50 x 50mm Plaswood Recycled Plastic Lumber Joist (Flat/Flat), Black, 3.1m [start of aisle3]

Decking Framing from Plaswood

Good garden decking needs a good decking frame to match, whatever the underlying substrate. Joist sizes 47x100 and 47x150 may be strong enough for a deck frame, but not durable enough for exterior use or ground contact. Traditionally carcassing timber grades UC2 and UC3 have been used for deck framing but they do not provide the longevity required.

UC4 Incised and Tanalised Timber

It is possible to use UC4 graded carcassing with 47x100 and 47x150 joists. It is vital that only UC4 joists are in ground contact because UC2 and UC3 (standard joists) are not treated for external use or ground contact. They can be used with UC4 square posts of 100mm or larger. Alternatively solid concrete blocks can be used to achieve the correct decking frame height, these blocks can be used with Plaswood plastic timber.

Plaswood Recycled Polythene

Plaswood manufacture decking framing made from recycled agricultural plastic. Plaswood is 100% recycled plastic and can be used in moist conditions or stood in water. The manufacturer quotes Plaswood as being 10 timbers more durable than timber in marine conditions.

Three sizes are available of this dense timber alternative, 50mm x 50mm; 50mm x 120mm and 100mm x 100mm.

50mm x 50mm Plaswood (Plastic Wood) Joists at 3.1 metres
50mm x 120mm Plaswood (Plastic Wood) Joists at 3.1 metres
100mm x 100mm Plaswood (Plastic Wood) Posts at 3.1 metres

This should allow installations to be carried out on flat roofs, solid level substrate and on uneven gardens. Plaswood cuts and fixes very much like softwood timber but needs closed spacing for supports. More details on setting out and fixing can be found in the pdf folder entitled Product Attachments

The Life Cycle of Plaswood

Just in case you are curious the following is pretty much what the recycled plastics have to go through:

It all starts at Dumfries, Scotland when the plastic waste arrives at the recycling and remanufacturing plant. A lot of this “raw material” is agricultural waste
Prior to the recycling process the material is quality checked
All plastics are shredded
To remove all contaminants and odour the shredded material is washed * The water used is treated and re-used, when compared to production of virgin plastic this remanufacturing process reduces water usage by a whopping 90%.
Clean flake/crumb is dried and quality checked
Once the trained staff are satisfied with the quality of the raw material it is melted (at approx. 200 degrees Celsius) and then readied to be blended
The blend composition is critical to the technical properties of the product, which is why the blend ingredients (raw materials) are chosen very carefully
The blend mix is quality checked
Molten plastic material is extruded into recycled plastic lumber profiles – Plaswood
The extruded Plaswood will rest and cool for a period of time depending on profile size
Cooled profiles are exposed to rigorous quality control and technical tests to ensure they meet quality standards
Subject to passing quality control, the profiles are ready to use
Plaswood profiles are ideal for fencing, decking, furniture, raised beds, planters, boardwalks, revetment walls and more…