Comparing PVC Foam Board and Composite Decking: Understanding the Differences
The PVC foam boards and the Composite boards have few similarities and many differences. They both are composed of plastic as a synthetic material. As the name would suggest, PVC or Polyvinyl Chloride is used in the manufacturing of PVC foam boards. On the other hand, the Composite boards contain different kinds of plastics (may include polyethylene or polypropylene) and also the wood powder or the bamboo flour. The composite boards that contain wood powder are also called as WPC or Wood Plastic Composite boards. Here are some differences between the PVC and the WPC composite boards.
Linear Extension/Expansion
The PVC foam board does not contain any additive that may help it to prevent the linear expansion of the board and the underlying molecules when heat is applied to the board. Hence the long-in-chain molecules expand themselves whenever heat impacts them. The expansion can be quiet noticeable and may make the use of the boards dangerous. On the other hand, the composite boards are composed of the wooden floor along with plastics and have certain additives that prevent expansion. They hence retain their length and structure even in the presence of heat and warmth for long time intervals.
Ease of Installation and Usage
The wood plastic composite material offers more flexibility and can be easily bent, routed as well as ripped, so as to fit the contours of any space specifically. On the other hand, you cannot route the edges of the PVC board, and even require more tools to do any kind of modification. Hence if you want to fit the board to the available space perfectly, you need to prefer the WPC boards.
Appearance and Aesthetics
The PVC boards exhibit synthetic uniformity and are less attractive, having inferior aesthetic and feel. As the WPC composite boards have wooden powder, they have the real wooden grain sculpt and stamp, and display more natural and authentic colors that are more pleasing to the eyes. The Composite decking and boards hence improve the aesthetics of any given space.
Resistance to Water and Moisture
Both WPC boards as well as the PVC boards offer excellent resistance to moisture and water. As the WPC boards can also resist temperature changes better, and do not expand or shrink with variations in temperature, they are even better than the PVC boards when used in humid and damp conditions.
Slip Resistance
The wood plastic composite boards offer better slip resistance because of the presence of wood grains in their built. If your deck is located in a rainy area or is exposed to water, you should prefer using the WPC boards, as they reduce the hazard of slipping, accidents, and falls.
WPC boards offer several advantages when compared to the PVC boards. The differences between the two kinds of boards are present because of the different molecular-level composition of the boards. The WPC boards undergo greater refining and also have the necessary additives to make them more useful even in adverse conditions.