Recycled Plastic Lumber

[Halo]

This reportedly has most of the properties of hardwood and is immune to water and sunlight with a guaranteed life of 25 years and expected life of 100 years. It is subject to significant thermal expansion but is being used on canals (sluice gates etc ). Has anyone used this on their boat ?? If so how has it worked out??

 

[penberth3]

This reportedly has most of the properties of hardwood and is immune to water and sunlight with a guaranteed life of 25 years and expected life of 100 years. It is subject to significant thermal expansion but is being used on canals (sluice gates etc ). Has anyone used this on their boat ?? If so how has it worked out??

I've seen a lot used as street furniture, bollards, park benches etc,. So all big sections 50mm plus and specifically moulded for the job. Can't imagine working it yourself, and any cut edges would look like cut plastics.

 

[alahol2]

I've got a piece on the back of my dinghy as an outboard pad. Looks like wood, doesn't rot nor need looking after. Can be useful in the right place.

 

[reeac]

I had a rectangle of Sadler grp as a result of moving the engine control panel. I used some to make a large rectangular washer to repair the flushing mechanism on a WC and another offcut to make a slim open ended spanner to adjust the bottom bracket on my bike. The point about the latter is that it was a lot quicker to cut and file to size and didn't need to be very rigid or strong. I still have plenty left for future jobs.

 

[DownWest]

I hope it is better than plastic decking. While it does the job very well, it is a bit fragile if wacked.

Tried an offcut of B&Qs decking, after fitting a big terrace. Quite low tensile strength and impact resistance.

 

[Iliade]

They have used it, or something very similar, for a boardwalk on Shoreham beach. It appears to have crept (bent) significantly under the footfall. Not that it is such a bad thing, just something to design for.

 

[thinwater]

Like many things, it really depends on the quaility of the specific product. I've used PVC trim boards for a number of low-stress applications (probably not recycled). It's a lot lighter than Starboard (solid polyethylene), easy to work, rot proof, and extremely UV resistant. But low grade plastic products are grainy and sometimes prone to warping.

This is a US brand, but I'm the UK has something similar.

PVC appearance boards

 

[WoodyP]

Many timber fencing products are not fit for purpose. There is a move to metal and plastic because timber treatment is ineffective. The problem is that the cost of plastic exceeds treated timber. We have purchased creosoted fencing at huge cost but still cheaper than plastic. Fixing to plastic is a problem. 100 year life for plastics seriously underestimates the long term pollution potential of plastic.

 

[DownWest]

Oh, forgot, some friends bought a new Amal 54; It had plastic teak decking. Looked just like the stuff from B&Q. Bearing in mind Amal's QC , I expect it will last well and their boats are not exactly classic styled, so will fit in .

 

[penfold]

This reportedly has most of the properties of hardwood and is immune to water and sunlight with a guaranteed life of 25 years and expected life of 100 years. It is subject to significant thermal expansion but is being used on canals (sluice gates etc ). Has anyone used this on their boat ?? If so how has it worked out??

Given the sheer variety of products in this field narrrowing it down a bit would help; do you have a link?

 

[Caraway]

I hope it is better than plastic decking. While it does the job very well, it is a bit fragile if wacked.

Tried an offcut of B&Qs decking, after fitting a big terrace. Quite low tensile strength and impact resistance.

And no torsional strength (or beam strength). A plastic recycled bench has been installed around the corner, looking over the big fells, and whilst it will be good from deterioration standpoint (the timber bench gave up) it has already sagged along it's 6 foot length. There is a central leg which that has had to be packed up with slate to make it level again.

 

[DownWest]

Many timber fencing products are not fit for purpose. There is a move to metal and plastic because timber treatment is ineffective. The problem is that the cost of plastic exceeds treated timber. We have purchased creosoted fencing at huge cost but still cheaper than plastic. Fixing to plastic is a problem. 100 year life for plastics seriously underestimates the long term pollution potential of plastic.

