubles / m². If you use an expensive imported board, the price of the coating itself fluctuates in the range of 2500-4000 rubles. per m², in this case, you can use an inexpensive domestic installation system. For comparison, only one covering from a grooved board of class B will pull about 600 rubles / m², lags and the device of supports will cost about 300 rubles / m². Plus, impregnation with a fire retardant composition and a paintwork are required, which will need to be renewed every 5 years. It is also impossible not to take into account the cost of hiring a carpenter for a set of flooring and its shuffling, which is about twice as expensive as services for installing a WPC, which requires less tools and experience. As a result, it turns out that the difference in costs for the two types of coating is not so big, but the differences in appearance, ease of installation and operation are obvious..

Appearance

There are not so many decorative variations of decking and WPC products in general on the Russian market. Domestic materials are mainly represented by a board with longitudinal corrugation and a small corduroy texture. The range of colors is limited: as a rule, 2–3 dark tones of natural wood and 1–2 light ones. In some cases, you can find a board painted in unnatural colors from black and gray to turquoise, grass and terracotta with a matte and glossy surface..

Premium materials come in a wider range of colors. There are colors that imitate valuable wood species: walnut, maple, wenge, alder, bog oak, and you can choose between a monochrome honeycomb board with a corrugated surface, and a smooth solid one, which imitates the look of natural wood with its pattern and texture. By the way, a high-quality decking board should also be selected according to the amount of corrugation, which not only affects the appearance, but also provides different efficiency of moisture removal and anti-slip properties..

It may seem that imported products are so expensive only because of the variety of appearance, but this is not the case. If we talk about cellular WPC, the thickness of the walls in them is greater, which means that a larger step for installing the lags and supports is allowed. Another nuance lies in the presence of an outer coating that provides protection against abrasion and additional color depth..

Armature and fasteners

In addition to the terrace board itself, the WPC assortment also includes load-bearing logs, framing elements, special fasteners and adjustable supports. Each of these categories of products has its own selection rules. So, clamps for laying the board in a seamless way and with gaps differ in shape, while there are separate varieties for the extreme and intermediate rows. The number of cleats is determined by the number of intersections of each run with bearing lags. The supports have a screw device, differ in height and the range of its adjustment, while it is possible that several standard sizes may be required for the installation of terrace decking.

The logs themselves differ in bearing capacity, which is determined by the section, fullness and material. Basically, logs are made of WPC, but aluminum and steel are also found. There is not much difference, except in the type of fasteners used. Lags have a strictly defined allowable limit of operational loads, in accordance with which the step of their installation is determined. And it must be borne in mind that with an increase in the step, the required number of supports increases, so it is much more profitable to buy logs of a larger section from the point of view of economy, although in this matter you need to know the measure.

At the final stage of forming a set of products for installing a terrace, a set of accessories is determined. First of all, you should determine the total length of the corner plates to close the ends. These can be blanking strips, which are selected according to the thickness of the board, or a flat end profile, or an F-profile, mainly used to decorate the ends at the edges of the terrace, where there are fences. To close the lines of adjoining the terrace to the walls of the building, corner skirting boards are used, the length of which is calculated separately.

As a conclusion, it should be emphasized that choosing the right type of materials and their quantity for arranging a terrace is not at all difficult. Firstly, any supplier has consultants who will help you select products that meet the operating conditions and requirements for appearance. Secondly, the technology for laying decking is well thought out and worked out, all elements are unified, which means that you just need to choose the type of coating with the required performance.