Synthetic Decking.

SPECIAL SECTION: BUYER'S GUIDES As life spills out from the kitchen into the backyard, decking options are multiplying, from improved materials to less-obtrusive railing systems, from outdoor kitchens to LED lighting. Better than the frame below Whereas in years past decking inevitably failed first, leaving the substructure intact, today's cellular PVCs and wood-plastic composites are so durable that the wood frame is the weak link. Every decking material will warm past the pain point on a hot day in direct sun, so if you live in a sun-drenched zone, consider going with a lighter-colored deck and/or cellular PVC, which heats up slightly less than composites and dissipates heat faster. Reality checks for synthetic decks Having solved their early chemistry and manufacturing problems, composite and PVC decking now compete on subtler features like color and texture. [Extracted from the article]