Permadeck boards : Fantastic Plastic ?
by Erwan Pianezza, Locronan, Brittany on 07. 5.05
Treehuggers don't like plastic. Is this because we instinctly feel plastic has a high environmental cost (who ignores that it's made primarily from that non renewable black stuff). Well what about recycling it ? That's a good point after all. Plastic recycling is actually one of the big issues of the years to come : The world's annual consumption of plastic materials has increased from around 5 million tonnes in the 1950s to nearly 100 million tonnes today (source : wasteonline). Cascade Replast (Montréal, Québec), with its product Permadeck, is one of those companies that thake advantage from this largely available waste to process what they call 'plastic lumber'.
Permadeck is the answer to those who want to build an ecological outside surface without the care needed for woodproducts : just like wood, it can be drilled, mitered and sanded, and being made out of 100% recycled plastic, offers a mix of maximum durability and minimum care, requiring, no painting, staining, nor treatment. Besides producing this construction material, Cascade Replast also specializes in site furnishing, personal chairs, all ecological and durable.
This is a good example of a moderate but realistic answer to the frenetic consumption of industrial goods in developped countries : recycling the millions of tons of chemical waste to produce highly technical materials. Plastic does sound better that way, doesn't it ?
I have helped some family install a similar product called Trex { http://www.trex.com } . The install was simple and the product is very comfortable to walk on.
I installed CareFree 100% recycled plastic (Trex is a plastic/wood composite) decking on my front and back porch (http://www.carefree-products.com). The no maintenance aspect is great! I think it looks good, too. There are two major disadvantages. One is price - pretty expensive. The second is expansion and contraction. The nature of the material is such that it is wildly variable in size. Between a cold morning and a hot afternoon, a joint can go from no gap to a 1.5" gap. That's not a problem if you reduce board runs (less length = less shrink) or avoid end-to-end joints (which is what we did). One small disadvantage is that there isn't a great solution for side facia boards.
All in all, well worth the install. I'd do it again.
That stuff sounds fantastic - i can see it being especially usefull for balconys and pool decking. Thanks for the information ill be sure to check it out when i am next doing up my house.
We, treehuggers don't need to have plastic. Plastic is easier, cheaper and cleaner to recycle than most paper. I have non-recyclable plastic. That is different.
Try http://epsplasticlumber.com/ as well. They make their lumber from milk jugs--post consumer. We're building a new fence right now, and I feel the price is pretty reasonable. We didn't even consider wood--this will last longer & leave less of a footprint than the (now rotten) pressure-treated split-rail fence the previous owner installed.