How to stop composite decking stain running?

[TabithaM]

Hi all.

We've recently purchased our first home and it has a huge beautiful deck that runs the length of the house, however we have noticed lately that the colour from it seems to be 'running' (for lack of a better word). 

It sticks to the bottom of our feet and tracks maroon onto our carpets when we come inside, it stains your feet and socks if you step onto the deck without shoes on, and it is running through to the structure boards on the underside of the deck through the gaps (picture below). 

My father in law was the one who told us that the lengths were composite, but in all my research to find a solution for this, I'm finding that the common consensus is that composite wood shouldn't leak colour, so now I don't know what to think!
We really want to try and stop the colour from getting on (literally) everything, so any thoughts or suggestions for a solution would be greatly appreciated! 

Top sideUnderside

[Nailbag]

Hi @sheilawhittam 

There should be nothing coming off a composite deck material itself. There is either a deteriorating issue with the material which would be extremely rare or it's possible the previous owner put a coating on it, which is now weathering off. It will be interesting to hear @EricL findings

Nailbag

[sheilawhittam]

Indeed  we look forward to the findings.  I can tell you quite honestly that nothing has been applied to the surface except water and a mop. . We are the original  owner builder of our home as I said previously on this site. 

[JacobZ]

Hi @sheilawhittam,

I have heard back from Ekodeck who don't believe it is one of their products.

I can't say I've ever seen a decking board with those dimensions. Did you mean 14.2cm? Can you upload a photo with your tape measure next to the spare board to confirm?
 

Do you have any photos of the decking clips that were used? This could also help narrow things down.

In the spirit of helping and assisting, Ekodeck's support team have recommend giving the deck a good clean as per their Care & Maintenance guide which involves a thorough scrub with a stiff bristle brush and a rinse with a pressure washer using a fan spray nozzle.

While mopping may remove some dirt, due to the textured nature of the boards, it is unlikely to remove everything. Scrubbing and pressure cleaning will yield far better results.

Once you've provided the details I've requested above, I will assist further.

Jacob

[TabithaM]

Our decking would have been installed around the same time as yours' I think, Sheila! We get maroon stains on EVERYTHING from ours' (light coloured carpet and tiles too) and it looks identical to what you are getting from yours! 

I hope Bunnings can find a solution or answer for this - it is super frustrating and I feel your pain. We even pressure washed ours' and scrubbed it a few weekends ago to see if it would help but it hasn't  

[sheilawhittam]

Dear  Jacob. I made a mistake with measurements. . I meant width 14cm 

I think Stan is going to take a trip to Bunnings with the piece we have and the clips. 

what ever it is it is deteriorating.   Kind regards Sheila 

[MitchellMc]

Many thanks for your patience, @sheilawhittam.

Our in-store team has taken a look at those transactions, and they are not decking purchases. We'd be happy to continue the search, though. Feel free to reach out by email if you find any other transactions that we can check for you.

Mitchell

[MitchellMc]

I believe the store manager has tried making contact via phone to discuss this @TabithaM. Yes, these are the transactions on your statement. There was timber and a variety of other items, but no decking.

What is the approximate size of the deck? Anything larger than a small deck would amount to a significant cost, especially if the decking was purchased at the same time. If you can let me know the size of the deck I can let you know approximately the cost you'd be looking for on your transactions.

Mitchell

[sheilawhittam]

Dear Mitchell.  After our long search, we discovered the Bank Statements showing the composite deck boards aren't from Bunnings after all but from another company in Mt Barker.  We have really appreciated Bunnings searching for the possibility of having purchased Ekodeck. Thank you, everyone, for being interested in the situation.  We now have confirmation that we purchased composite decking elsewhere, and this is not Ekodeck. 

I need to thank you and Bunnings for allowing us to enter  the Bunnings Workshop site and speak of our dilemma with the decking boards. We apologise that we went down the wrong avenue for the purchase of the boards thinking they were from Bunnings. We have used Bunnings in so many purchases and they have always honoured and been helpful when we had questions about quality or faults with our purchases. Indeed it has been so helpful to voice this problem, so we wish to thank you all  for the patience shown us as we worked through with the composite decking boards that are obviously  deteriorating. 

[MitchellMc]

Hi @sheilawhittam,

Many thanks for the update and for informing us that your decking is not Ekodeck or purchased from Bunnings. I'd recommend you reach out to the supplier to determine whether there is anything that can be done about this issue. I note that Jacob provided a Care & Maintenance guide from our supplier that might be of assistance.

Mitchell

[sheilawhittam]

So TabithaM. Is your house pictured in Australia?  it might make a difference to how to approach this problem. Y ou seem to be saying that what I have shown and written about has the same problem as ours. If you have off cuts  it might be traceable. 

I have finalised my chats with Bunnings and found that my statements showed another local supplier.. we have made a repot now and believe that we have at least a 10 year warranty. We  found our sale with them in 2015.  It appears that you bought the house and the deck was already completed by the previous owners. I suppose you could try and find out from the previous owner  what product was used on your deck.. and it seems that like ours was one of the the early forms of decking in Australia.  Our contact rep at our supplier indicated that the early decking  said that some of their early composite decking was dumped and removed from sale after complaints.  I see now by looking at the various companies of composite decking have a  a top waterproof sealing layer. All the best with your search.. I think you have an enormous problem to solve  as your deck looks quite extensive.