Vancouverites are proud to shop sustainability and reduce their environmental footprint.
From reusable coffee mugs to electric cars, Metro Vancouver residents invest in green solutions. These eco-values hold especially true when it comes to building and renovating homes.
Our high-performance home experts care about offering solutions for building sustainable, future homes. Today we’re joined by our friends at Citywide Sundecks, to help shed some light on environmentally friendly decking solutions.
Citywide is a local decking company that shares our values for building future homes. Read on to learn about the most eco-friendly decking material on the market!
Environmental pros and cons of common deck materials
Many deck materials claim to be environmentally friendly, and to some extent, many are. At Citywide Sundecks, we install wood, composite, vinyl, and liquid decking. Each of these popular deck materials has environmental pros and cons:
Pros – Wood is natural and compostable. At the end of a wooden deck’s lifespan, it rots, returning back to the ecosystem once again.
Cons – Timber’s organic nature requires coating for protection from the environment. The chemicals found in stain, sealant, and paint are damaging to the environment.
Pros – composite (wood mixed with plastic) lasts longer than traditional wood. It never requires painting or staining, which avoids the need for extra chemicals. Composite decking is also made from recycled materials.
Cons – At the end of its lifespan, it’s not recyclable. This is because it’s made from mixed materials. Composite also requires excessive energy and water to manufacture.
Pros – This PVC based material is long lasting (up to 30 years). At the end of its lifespan, it takes up much less space in the land fill than its composite counterpart.
Cons – This material is non-recyclable and requires significant energy in manufacturing.
Pros – Liquid deck coatings, generally urethane-based, are long-lasting and repairable. When the coating is worn, rather than needing to remove the material, another coat can be added. This reduces time, energy, materials, and waste.
Cons – Liquid coatings are made of chemicals. Some of the properties in these chemicals are toxic in liquid form. Leftover product must be disposed of responsibly to protect the environment.
The most environmentally friendly decking
The materials mentioned above have varying issues for the environment, ranging from the inability to recycle and energy inefficiency to shorter lifespans and toxic chemical concerns.
However, there is one material that overcomes all of these shortcomings while looking fantastic in any home: Cellular PVC.
Cellular PVC, marketed as a composite deck material, is 100% PVC. Unlike traditional composite decking, it’s 100% recyclable.
Through our years of experience in home construction, we’ve seen a lot of different decking materials and brands. When you work with Victor Eric or any of our partners, you can rest easy knowing that we work with only the eco-friendliest materials for your future home.
If you’re considering a new eco-friendly, durable, and beautiful future home, call Eric Victor.
