Limestone composites, fire prevention, ease of installation added for decking

Las Vegas — Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Deckorators, a brand of UFP Industries Inc., has launched a new decking line called Summit that incorporates a mineral-based composite technology.

The product, which was rebranded recently as Surestone, combines crushed limestone and polypropylene to produce decking that offers heat and slip resistance, an impressive strength-to-weight ratio, and minimal thermal expansion or contraction, according to Deckorators Marketing Director Michelle Hendricks.

"During the manufacturing process, polymers and minerals are combined and stretched, changing the internal structure. As a result, the material is 35 percent lighter than traditional materials but delivers the strongest deck boards in the industry," Hendricks said at the International Builders' Show 2025.

Summit decking also is warranted for water and ground contact installation.

The unique combination of plastic and minerals creates a woodlike fiber structure and variegation that delivers a low-gloss look of wood but, unlike wood, isn't susceptible to mold, rot and insects, Hendricks said.

"Our proprietary manufacturing process and materials provide style and strength," she added.

Deckorators now has five decking lines. Like Summit, the Voyage and Vault decking lines are mineral-based composites with Surestone technology, while the Vista and Venture lines are wood-plastic composites each containing 95 percent recycled content.

The company also offers railing and accessories.

Deckorators generated annual sales of $297 million in 2024, according to parent company UFPI, which is publicly traded.

Founded in 1955 as Universal Forest Products, UFPI bills itself as North America's largest converter of softwood lumber and the world's largest converter of pressure-treated lumber.

The company acquired Deckorators in 2005 for its retail solutions business unit. The unit also includes ProWood Group, which sold $2.1 billion of treated lumber in 2024, and UFP Edge, which sold $146 million of wood siding and trim last year.

In all, UFPI generated total sales of $6.7 billion in 2024 from its business units, which also serve the construction and packaging markets. The company employs 15,000 people at 215 sites in eight countries.

Summit decking is produced in Selma, Ala.

The composite decking lines help the parent company maintain a balanced business model that "mitigates lumber price volatility and drives stable profit per unit," according to the 2024 annual report.

For its wood-plastic composites, in 2022, Deckorators acquired Tipton, Iowa-based Cedar Poly LLC. The company is a recycler of high and low density polyethylene flake and pellets for use in a variety of products, including composite decking.

Innovation is about more than new products; it's about solving real problems, according to Ryan Kemp, Deckorators' new executive vice president.

"We're committed to pushing boundaries with new solutions while strengthening our existing product mix," Kemp said in an IBS 2025 news release. "Deckorators is investing $250 million over the next five years in these efforts."

As wildfires increase in severity and frequency, some homeowners are looking to plastic building products like decking as part of their personal arsenal of defense.

Rigid PVC, a commonly used material, is inherently flame-retardant and a growing number of building products made from it are meeting fire-resistance designations.

Two PVC decking lines of Chicago-based Azek Co. Inc. — Vintage and Landmark — meet standards for "ignition-resistant," which California and surrounding states adopted; Class A flame spread, which signifies a material with the highest resistance to flames; and the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI), where local building codes mandate fire-resistant materials for construction projects.

A third product line introduced at IBS 2025 is undergoing testing for WUI compliance and Ignition Resistance. It already obtained a Class A flame spread rating. Called the TimberTech Harvest+ Collection, the decking is a smart choice for fire zones, according to Amanda Cimaglia, vice president of corporate affairs.

"The wildland urban interface zones are fire-prone regions where about 44 million U.S. homes are located. You hear a lot about California, but these fires are happening across the country and Canada," Cimaglia said at IBS 2025. "Fire resistance is increasingly top of mind with homeowners, contractors and designers. Fire resistance building products can help protect home investments with products that can withstand the elements and the test of time."

Class A ratings are achieved with flame-spread index scores of 0-25, which indicate the best fire resistance, while Class B ratings of 26-75 indicate moderate fire resistance as opposed to Class C, which means flames spread more readily, or no rating.

Azek Exteriors' trim products also meet requirements for Class A flame spread.

