UP    HOME        From Consumer Reports - July 2004 - Carcinogens in pressure-treated lumber

For nearly 70 years, decks, storage sheds, playground sets, and other outdoor structures were commonly made of pressure-treated lumber--wood infused with chromated copper arsenate (CCA) to make it insect- and rot-resistant. CCA contains known carcinogens and has been shown to migrate to the wood surface, where it can come in contact with people or leach into the surrounding soil.

The outdoor-lumber industry voluntarily halted production of CCA for residential use, effective at the beginning of 2004. Only existing stocks of CCA can be sold. If you already have a deck or outdoor structure. The withdrawal of CCA lumber does not affect structures already in place. The Environmental Protection Agency doesn’t believe it’s necessary to remove existing CCA structures or the soil under them. The agency has not concluded that CCA lumber poses “any unreasonable risk” but acknowledges that it’s important to reduce exposure to the toxic compounds in CCA. The actual risk posed by CCA depends on many factors--including the type of preservative or deck treatment used, some believe.

We concur with the EPA’s recommendation for reducing the risk from exposure to CCA lumber: Wash your hands after you’ve touched the wood. Removing a CCA structure would be a drastic last resort.

If you have to demolish a structure made of CCA lumber.
• Wear a dust mask, goggles, and gloves. Wash exposed skin thoroughly.
• Clean up sawdust, scraps, and debris thoroughly and dispose of it with other solid waste. Never burn CCA lumber.

Decking: Serious alternatives July 2004
Today’s houses use an abundance of synthetic materials: vinyl siding and windows, fiberglass shingles, resin molding, and more. However, one place where solid wood still rules is backyard decking. Synthetic planks--plastics or composites of plastic and wood fiber--are a distant second. But our tests clearly show that it’s time to take synthetic decking seriously.

Synthetic deck materials have a number of advantages over solid wood:

• They’re low-maintenance. In our tests--exposing sections of real wood and 16 synthetic materials to the elements for more than a year--the synthetics accumulated less dirt than wood and were usually easier to clean. That benefit largely explains why 12 of the synthetic products we tested were judged excellent overall.

• They hold their looks. Compared with solid wood, synthetic materials accumulate less mildew and crack hardly at all. (We used bare wood for our tests, as the only fair comparison with the others.)

• They’re competitively priced. Most of the synthetic materials we tested cost $300 to $450 for 100 square feet. That’s comparable with cedar or a tropical wood known as IPE. Indeed, five of the synthetic products we tested were judged CR Best Buys because of their moderate prices.

• They offer homeowners a range of design options. Many of the synthetic products are available in a number of colors: white, gray, and several shades of brown. Surface textures include smooth (like plastic lawn furniture, in some cases), subtle wood grain, ridges, and other decidedly un-woodlike patterns. Some composite planks are flexible enough to be easily curved into patterns or shapes that would require much money and skill to duplicate in solid wood.

How to choose
Know all the options. Deck materials fall into four broad groups: plastic-wood composites, plastics, solid wood, and aluminum. In most instances, one type will serve as well as another, unless the need for lightweight limits your choices. Aluminum and some woods are much lighter than some solid synthetic planks.

Consider your budget. The least expensive product we tested was ACQ pressure-treated pine, at $190 for 100 square feet. The other two solid woods and most composites cost $300 to $450 per 100 square feet. A few products cost more--as much as $1,000 for 100 square feet of CertainTeed Ever New Vinyl.   Those prices are just for the planks you walk on. The cost of railings, stairs, and supporting structure isn’t included. The prices also don’t include labor costs, either to build a new deck or replace worn planking on an existing structure. The cost of labor can easily exceed the cost of the materials.

Be sure the style of the deck material complements the house design. The width of the decking, its color, its finish, and the design of the railing become important design elements. A ranch, a raised ranch, or contemporary house styles can work well with many deck designs. It’s more challenging to make a deck work with older styles, such as Tudor, colonial, or ‘20s bungalow. Many manufacturers of synthetic decking offer a variety of railings, such as provincial or Mission style, that can help the deck fit with the rest of the house.