Deckorators’ new Voyage line of composite decking features the company’s “Eovations technology,” a fiber-like interior structure made from a blend of polypropylene and mineral filler. The manufacturer claims that this configuration delivers the industry’s best strength-to-weight ratio, absorbs virtually no moisture, and minimizes thermal expansion and contraction. Voyage also has a protective capstock with textured embossing for improved traction. New for 2019, Voyage will be available in 12-, 16-, and 20-foot solid and slotted-edge profiles, as well as in 12-foot fascia. Pricing starts around $4.75 per linear foot.
Phifer knows screened porches are great during insect season, but only when they’re clean. In the fall of 2018, the company introduced two new screen products—BetterVue and UltraVue—that are made with what the company calls “Clean & Clear Technology” to shed both dirt and water from the screen. According to the company, the permanent water-repellent coating prevents “window paning”—when water fills the open squares of a screen during a rain event—because the water simply beads up and rolls off the screen, resulting in cleaner screens, clearer views, and longer screen life.
WeatherStrong outdoor cabinetry is made from a ¾-inch marine-grade waterproof polymer. The manufacturer reports these cabinets are assembled with precisely positioned dowels and a fast-cure, solvent-free adhesive. Door pulls, hinges, and drawer runners are 316 stainless steel. The factory finish is an embossed wood-grain texture that’s offered in four styles and three colors. Pricing starts around $175 to $250 per linear foot, depending upon model and door style.
FastenMaster has a new metal connector that should make it easier to meet the prescriptive lateral load provision in the IRC. The company’s Lateral Tension System consists of an LTS bracket; the fasteners needed to fasten the bracket to a deck joist; and a long tension-transfer screw, with 3 inches of thread, which is used to structurally connect the deck joist to a sill or wall plate or a wall stud. The system is designed to be installed from the outside of the house, following the detail shown in Figure 507.2.3(2) in the 2015 IRC, which calls for four connections between the deck framing and house framing, each capable of resisting 750-lb. tension loads. A unique feature of the LTS system is that the long tension-transfer screw can be installed first, and the bracket added later. A kit (good for one deck) consists of four LTS brackets, 32 bracket-mounting screws, four tension-transfer screws, and a pair of bits. Cost for each kit is about $38.
Viewrail has introduced a new ¼-inch rod railing, made with 2205 duplex stainless steel. According to the manufacturer, the rods won’t sag and they are more corrosion-resistant than those made with marine-grade 316 stainless steel. Rods are available in lengths ranging from 2 to 20 feet, in one-foot increments. The railing can be bent to turn a radius on a curved stairway, deck, or balcony.
Titan has introduced a surface-mounting solution for wooden columns and posts dubbed Evolution structural wood post anchors. Each Evolution kit consists of a ½-inch-thick HDG steel base plate with a black powder-coated finish, a 1 ¼-inch-diameter-by-11-inch-long threaded steel tube—inserted into a hole that the installer bores into the base of the wood column that’s being installed—and a beefy, 1 ¾-inch-long threaded stud that joins the tube and the base plate together. The base plates, which are available for both 4x4 and 6x6 posts, have set screws for leveling, and are fastened to concrete and stone surfaces with -inch-diameter-by-3-inch wedge bolts. With proper blocking and a backing plate, the base plates can also be installed on a wood deck. Once the tube-post assembly has been threaded onto the base plate and snugged up, the installer drills a pair of holes through two sides of the post into the steel tube and inserts locking pins. The holes can then be plugged, minimizing the appearance of the fasteners. Cost for the kits starts at $60.
This article originally appeared on Remodeling.
