Green homeowner’s insurance is now available! Through Fireman’s Fund, you can add coverage for your home insurance policy that allows you to re-build green in the event of a loss. Green coverage starts at $25 a year and allows you to rebuild to LEED-certified standards, including using recycled or sustainable materials such as FSC-certified wood, low-VOC paints, Energy-Star rated appliances, and more efficient systems such as plumbing and HVAC.

Ken’s favorite source for high-quality reclaimed redwood decking is The Reusable Lumber Company. Jim Steinmetz has been passionately harvesting precious lumber from all over central California for years. It takes imagination to see through the dirty veneer of a salvaged old-growth board and realize its inherent value as a local treasure. Jim shares the joy of uncovering these sticks of “pure butter” with everybody who is willing to make the effort to preserve this lost resource.

Homeowner:
If composite decking is full of plastic, why is it considered green?

MAKer Ken Kirsch:
I’m glad you asked. As with most environmentally responsible building issues there are many shades of grey when it comes to being green, especially when reconsidering the traditional redwood deck.

Composite decking is an opportunity to conserve a precious resource.

It takes a redwood tree hundreds -even thousands- of years to mature. Some redwoods are over 2,200 years old and still growing! There are few old-growth trees left. Most redwood lumber now comes from trees that are second-growth and third-growth trees. Redwood trees grow quickly at first. This results in lumber that has a more open grain and more sapwood than an older tree. The insect and fungi resistant qualities of redwood come from the tannin-rich heartwood, which lies inside of the sapwood. Because of this, redwood decking from a third-growth tree requires regular maintenance to help protect it from the elements. Even then, a new-redwood deck would not be expected to last much longer than 20 years.

The plastic content in composite decking makes it a more stable, longer-lasting alternative.

Most of the composite decking is made from a combination of plastic and wood flour. Each manufacturer has their own variation on this recipe with a variety of sources for both the plastic and the wood. Since all of the wood content in these products is still susceptible to rot, the greenest product-from the longevity standpoint may be a composite of 100% plastic material. This decking is expected to last for more than 20 years.

Plastic decking can be sourced from recycled material and, if it has not been mixed with wood, can be recycled again. The primary plastics used in decking are polypropylene (yogurt containers), high- density polyethylene (plastic bags) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). A decking material made of PVC may be long lasting, but it is not considered green because of the inherent environmental dangers in the production and disposal of this material. There is also considerable thermal expansion in plastic lumber that may be a particular problem in our local climate.

The bottom line is that your composite decking full of plastic can be a very green option because it is durable and conserves resources. However, composite decking is a very generic term and the particulars of each product, and its application, need to be considered before you make your investment. Certain companies use virgin wood, virgin plastic, or both. At the least, look for products made with recycled content wood and plastic, and consider the entirely plastic options for end-of-life recyclability.