w pl^yers climb into C decking

protective finish used in the automotive industry to provide superior color retention and weathering, as well as resistance to mold, mildew and stains. "The color you choose today will be essentially the same color many years from now," said sales v.p. Bill Ross.

"Unlike previous generations of cellular PVC products, Sanctuary is neither plain nor synthetic in appearance," said Ross. "Sanctuary will be available in both solid colors and multi-chromatic color boards that really look like wood." Photo-engraved embossing of real mahogany decking provides the realistic look.

Ross said that the product is also 31Vo lighter than the leading composite decking brand and easier to install. A side groove accepts the Phantom Fastener hidden fastening system, which requires 5OVo percent fewer fasteners and is self-gapping.

L.B. Plastics is breaking into the decking market with a similar strategy-PVC deck boards with a protective polymer finish. "Recent technology allows PVC decking to look more like natural wood look, but have superior weathering qualities," said national sales manager Ted Davis. "We've been testing our product for the better part of three years, both in the field and independent lab testing."

The goal, he said, was to capture the deep, rich look of naturally stained wood. "The main problem with plastic is the lack of a wood look and fading of darker colors," said Davis. "We spent a lot of time on embossing for woodgrain that has color striations and pattern variation like stained wood boards." The new SheerGrain decking is available in two colors: oak and driftwood.

Another plus is that SheerGrain is half the weight of many composites and will not rot, absorb moisture, stain, or fade. It's also code-approved for up to 24" joist spacing. said Davis, and installs easily with hidden fasteners that keep the area below the deck dry.

Gossen Corp., founded in 1928 may be best known for its PVC moldings, but of late has been aggressively promoting its WeatherReady line of exterior building products, including trim boards, window systems, door frames, and garage door weatherstripping. The newest addition is WeatherReady solid core, cellular PVC decking. The deck boards are stain-resistant, scratch-resistant, lightweight and offer a two-sided, textured surface.

Azpr Building Products entered the decking arena when it purchased Procell and its proprietary cellular PVC technology. "This is an exciting milestone for Azer," said president Ralph Bruno. "The addition of the next generation of decking elevates our company to a full-line supplier of premium exterior products." The company already produces PVC trimboards and mouldings that are available at more than 3.000 dealers in North America.

Advertising for the product highlights the evolution of decking: first there was wood, then composites, and now Azer Deck. The company said that the decking is easy to install and maintain, yet also resists stains, molds and mildew. "Pro dealer studies show that these are key issues for them with other decking products," said Bruno.

Ten years ago, alternative-decking materials-composites, plastics, and PVC-represented only 5Vo of the market. In 2006, they accounted for lTVa of the 3.3 billion lineal ft. of decking installed, according to a new Freedonia Group study.

Although composites will grow faster than pure plastic decking (14Vo a year vs. JVo,Freedonia predicts), there are currently far more manufacturers of composite decking.