How GOOD is ? You can build your next project with that will never decay, crack, warp, or need fi nishing. By Asa Christiana

hree years ago I resurfaced my signs of damage from moisture, mold, material from a local supplier. But if you Twith composite boards made from sunlight, and insects. And there’s more want small orders or shorter material recycled plastic and wood dust. Although good news too: You can build almost shipped to you, it can be challenging to I live in the rainy Northwest, a giant Petri anything with plastic lumber, using the  nd a supplier. See the Buyer’s Guide dish for moss and mold, the deck still same power and hand tools you already on p. 70 for some recommendations. looks as good as the day I installed it. And own. But there are important consid- the only maintenance I’ve done is a yearly erations you’ll need to make when scrub with soap and water. switching from real wood to plastic. I’ll fastFACTS at got me thinking about using go over some useful tips about cutting, • All plastic lumber except for PVC is synthetic lumber for other outdoor shaping, and joining the material. made with 95% recycled material. projects. It took a while, but I tried out Even though plastic lumber is made • Most plastic lumber is the main types of plastic lumber shown almost entirely from bottles, bags, and warrantied against weather here—everything from decking boards other products rescued from the waste damage for 20+ years. skinned with faux wood grain to light- stream, it’s expensive to manufacture. • PVC boards can be glued weight PVC trim boards and bright- ose costs are passed on to end-users, with special adhesive, but colored solid plastic stock. All of these as you can see in the prices listed here. glues won’t work on other varieties o er the advantage of excellent It’s also important to note that plastic types of plastic lumber. durability under tough outdoor condi- boards are typically sold in long lengths. • Changes in temperature tions. Plastic lumber will continue to is can be an advantage if you’re cause plastic lumber to look great while real wood will show building a deck, and picking up your expand and contract.

Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) $3.75 - $5.63/bd. ft. ($30 - $45 for 1" × 6" × 16')

3 • Sold in sheets and as ⁄4"-thick trim boards. PVC fencing, railing, and decking are also available. • Trim and sheet stock are available in white only, but these materials can be painted. • Can be glued using special PVC adhesive. • More fl exible than other types of plastic lumber. • Available at lumber yards and home centers.

BEST USE: weatherproof trim and cladding

32 Photos: Asa Christiana Plastic-capped decking boards $5.00 - $8.75/bd. ft. ($40 - $70 for 1" × 6" × 16') • Composite core (recycled plastic and wood dust), with wood-grain cap that protects core from wear, weathering, and mildew. 1 • Most common dimension is 1 × 5 ⁄2". • Many boards come with grooved edges for use with hidden deck fasteners. • Many wood tones available. Premium decking looks like real wood. • Available at home centers and building supply stores, and by special order.

BEST USE: decking and projects that don’t require exposed ends or cut edges

Uncapped composite decking $6.25 - $8.12/bd. ft. ($50 - $65 for 1" × 6" × 16') • Made from a blend of recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and wood dust/fi bers. • Most boards have a textured surface to simulate wood grain. • Boards are available in common dimension lumber sizes, and in different wood tones. • Surface will show slight weathering with age. • Has the same composition through and through. • Slightly stiffer than HDPE plastic lumber. • Available by special order from home centers and building supply stores.

BEST USE: decking, outdoor railings, and outdoor furniture

High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) lumber $6.88 - $8.12/bd. ft. ($55 - $65 for 1" × 6" × 16') • Sold mostly for commercial use in outdoor furniture, docks, and boardwalks. • Available in many colors (with UV blockers added to minimize fading). • Has the same composition and color through and through. • Lighter than wood-plastic composites. • More slippery than other plastic lumber. • Available by special order

BEST USE: outdoor furniture

June/July 2019 | woodcraftmagazine.com 33 Tips for tackling plastic lumber projects

All types of plastic lumber can be so edge-shaping should be done you’ll need to join parts with screws worked with most of the same tools with a mill  le, , or . or through-bolted connections. you use for , including PVC boards can be joined together Plastic lumber expands and contracts (surprisingly) hand and power with special adhesive, but all other in reaction to temperature changes. planes. will clog quickly, plastic lumber can’t be glued. So Movement and strength issues should

Cutting and Routing

Smooth and safe. Cut plastic lumber with the same blades you use for wood. It’s dense like MDF, but easier on cutting edges.

Joining with Screws and Hardware

Clamp carefully. Pocket hole joinery works well in plastic lumber, but slick surfaces can easily slip out of alignment. For accurate connections, make sure your parts are secured with clamps before driving screws.

Cabinet screws for solid connections. A low-profi le head with an integral washer makes these screws ideal for basic Dowel center joinery, like butt joints. To avoid splitting, keep screws at 3 least ⁄4" from a board’s edge, and clearance holes in the top board. Pilot holes in the base board aren’t necessary with these screws, because they have self-drilling tips.

34 Plugging Holes

factor into the design of a plastic wood project (see Design Tips below). e cutting, shaping, and joinery details shown here will come in handy if you’re building with plastic lumber. I

Cutting and Routing

Rout it like real wood. Since plastic lumber lacks grain structure, you can rout without worrying about tearout. Plastic plugs. Make short plastic dowels with a plug-cutting To complete more bit, then cut them free. Use the dowels in cross-barrel joints detailed profi les, creep (facing page), or to hide counterbored or pocket screws. up on the fi nal shape in a series of progressively Hide holes with a heat gun. deeper cuts, as you Press plugs into place after heating would with a medium- the plug and the hole with a dense wood like . heat gun. No glue is necessary; just make sure both parts have Heat gun been softened slightly before pressing a plug into place. Once the surface has cooled, trim the plugs slightly proud with a sharp Joining with Screws and Hardware knife, and then plane them fl ush. Design Tips • Plan to join parts together with bolts or screws. • Test your design for fl ex. Plastic decking is designed for joists spaced on 16" or 24" centers. But for furniture like benches and tables, it’s smart to mock up supports and make sure your stock won’t defl ect excessively Plastic dowel under anticipated loads. • Exploit the fl exibility of Take advantage of special hardware. plastic lumber. You can For post-rail connections, cross-barrel design projects with curved fi ttings can be combined with plastic parts. Heating will increase dowels to make strong, attractive plastic lumber’s fl exibility. joints. Use steel dowel centers as • For boards with trapped 1 shown at left to mark plastic dowel ends, leave a ⁄16" gap locations as you close the joint. for every 4' of length.

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