We had a regular customer call the other day loooking for help in finding a specific color and model of Trex composite decking that had been discontinued. We don’t sell compsoite decking, however we are always keen to help a customer in need. We made some calls and did some searches and couldn’t find anything. I also ran across this problem when someone called me last month looking for some replacement boards of a pvc-type product produced by McFarland Cascade called “Edeck” (no relation). I called McFarland and found out that this product had been discontinued as well and was no longer available, although you can still get the fastening clips from McFarland Cascade.

That got Dan and I thinking….if you use a PVC or composite material that is manufactured, over choosing a naturally durable and readily available hardwood like Ipe, Garapa, Massaranduba, Cumaru, etc., you run the risk of that product being discontinued! That’s fine if it lasts 20+ years, but it could be a problem if you need to replace a few boards a few years into the future. And given the wear and tear as well as color change due to the outdoor environment, it may not match even if you do find the product again. 

With naturally durable hardwoods, all you have to do is either let it go gray, or use a cleaning and brightening product like Woodrich EFC-38 and Woodrich Citralic. Then reapply a stain or finish and you are back to new condition.