What are these lengths of "plastic wood" left over from a reno project?
October 4, 2023 10:15 AM Subscribe
After a recent house reno, workers left a small pile of lumber under a tarp. Among the lumber were two long ~1 x 6 boards which are made of some kind of plastic (pic one, two).
They are very flexible and quite light, and have rounded edges. The end of one looks like it has a lap joint cut into it. The longer one is about 12 or 14 feet long. It was a diverse house reno (deck, some roof, new room, hot tub) in coastal B.C., but the owner can't see any sign of where these fit in to it. What is this product and what kinds of uses are it typically put to?
They are very flexible and quite light, and have rounded edges. The end of one looks like it has a lap joint cut into it. The longer one is about 12 or 14 feet long. It was a diverse house reno (deck, some roof, new room, hot tub) in coastal B.C., but the owner can't see any sign of where these fit in to it. What is this product and what kinds of uses are it typically put to?
Best answer: That's Trex decking or a clone. Because it is waterproof it might have been used for cribbing under the hot tub. Or used as a bottom layer anywhere the structure touches the ground.
Boards with a square edge are used as facia. Maybe they had some scrap decking they used for sub structure of the facia?
Also possible it was used as packing protection for cedar decking.
posted by Mitheral at 10:21 AM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
Boards with a square edge are used as facia. Maybe they had some scrap decking they used for sub structure of the facia?
Also possible it was used as packing protection for cedar decking.
posted by Mitheral at 10:21 AM on October 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: Thank you both. It's all wood deck and hot tub area (separate mini deck) but it makes sense it could be used where there is ground contact. There's also a roofwater collection system that winds around everything and a new cistern. I will poke around a little near the wet spots just for curiosity more than it being actually important.
posted by Rumple at 10:46 AM on October 4, 2023
posted by Rumple at 10:46 AM on October 4, 2023
Might just have been an offcut from a previous job that ended up in their truck and randomly migrated to your property.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 10:57 AM on October 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by nouvelle-personne at 10:57 AM on October 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
Trex can also be used for the top of deck railings - our contractor had Trex left from a deck project and offered to use it on top of our railings . It's a good choice because those gather a lot of dew, or rainwater that doesn't run right off, and Trex will not rot. While it can be used for decking, it cannot be used for the weight-bearing structural parts.
posted by TimHare at 11:38 PM on October 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by TimHare at 11:38 PM on October 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
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posted by Frank Grimes at 10:19 AM on October 4, 2023 [5 favorites]