It’s the most beautiful day of the year. But instead of enjoying the weather, you’re stuck in your cutoffs doing yearly deck maintenance (or maybe catching up from a few years of neglect). You know the drill—scrub everything clean. Sand every board, post and groove. Replace any rotting, splitting or warped boards. Repaint coat after coat, seal, then pray that no bugs, rain or wandering leaves will come along to ruin your hard work before you’ve had the chance to enjoy it.
Some people take pleasure in their deck maintenance routine, but most of us do it out of necessity. Thankfully, if you fall into this second group, composite decking offers a way out of your least favorite chore.Composite decking is a made of a blend of materials that combine the beauty of natural hardwood and the strength and durability of polymer. One of our favorite composite decking materials, DuraLife Hardwoods, is made using an eco-friendly mix of hardwood and polypropylene—without a trace of toxic chemicals or preservatives. It gives you the best of both worlds—the rich color, grain and characteristics of real wood, and the cool underfoot and ease of maintenance of composite materials.
Because DuraLife is stain and fade resistant (with a 25-year warranty to back it up), it’s the easiest deck we’ve ever cleaned—just sweep it off and hose it down. No resanding, restaining or resealing necessary.
One of the things we like most about DuraLife is the ease of installation. Their Step-Clip system makes installation twice as fast by using specialized rows of clips that allow boards to snap securely into place. As a bonus, Step-Clip strips protects joists from water damage, so there’s no need for tape or other extra protections.
Whether you’re an amateur DIYer or professional contractor, Step-Clip saves you time without sacrificing quality, stability or looks. Visit our showroom in Cedar Rapids to see our selection of DuraLife decking products for yourself. (Get directions here.)
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