While wood has long been used for the construction of decks and other outdoor features, a variety of wood-plastic composite (WPC) decking products have emerged over the past decade with claims of exceptional durability and low maintenance. There are relatively few long term comparative tests on these products. The performance of selected WPC decking products was compared with naturally durable western redcedar or pressure treated lumber on the basis of appearance, loss of colour and water repellency. All materials experienced losses in colour, water repellency and appearance over the 10 year exposure.

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