With a Class A rating, Cimaglia said, "If an ember falls and hits a wooden deck, it could ignite. Our WUI-compliant products resist flame spread and catching fire due to flying embers. TimberTech was the first in the composite decking industry to receive an Ignition Resistance designation from California's State Fire Marshal."

The company also has made strides incorporating recycled content. Azek decking is made with about 65 percent recycled material from old vinyl records, credit cards, gift cards, and building materials such as PVC decking, siding and trim that are coming off remodeling jobs.

"We're able to take these materials, process them at our recycling facilities, and then turn that into a raw material input for our PVC decking, trim and siding. We give it a new life. It lasts for decades and then its recyclable at the end of its useful life through Azek's full-circle recycling program," Cimaglia said.

In addition, at IBS 2025 Azek introduced a new premium vinyl railing called TimberTech Reliance Rail. The product line has a recycled PVC core and a PVC cap reinforced with aluminum for enhanced strength and resilience.

Reliance rails offer versatile design options for residential and commercial projects at an entry-level price, Jim Harington, vice president and general manager of Azek railing, said at IBS 2025.

The low-maintenance railing comes in matte white and khaki, and it is compatible with TimberTech composite railing accent lights and post sleeves.

"People don't like the shiny plastic look, so we moved to matte colors," Harington said. "This is the first matte white railing in vinyl that we know of, and it's easy to install."

Atlanta-based Oldcastle APG introduced a fastening system that snaps deck boards into place without screws and a new color of MoistureShield Meridian decking. The plastic products join railing, fences and accessories like pergolas, decorative screens and barrels for outdoor living spaces.

"Consumers want all of this, but if you think about the space, there's probably 15 or 20 choices you need to make. There are lots of different ways you can create it. We're trying to curate that process and make it simpler, starting from design through installation," Joe Raboine, Oldcastle vice president of design, said at IBS 2025.

For the fastening system, called InstaDeck, the homeowner or installer simply sets the HDPE frame on any hard, flat surface, lays the deck boards into it and then steps on them to lock them into place. InstaDeck can be assembled on grass, concrete, existing patio surfaces and gravel.

The system was one of seven finalists in the category for Best Outdoor Product at IBS 2025.

InstaDeck can enhance an outdoor space without the expense or complexity of traditional deck installations. "We're looking at how can we make it more efficient for our contractors because labor is going to continue to be a challenge for us," Raboine said. "Our contractors, dealers and partners will be able to design spaces that are more cost-effective and really provide the features that everybody wants."

Oldcastle also added the color shoal to its capped composite Meridian-brand decking line made of recycled wood fibers and polyethylene.

"With decking, we're seeing a resurgence of craftsmanship with high-end materials and really warm colors," Raboine said, also pointing to Stratos decking, a PVC composite line that launched last year.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about a massive shift from backyards being a place for occasional barbecues to being extensions of daily living spaces, Raboine said, making them a high value proposition.

"A lot of people realized, 'I feel better being outside. I want to get off my iPad and phone. I want the kids outside. I want to talk to neighbors again.' We're creating that platform for people to be able to do that and make connections," Raboine said.

With estimated sales of $180 million, Oldcastle is the 35th-largest North American pipe, profile and tubing producer, according to Plastics News' latest ranking.

Mount Joy, Pa.-based Envision Outdoor Living Products has new vinyl railing products that could enable installation times up to 300 percent faster.

The E-Fit brand of railing was designed for efficiency with three components: FastFit Posts, which feature patent-pending, quick-mount brackets on post sleeves; FastFit Panels, which are the first preassembled square baluster vinyl panels; and LockFit Balusters, which make it easy to set the top rail and balusters for each rail section into place.

The premounted brackets save installers time positioning and fastening hardware.

The baluster panels are available in white with square vertical balusters in 36-inch and 42-inch heights and 6-foot and 8-foot lengths.

The new products are part of the Fairway collection, which aims to keep contractors moving and profitable, according to Envision Sales Director Kyle Warwick.

"Whether used individually or all together, each E-Fit Railing Innovations component can save installers valuable time on the jobsite while resulting in a beautiful, high-quality finish to any outdoor space," he said in a press release.

Envision has four styles of vinyl railing: modern, traditional, designer and Timberlux, which it said is the only wood-look vinyl deck railing.