DeckProtect.com
Protect your deck or patio from the heat of a fire pit.
Deckorators Composite Decking
Founded in 2005, Decorators, Inc. is completely focused on decks. The company has innovated a system for mineral composite decking that rivals the light weight and strength of wood. They make several variations of composite decking as well as other decking products including railing, balusters, post caps, lighting and also porch flooring. The company is based in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.
Photo by Phil Dickinson for this web site
Above:
Deckorators Trailhead™
capped wood composite. With its scalloped profile, this is a budget-conscious series available in three colors including two warm brown colors and grayish Ridgeline (shown above). It is embossed with a grain texture and has variegated coloring. It capped on three sides with a polyethylene cap. Sadly the company will discontinue this line in the U.S. at the end of 2022, but continue distribution in Canada.
Photo from the Deckorators web site
Above:
Deckorators Venture™
This deeply scalloped version is a wood-plastic composite with a scratch-resistant polyethylene cap. The scallop profile makes it a budget-friendly choice. First it is less expensive because it has less material, and also it is less expensive because its substantially lighter weight results in lower shipping cost as it moves across the country by rail. It is available in two colors: Saltwater (shown above) and Sandbar, which is a warm brown. Both have variegated coloring and embossed wood texture. In theory, the lighter weight profile makes this board not as strong as the heavier solid profile, it is still strong enough to span joists 16" on center. It is 1/16" thicker than the solid Vista line.
Photo by Phil Dickinson for this web site
Above:
Deckorators Vista™
Wood-plastic composite capped on 3 sides with a polyethylene cap. Available in four natural wood colors including "Silverwood" shown above. It has a realistic embossed wood grain and very natural looking variegated coloring. Like all Decorators decking lines it is available with grooved edge (shown) and square edge. The grooved edge accommodates the company's own hidden fastener system, and the square edge for stairs and the final visible board at the edge of the deck.
Photo by Phil Dickinson for this web site
Above:
Deckorators Voyage™
Both the Voyage line (shown) and the vault line are a specially manufactured MBC or Mineral-Based Composite with a polyethylene 4-sided cap. The Voyage line is available in six variegated colors simulating vertical grain. This line is also available in three different plank widths that give you the option of mixing up the widths to achieve a more varied and random appearance. The unique mineral plastic extrusion makes the decking boards lighter and stronger. See below for an explanation of Decorator's MBC. MBC decking also does not expand and contract as much as other composite decking with changes in weather and temperature.
Photo by Phil Dickinson for this web site
Above:
Deckorators Vault™
Like the Voyage line, Vault is a specially manufactured MBC or Mineral-Based Composite with a polyethylene 4-sided cap. The difference between Vault and Voyage is that Vault has an embossed flat grain pattern as opposed to a vertical grain pattern. The Vault line is available in just two variegated colors: Mesquite (shown) and Dusk (a grayish color). Naming the colors is a real challenge for composite decking companies because they don't want to want to use a name already in use by a competitor company. The grayish Dusk color would otherwise be named driftwood or charcoal gray or another name that would be gray.
Photo by Phil Dickinson for this web site
Above:
Deckorators Tropics™
The very deep scallop channels of the budget-oriented line make you wonder if it is not as strong. However, the this version is a full inch thick, while the other lines are 7/8 inch thick. The Tropics line is available exclusively through Lowes in two colors: Tidal Gray (shown) and Hanna Brown. It has a 25-year fade and stain warranty.
Deckorators Mineral-Based Composite Eovations™ Technology.
Instead of a mix of wood flour and plastic, this technology is a mix of "advanced plastic polymers and durable minerals." It is a mystery, at least to me, what the minerals are. it may be ground up limestone, but that is speculation, and the company is under no obligation to reveal its trade secrets. In a stretching process, the plastic pulls away from the minerals, creating sort of elongated air pockets. This results in a fiber-like structure.Fiber structure is what makes natural wood so much stronger than particle board. You often see cheap furniture and shelving made from particle board, which is basically a mix of sawdust and glue that has no fiber structure. You will see it sag in a shelf under the weight of a few books. Think of wood as thousands of very thin drinking straws parallel to each other and bundled together. The space inside the "straws" makes natural wood much lighter as well as stronger than particle board.
As wonderful as this technology is that makes the decking boards lighter and stronger than others, it should be pointed out that wood-plastic (WPC) composites are plenty strong enough for the job they do, which is span the space of 14-1/2 inches between joists when built 16 inches "on center" without sagging under the weight of normal deck use.
Can you use a Fire Pit on a Deckorators Deck?
Based on our testing of capped composite decking under a fire pit, we definitely would not recommend using a fire pit on an unprotected Deckorators deck. Read More.
The Decorators web site is: https://www.deckorators.com/
