Lumberock "Premium" Decking
 

Hi All,
As mentioned in another thread, I ordered Lumberock for my home and camp decking. It is 100% non-wood material, very light, and very stiff. I ordered based on feedback and photos from ishoot.
I won't have either project done for a bit, but if anyone's interested in getting a sense of the material, I have a few small pieces to look at and Lumberock offers free samples. Supposedly, it's bulletproof.Attachment 17071

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What was cost per foot?

$4 average.

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Temps
 

Figured I'd post this as I found this interesting and thought others might as well. Goes into the details of this temperature test for several different products & colors for decking. I don't think much of it will SHOCK anyone, but I actually was a little surprised to see the temperature difference from the lighter colors vs the darker colors. Knew there would of course be a difference, but didn't realize THAT much of a difference.

If you dont' feel like reading - interesting stat: PT in direct sunlight ran 127 degrees while the darkest hottest Azek ran 145 degrees. That's only 18 degree difference. If you went with a lighter Azek (ie Hazelwood), that ran 125 degrees, 2 degree COOLER than PT. Medium color Azek ran 140 degrees (Color Morado) which was 13 degrees warmer.

Not to take away from this thread and Lumberock, but would be curious how they stack up in the heat for comparison as I'm guessing most of us are using for decks in sun/ docks etc.

https://boston-decks-and-porches.com...your-deck-get/

I go by the feel test.:D We have a dock that is half wood and half plastic decking. After baking in the sun all day you can still walk on the wood but the plastic is unbearable to walk on.
So the first 20 feet you can walk, the second 20 feet you run and jump in the water.:laugh:

Is that $4 a running foot, or 4$ a square foot?

The person who recommended this has had a couple docks with Lumberock for five or so years, and he just bought another order, so it's gotta be good.

He also mentioned that there was NO color loss (there shouldn't be, according to company) compared to the new order.

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Linear foot—14' boards were $56.

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Their website also shows 2 x 6 tongue and groove. Probably a lot more money, but could do 16" centers on the joists instead of 12" . Good for marina work. Years ago did a deck with 2 x 6 t & g treated and it was solid.

We all know that lumber prices went thru the roof over the 12 months or so, but not sure what prices did for alternative substitute products (such as Trex). Anyone have any idea?

By the way, the price for Lumber has been crashing on the Futures Market for the last few weeks in case anyone is interested. Likely won't show up in retail stores for some weeks.

I was talking to someone who works for Lowe's and they were saying there's no more shortage but that it'll take some time to normalize.

As for alternatives to wood, Lumberock never changed in pricing, but it did take an extra few weeks to get.

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Composite decking.
 

As mentioned above they are hot in the sun! Also slippery when wet! So I would recommend boat shoes for your safety.

Are you talking about composites as a whole?

We put those two little pieces in direct sun for a couple hours, and they weren't hot to the touch at all. I'll know for sure when actually installed, but one of the selling points of this material is that it's not as hot as composites.

No idea on slipperiness, but if the source of the recommendation had it on a dock for five years and then bought more, I gotta think it's ok when wet. I'll report back when the decks are done!

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It's amazing all the great products derived from oil...

Lumberock supplier
 

Think, where did you purchase this? Doesn't seem to be any suppliers nearby.

I ordered direct, and they ship using a carrier. Cost of $4/linear foot included shipping.

Probably the worst part was having to bring the decking into my garage—the carrier is responsible for getting the delivery off the truck at the curb only. Took about 20 minutes with my two kids and big brother.

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The lumber prices move up and down with each of our deliveries. Problem is that spot market is white wood dimensional, not PT or engineered product, and certainly not specialty.

The coolest when testing is done at laboratory levels is cedar wood (more air pockets and less density).
Color can make a difference in absorbing the heat for composites and PVC... but not specific heat. The material can only absorb so much heat... but can do so more rapidly with a darker color.

If the LumberRock is like the Azek, Slate Gray or Brownstone are the cheaper colors and tend to be the coolest. But if it is like the Azek, it will also scratch rather easily.

Trex lead times are all over the place depending on color. So very hard to price unless it is either in stock, or at Boise.

Started putting the new decking down on the first deck yesterday morning, maybe the hottest of days we'll see this summer! We should finish today, and I'll post pics*.

The material is super light and easy to carry, cut, and work with. It's not *quite* as stiff as I'd thought, but at 16" OC it's certainly solid. I ended up doing a bit less overhang than I had with PT just to be sure.

*The heat certainly impacted our...precision. Some of the notches are a bit loose, and I'd previously decided not to picture frame in favor of simplicity, but we should be done in two days and I'll never have to deal with it again (and when I replace the railings next summer, the post covers should cover some of it!).

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Just remember that it will shrink when it gets colder.
Usually doesn't upset someone on their dock.

The amount that it shrinks will also depend on the means of fastening.

When Azek noticed the hidden clips were giving way through the frost/thaw cycles... they told us to screw and plug about every four feet.

They have now bought out the CAMO system (I have yet to see it released under the new SideLocker name), and I suspect that they will do away with the hidden clip system.

I'm hoping prices on PT come down by Fall. I've been waiting to build a large deck and screen porch. :confused:

Two things to remember...

"You can't see it from the town hall."

and

"It's not a friggin' cabinet."

Only you will see the "flaws".

Others will be wow'd by it's awesomeness!

My father, while walking around inspecting my finish work early in my home ownership, said, "if anyone ever looks this closely at your stuff, show them the door."

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I remember the first house I built on Winnisquam in Sanbornton, My father in law wanted to give me a hand. I had him trim out some windows and a few of them were noticeably crooked. He just said, "put up some curtains you'll never notice them". :emb:

I see lots of customers like that.
They don't realize that the warranty that they were so concerned about is most often void due to installation.

Got (most of) the deck done yesterday and today with my bros and a couple friends. Looks pretty good.

This stuff is really great—light, easy to work with, stiff, good looking...

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...75c1b1edf9.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...a81951a890.jpg

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Looks very nice!

Agreed
 

Yes - very nice and the best part is it will look that way for years to come.

Question - Seeing you went direct (do not seem to be a lot of local distributors around) was there a minimum that you had to observe for the order?

There was no minimum per se, but shipping is included when ordering over a certain amount—I'm not sure what that amount is as I needed much more than the minimum to begin with since I did both home and camp decks with the same decking.

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Looks great! Should look like that in 20 years... and if not, then a quick pressure wash and back to new :D

I would take a scrap piece and scratch it with the back of a key.
Even ZURI, which can stand up to the key test, I do not suggest using a pressure washer on.
For most composites and PVC, you would simply micro-abrasion the surface and lead to the product getting dirtier faster.

Usual prescription is hose down twice a year, once to remove pollen in the spring and again to remove leaf mold/grime in the fall. A soft bristle brush for any tough spots, and follow manufacturers' most updated tech bulletins on removing pitch/etc.

I find the manufacturers and some of the salespeople tend to oversell a product. Trex will state that it is great for a wet application like docks, but both our Meredith and Hampton stores carry PVC decking for that application. Much lighter weight and impervious to moisture.

We also find that we have issues with rail systems that get clogged weep holes over time.