Just replanked a pontoon for some friends. Had to sort through most of a pallet of stuff to get the amount I needed. Choice was down to very little, because of the shortage of wood. The treated stuff I had used for the sub base had gone, when I needed another bit. There were several different deck boards a couple of months ago. Now very little and rough.
The local model boating lake had a major refit of it's edging and a long canal. They used fake wood, but likely bought before the crisis. Quite fun for young things, Little replicas of ferries and other ships. Room for a child and an adult. Adults not allowed on their own...

 

[thinwater]

I just helped some guys build a large wheelchair ramp. Wood is probably more available than the UK, I would bet (we have lots of trees), but yet, it's tighter than normal now. No quality problems, though. Very, very few bad boards. Still a 30 year ground-contact warranty, and my deck is closer to 45. I did just refasten it, since back in the day with were nailed.

 

[LittleSister]

I hope it is better than plastic decking. While it does the job very well, it is a bit fragile if wacked.

Tried an offcut of B&Qs decking, after fitting a big terrace. Quite low tensile strength and impact resistance.

I wouldn't judge all plastic decking on the basis of what B&Q's plastic decking is like. I happened to be looking online for various DIY fittings and materials yesterday, and was taken aback by how relentlessly bad the feedback was from former B&Q purchasers of numerous items, mainly on the basis of lacking robustness and practicality. Some of the items (e.g. light fittings) I know from experience can be obtained in good quality elsewhere at reasonable prices. As some of the bad feedback had been reporting the same problems on particular items for years, it seems B&Q feels it doesn't need to be interested in addressing such problems, and is focused on obtaining its supplies from the cheapest sources possible.

 

[DownWest]

I wouldn't judge all plastic decking on the basis of what B&Q's plastic decking is like. I happened to be looking online for various DIY fittings and materials yesterday, and was taken aback by how relentlessly bad the feedback was from former B&Q purchasers of numerous items, mainly on the basis of lacking robustness and practicality. Some of the items (e.g. light fittings) I know from experience can be obtained in good quality elsewhere at reasonable prices. As some of the bad feedback had been reporting the same problems on particular items for years, it seems B&Q feels it doesn't need to be interested in addressing such problems, and is focused on obtaining its supplies from the cheapest sources possible.

I bought the decking for a ummm... deck. No complaints on that front, it is still looking good 7 yrs down the line. Just surprised how brittle it was when tweeked.
I did NOT use it for the cantilivered deck eight stories up in Paris...

Edit: On Brico Depot (B&Q) and the star ratings. Quite a few peeps pay very little then complain. Reading the comments often shows unrealistic expectations. e.g. bloke buys a cheap bandsaw, then complained it wasn't up to cutting hardwood roof joists...others thought it wasOK for the price. Cheapest decking had a lot of knots. It does. But he selected it.

 

[doug748]

I have used the stuff at home - the sort of gear you see on heavy, slatted park benches. Although black, if you look close with a glass you can see multi colour plastic and metal inclusions. It blunts tools and warps ferociously.

I can't think of much I would use it for on a boat, perhaps keel runners or fendering for a workboat.

 

[Hydrozoan]

I have used the stuff at home - the sort of gear you see on heavy, slatted park benches. Although black, if you look close with a glass you can see multi colour plastic and metal inclusions. It blunts tools and warps ferociously.

I can't think of much I would use it for on a boat, perhaps keel runners or fendering for a workboat.

I have wondered if it would do for grab rails - plain flat ones, bolted to GRP upstands on ca. 60cm centres - but, in addition to aesthetics (one can get light brown), have wondered about thermal expansion/warping.

 

[DownWest]

Just picked up some Oregon pine for a bench refurb. (New one off the web would be way cheaper, but it is 'loved'..) Really nice stuff, might be good for grab rails? Though Iroko would be best.
In my prefered yard today, things were sparse. No Iroko and and had to dig deep for good oregon. times are tricky.

 

[thinwater]

What about cellular PVC trim board? Azek and Versatex are common brands in the US. It is relatively weak, but easy to work, fine grained, light, and unlike LDPE and recycled LDPE, it is easy to glue and seal securely.