This spring and summer, thousands of homeowners performed the necessary maintenance for their wood decks. They stripped, sanded and stained their decking and railing to help revive the looks and preserve the structural integrity.
For Will Spivey, a homeowner in western North Carolina, the summer of 2009 was going to be different.
Before: An average wood deck after 10 years. The Spiveys had painted and stained 3-4 times since purchasing the house new; at 10 years, it was time for a replacement.
After: The beautiful graining of the new tropical Ipe color for Horizon is an incredible contrast to the warped and splitting wood. The Horizon Plus rail in Almond frames the deck nicely against the house and yard. The Spivey deck is now featured in Fiberon’s product guide and website.
"This spring, as soon as it was warm enough to grill, I took a serious look at the state of my deck,” Will said. His wife, Kim, had pointed out a few problem spots. “As I stood grilling, I realized many areas were far beyond repair – I would need to replace the deck and the railing.”
Their 10-year old pressure-treated wood deck had significant warping, splitting and rot in key areas of the decking floor and railing. The Spiveys knew that to continue using their precious outdoor living space, an investment in quality, durable materials would be required and they began to investigate composite decking options.
"As I explored composite decking, I was focused on the way it would look," said Kim. "Here was the chance to select a product the same way I had picked carpet and tile for inside my home. I wanted something that looked solid and upscale."
For Will, the important factors were performance. He needed to know that their choice was going to live up to their idea of low maintenance and really last.
"The last thing I wanted was to replace my deck in another 10 years,“ Will said. “I understood the notion of cost over time and that while my investment in composite was greater than wood up front, the payoff in replacement and maintenance costs down the road make it more than worthwhile.”
The couple selected Fiberon Horizon™ composite decking in Ipe, one of the two new colors with the rich beauty of tropical hardwoods introduced for Horizon in the spring of 2009. Horizon carries the industry's only 10-year stain and fade resistance warranty and its PermaTech™ surface protects against scratching, molding, splinters and decay in addition to staining and fading.
Fiberon's complementary Horizon Plus™ railing was selected by the couple in Almond to match the off-white trim on their brick home.
Will and Kim were beyond impressed with the results. "It looks so amazing - I can't wait to have a party and show it off," said Kim. Will added that he could not believe a deck this beautiful had reduced his annual maintenance "to a mere spray-down twice a year".
If you’ve installed a Fiberon Horizon deck, leave a comment and let us know your experience!
If you have other tips to share, we welcome your comments.
Edie Kello
Sr. Product Marketing Manager
Fiberon
