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Originally Posted by Grady223
Still not convinced. I am sure that Navy "docks" are concrete and decked with Strandex. By their nature plastic composites are flexible and would not offer the same racking rigidity as "two by" wood decking. If you whacked a dock hard decked with Strandex it will give more than it would with wood decking. That effect over time destroys the integrity of the entire dock.
I agree that Strandex seems like a great product for decking, especially when compared to the older version composites (Trex). The difference between Strandex and the others is the size of the wood particles in the composite solution. The Strandex has a finer particle which allows it to be more easily surrounded by the plastic and resist moisture conduction better. That probably allows it to last longer.
I have to say, I have never seen a composite deck that hadn't faded or chalked after 5 or so years. But I have never seen Strandex after that long. How does it age? Does it look as bright as it did when new? If not what do you do to bring it back to original? My PT dock gets stained every 2 years and does look as good as original. Ipe treated each year with special oil also looks as good as new.
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Hi Grady223;
Unfortunately all composites fade even ones made with Strandex. This is quite normal and nothing needs to be done and the fading does stop after a year or so. When we do our color selection we always plan on the fade factor. The darker the color the more fade factor you must consider. This is pretty typical with every composite out there. None of my composite decks have ever chalked though. I have seen some of the inferior ones do that.
My entire reasoning for using composite was because I did not want to stain or sand. I wanted ultra low maintenance and strength and the composite I selected gave me that. It also looks really nice!!
Take care!
Dan