Decked out

Prosales, Feb, 2005 by Stephani L. Miller

The composite decking category keeps expanding with new colors, textures, railing configurations, and easy-installation hardware. Here are some of the newest composite decking products.

A reversible finish with one embossed side and one smooth side is now available on Elk Composite's CrossTimbers deck boards, fascia, and fence pickets. A new 4x4-inch post and 1x1-inch corner trim piece to cover deck board ends are also available. CrossTimbers comes in sandalwood, weathered wood, new cedar, sienna, and pewter gray. 866.322.7452. www.elkcorp.com. Circle 110.

Offering the distinctive appearance of tropical hardwoods, Trex Brasilia composite deck boards, trim profiles, and railings feature subtle shadings and natural color variations, without splintering or rotting. Trex Brasilia is available in cayenne and burnished amber. 800.289.8739. www.trex.com. Circle I / l.

Nexwood Imprints deck boards feature a dual finish: a new wood-grain embossing, on one side and the original Nexwood finish on the other side. Imprints deck boards have a radius edge and come in 12-, 16-, and 20-foot lengths in driftwood gray, premium Sierra brown, and premium sequoia red. 888.763.9966. www.nexwood.com. Circle 112.

Adding a value-priced product to LP WeatherBest's line of composite decking and railing, new Deep Grain decking features a rustic wood-grain texture. Made from recycled wood fibers and high-density polyethylene, Deep Grain decking comes in 12-, 16-, and 20-foot lengths in chestnut brown and graystone. 888.820.0325. www.weatherbest.com. Circle 113.

The reversible deck board in Universal Forest Products" Latitudes composite decking and railing line has an embossed wood-grain on one side and a brushed finish on the other, and it comes in redwood, cedar, and gray. Latitudes Natural composite railing comes in the above colors, while Latitudes Luster railing is made from a composite base co-extruded with a white PVC capstock. 877.463.8379. www.ufpi.com. Circle 114.

TimberTech's new Whitesand Ornamental Railing System provides a soft white railing in a pure wood composite without using a capstock. The Whitesand railing system features a bread loaf shaped top rail and comes in 6- and 8-foot kits. A new Ornamental Spindle baluster in a turned Colonial style is also available. 800.307.7780. www.timbertech.com. Circle 115.

CorrectDeck's RapidRail composite railing system now features a surface mount post bracket that allows deck rail posts to be secured to the surface of the deck, rather than only to joists. RapidRail posts slide onto the surface-mount post bracket, which is screwed into deck boards and wood blocking and then hidden with a post skirt. 877.332.5877. www.correctdeck.com. Circle 116.

EverGrain composite decking and railing from Epoch Composite Products is now available in a natural brown shade called weathered wood. Featuring a deep woodgrain pattern, EverGrain also comes in redwood, cedar, and Cape Cod grey. 800.405.0546. www.evergrain.com. Circle 117.

CertainTeed's Boardwalk composite decking line is now available with a Hidden Fastener System (HFS) option that makes installation easier, the company says. Each HFS deck plank has a notch to accept a self-aligning hold-down clip: each clip serves as the starter for the following plank, automatically setting a l/8-inch gap between planks. 800.233.8990. www.certainteed.com. Circle 118.--S.L.M.