How Much Does PVC Decking Cost?

PVC decking material will cost you around $1,500 for the planks only. To that, you need to add the cost of structural material, installation costs and possibly permit costs. You probably need just as much only to cover the material for the structural material.

Add the average price of $200 of decking installation per square metre and you easily reach the number of $6,000. This is significantly more than the timber decking price, but keep in mind that this type of decking doesn’t need any sort of maintenance and it pays off in 5 years, the most.

However, this type of decking is not your usual decking installation job, so you have to make sure you find the right installer for it. Being a fairly new type of decking material, not all decking installation experts have the experience with it.

That’s why you will have to find the people who do and who can give you quotes about how much their will charge you for the PVC decking installation. Ask for quotes from Service Seeking tradies and compare their prices, so you can take the best offer.

What Is PVC Decking?

PVC decking is among the latest trends in decking. This is the decking created entirely from polyvinyl chloride (PVC). In other words, it is an entirely plastic decking product.

PVC decking is made by the process of co-extrustion. This process involves bringing together different types of materials and blending them into singular construction pieces. However, during this process, the materials used don’t lose their properties.

Image source: Atlantic Forest

Still, the end product has the properties of its own. For example, the products of co-extrusion are usually encapsulated products where the outer layers are different than the core. Also, this is the process that constructs layered products.

Today, you can find pvc decking with outer layers that are made out of virgin plastic, but the inside parts are made out of recycled plastic. Even better, there are companies that make plastic decking out of 100% recycled materials.

The price of PVC decking is still too high. That is because the technology behind it still new and still highly volatile. As much as 0.125% of all plastic decking is not usable after production. That doesn’t seem like a lot, but consider that it means that for each tonne of finished product, you need to throw away 125 kg of plastic.

Is PVC Composite Material?

No. Both PVC and composite decking materials are the alternative to timber decking. Both of them contain plastic, but there is one big difference. While PVC is made entirely out of polyvinyl chloride, composite decking contains particles of reclaimed and recycled wood.

This means that composite decking contains some cellulose, which it very important when it comes to characteristics of the decking material, maintenance and its lifespan. On the other hand, PVC doesn’t contain any wood, but it can contain recycled plastic. At least, the production is moving in that way.

Advantages of PVC Decking

Here are some of the reasons why the production industry still attempts to improve the PVC decking production, despite the fact that it is a difficult process. The end result, on the other hand, is very promising and it will surely become on of the most commonly used decking materials. Here are some of the PVC decking good sides:

• The lowest possible level of maintenance
• Possible anti-slip and anti-stain finish
• Increased resistance to fading

The first PVC decking was not that well designed. They didn’t have enough strength and they didn’t have enough material integrity. But, the last generation of products present a very interesting and convenient decking solution.

Image source: RBS Corp

The outside PVC coating is much more resistant to scratches and fading. It doesn’t split ot splinter and it doesn’t take up the stains and spots.

The celulose in the composite decking makes it susceptible to stains and funghi. The wooden particles can soak up water, oil or grease and then it is difficult to remove such stains.

Fungi also use the wooden parts as food and that is why it is hard to eradicate it. In PVC, there is no organic matter that could cause such issues.

For similar reason, it is easier to create a PVC decking material that can be treated in a way that prevents fading or slipping. The technology behind PVC decking is developing, which means it is not without its downsides.

Disadvantages of PVC Decking

First of all – it is not wood. This seems obvious, but there are many homeowners that report that PVC decking doesn’t have the same feel of the wood and that it doesn’t meet their esthetic standards.

The finish of the PVC decking has been improving over the years and it achieved great resemblance to the timber texture, but the feel is not the same. Besides this, there have been some other disadvantages over the years:

• Structure inconsistency
• Low tolerance to high temperatures
• Price

Manufacturers of the PVC decking claim that the temperature resilience and the structure integrity are the issues that have been corrected, but the time will tell. Namely, due to shrinking and expanding under the weather conditions, some PVC decking became unstable and shaky.

Additionally, PVC decking is expensive. Until there is a solution that will allow it to be 100% recyclable, it will greatly depend on the price of oil on the market. It is cheaper to add wood particles than virgin plastic to the mixture.

The question of installation still stands. Composite decking is already in use for some time and most installers are comfortable with working with it. However, PVC decking is sometimes a challenge. Therefore, you will need to ask around a lot.

It is easy to do so when you have Service Seeking that gathers the best Australian deck installers. Write up the basics of your decking project and send it to as many decking installers as you want. They will reply with their quotes for your project, so you can choose the best one according to your criteria. Get your decking installation quotes ASAP.