Plastic Timber

[bloppyblopblop 0]

Hi

I did a minor renovation to my place 5 years back and have decked my patio and surrounding pond area with natural timber. However, the wooden timber decking has started to fade and warp due to weathering (my place is directly west facing).

I chanced upon an advertisement on the Classified last Saturday which was advertising on the alternative to natural timber ( http://www.uspl.com.sg/index.htm)

The advantages of the plastic timber seems very attractive given that no maintenance is necessary (termite free too since it's not natural wood)

Has anyone tried using plastic (recyclable) timber as part of your fencing, patio flooring ie outdoor use?

Feedback from those with experience would be well appreciated - Advice on the price differential between wood and plastic timber will be useful as well.

Thanks!

Blop

[leechaorui 2]

Hi

I did a minor renovation to my place 5 years back and have decked my patio and surrounding pond area with natural timber. However, the wooden timber decking has started to fade and warp due to weathering (my place is directly west facing).

I chanced upon an advertisement on the Classified last Saturday which was advertising on the alternative to natural timber ( http://www.uspl.com.sg/index.htm)

The advantages of the plastic timber seems very attractive given that no maintenance is necessary (termite free too since it's not natural wood)

Has anyone tried using plastic (recyclable) timber as part of your fencing, patio flooring ie outdoor use?

Feedback from those with experience would be well appreciated - Advice on the price differential between wood and plastic timber will be useful as well.

Thanks!

Blop

Unless you get very high end timber such as Burmese Teak or properly conditioned chengai timber, I think plastic timber feels very much like timber without the associated problems of timber. Plastic timber is actually more eco friendly and uses wood properties in the "timber" too.

Another alternative that you may want to consider is bamboo. This is also very hardy and good.

[yoongf 11]

Need to be aware that plastic timber is not the same as composite wood. There are many products out there advertising as alternatives to wood. From wad I see, most commercial projects are using Composite Wood, and not plastic timber. The material costs can be up to 4 times more, but if u demand high performance, wood cannot match today's expectations. Problem with composite wood is that colour range is quite limited.

More literature can be found from this supplier.

http://www.kianson.com/index2.html

[bloppyblopblop 0]

Thanks for the feedback!

Tried to download some of the literature on the Kianson site to find out more about the differences between composite wood and plastic timber but was unsuccessful.

From the pics on the website, it seems pretty similar to the plastic timber as well. Wondering if it's just a difference in terms of the "feel" of the material & if which material is actually more robust (esp against weathering and warping) and which is more price competitive.

I will probably do more research on the other vendors available out in the market and request for a quote for better comparison.

Thanks again for the valuable feedback.Appreciate it!

Blop

[yoongf 11]

City Sq Mall, the outdoor area in front of Macdonalds in B1, is using plastic timber.

Perhaps can take a look at the durability and appearance under commercial usage.

[parry14 0]

Hi all.

I chanced upon this website and thought i may as well give my input.

I'm the co-owner of Kianson Pte Ltd which deals specifically with "CULTURE" Composite Timber Decking. I'm not here to promote my products but to provide information for users on timber decking in general.

Wood Plastic Composites (WPC) is the generic term for planking products made from recycled wood fibres and polymers. There are many types of WPC ranging from high fibre content vs low fibre content to virgin polymers vs recycled polymers.

Rule of thumb when choosing WPC

1. Ensure that the WPC you choose have adequate and proven track record- Track records got to be at least 18 months or more as materials tend to peak their weathering process by 18 months. Please also verify that track record provided by companies are authentic as many steal project references from established companies.

2. Take time to visit the projects completed and see for yourself the actual installation of the planks- Don't believe in sales-talk as the intention is only to sell and make money.

3. Find a reputable supplier/installer. It will be more fool-proof if you have acquaintanc(es) in architecture firms that have experience in WPC.

4. Do not be taken in by the price- There are many products which sells at ridiculously low price and the end result will often be a lousy product. The indication of price should be between $240/m2 for quantity above 500m2 and $280/m2 for small quanity between 100-400m2. For extremely small areas like 2m2 or the likes, the price can range from $300-500/m2. In my experience, anything below or above the price i suggested will be a call for concern.

5. Lastly, WPC is a good alternative to natural timber like chengal/balau/ipe but there are significant differences in look, texture and feel of it.

Hope this answers some questions you have!

Hi, I am interested in your decking. Any place that I can view your projects?