DuraLife is considered a leader of all the nationwide companies in composite decking. It is a leading company that has a streamlined buying process. DuraLife attracts the buyers due to its unique shopping procedure. It limits the choices of the buyers and provides them a step by step guidance.

A commonly asked and confusing question is, Does DuraLife worth our cost? If you are seeking the answer to this puzzling question, then you are in a perfect place! After a closer at this brand, now we are going to give an honest review about DuraLife decking. We are going to cover the pros and cons of decking, customer reviews, and its buying process.

DuraLife Buying Process

DuraLife is one of the famous companies in composite decking. It provides the following four-step buying process to make your life easier.

1. Select Composite Deck Color

DuraLife offers 8 unique colors. In the first step, you can choose the color of your choice.

2. Choose the Decking Profile

In the second step of the buying process, you select a decking profile type.

3. Select the Deck Railing

In the third step, you will pick a railing for your deck.

4. Select Decking Accessories

In the last step, you will pick decking accessories to finalize your project.

A Complete Buying Guide:

Selecting the Best DuraLife Deck to Make Your Home Worth-Watching

You need to read a buyer’s guide first, before looking for a DuraLife retailer or samples. Below we've discussed certain factors you need to consider.

Project Size

Before looking for DuraLife samples or retailers, you just need to consider the overall size of your project. It is the most important measurement you need to take. Buy the DuraLife material according to the square footage. Square footage will let you know what type of support beam system you need to buy and install.

Board Style

DuraLife deck offers fewer options of boards as compared to the other brands in composite decking. That’s why; you need to make a wise decision about boards.

All the boards of DuraLife are made of good quality proprietary polypropylene. DuraLife offers a full board plank or a scalloped plank both are known as Siesta and MVP (Minimum Viable Product).

Features and Colors

DuraLife decking facilitates you with 8 choices of unique colors. You can make four choices from Hardwoods collection palliate. It includes colors of exotic woods such as Golden Teak, Garapa, Walnut, and Brazilian Cherry. The other four choices you can make from the landscape collection palliate it contains earth-tone colors such as Pebble, Coastal, Grey, and Slate.

Installation Method

You can install the boards as you wish. But the more secure, easier, and optimal choice is the hidden fastener system. There are mainly two installation procedures. You can install the DuraLife planks by yourself or you can hire a professional for installation.

Maintenance and Care

Care and maintenance of a DuraLife composite deck are very important and quite simple. You need to sweep and rinse it with the garden hose every week. Other factors like droppings, barbecue grease, wet leaves, snow, and ice require different cleaning methods. But these methods of cleaning also put your overall costs near zero.

Warranty and Costs

The average cost of a DuraLife board is $70. This price is very reasonable as compared to the other composite decking brands. The prices of DuraLife decking boards vary with profile, location, and installation method.

DuraLife composite deck provides a 25-year stain and fades warranty with every DuraLife board. All the boards also have enough resistance against peeling, cracking, damage, and splintering.

DuraLife Decking Review

DuraLife has stepped forward in the composite decking industry with a new model. The four-step buying process allows you to select the deck, profile, and board you want at affordable prices. The DuraLife prepares all its boards from recycled hardwood and durable polypropylene. DuraLife decking has a bit limited choice in colors and boards than other decking brands.

DuraLife Collection

This type offers two main types in its collection. Both collections deal with only colors, not style. The first collection is the Hardwoods collection. It features four colors Walnut, Garapa, Golden Teak, and Brazilian Cherry. The colors in the hardwood collection palliate are created from a random dispersal process. The random dispersal process means that all the colors vary from board to board to make all the boards different from each other. This process makes the composite decking planks look more natural.

The other main collection is the Landscape collection. It contains the colors of earth-tone like Coastal Grey, Slate, Pebble, and Mahogany. All these colors come with Solar Guard. Solar Guard is a proprietary coating that protects the boards against fading, stains, and peeling. Landscape collection is especially for those who do not want blended boards or variegated colors.

Board Profile and Options

In the four-step buying process, the first step is the selection of your color. And in the second step, you move toward the board profile and performance. Here you can choose two profiles. One is the Siesta profile and the other one is the MVP profile.

The Siesta profile deals with solid and grooved boards. These boards are stronger, durable, and sturdier. This type of profile includes stronger decking planks that can bear more weight per square inch. These planks and boards are still very handy and easy to install. But Siesta profile is more expensive than other composite decking options.

The other profile option is MVP. MVP decking planks are also well-grooved, but they are scalloped from the bottom edge. This makes MVP planks lighter and more affordable. Scalloped edges make the MVP planks a little bit lesser durable. These MVP DuraLife decking boards are extremely popular due to their easy installation and less costs.

Installation

We will discuss the installation methods further below in detail. Here what you need to know is that the installation of decking boards is quite simple and fairly easy. You should purchase decking, railing, and decking accessories all at once. Complete your latticework, lighting, and screen panels. Then you can install the planks by yourself or you can hire a pro for this task. Installation does not affect the warranty of DuraLife composite.

Warranty

DuraLife offers a 25-year stain and fade warranty with all boards. DuraLife deck boards are highly resistive against scratches, fading, denting, damage, barbecue grease, and wet leaves. DuraLife provides a full warranty guidance book. You must need to read the entire guidebook to understand the warranty conditions of DuraLife composite decking.

This guidance book contains all the information regarding the warranty. Such as registration deadlines, process to make a claim, when you purchased decking material, and all other aspects related to the warranty are clearly covered in this guidebook.

Pros and Cons of DuraLife Decking

Pros

Cons

25-year warranty

Fewer choices in styles and colors

DIY installation capable

Sometimes, it is a tricky task to order the correct amount

Embossed wood grain patterns

Less availability of boards styles

All boards are made from natural hardwood and polypropylene

 

Boards are highly resistive against fading, staining, denting, and damage

 

Fairly easy cleanup and maintenance process

 

Matching railing, decking accessories, and stair components

 

Rating of DuraLife Decking

  • Installation of DuraLife has an overall positive rating of 4.5
  • The eco-friendly feature has a rating of 3.5
  • Quality of DuraLife decking has a 4 rating
  • Price has a rating of 4
  • The warranty has a rating of 4
  • Rating for durability is 4
  • Rating for Stain, UV, and scratch resistance is 4 out of 5
  • The overall rating of DuraLife decking is 3.8 out of 5

Installation of DuraLife Deck

DIY (Do it yourself) or Professional?

To install a DuraLife deck, you can go with two primary options. You can do it by yourself or you can hire a professional to install DuraLife planks.

DIY Installation

To install the DuraLife deck by yourself, you should have the knowledge of installation, the right tools, and enough time. Although installing a composite deck is fairly easy but it can be a tricky and undertaking task if you are doing it the very first time. While installing a composite deck from the hidden fasteners system is quite easy and simple.

Right tools for installation are a bit expensive. The most important thing for installation is knowledge. You must have knowledge of airflow, spacing, and joist placement. You should know how to install the planks and lay. Always start installing from the longest edge and use a perimeter board. Then add decking boards and fasteners. Railing, joist, and posts need to be taken from center measurements.

If you want to save your money then do it by yourself installation is the best option for you.

Professional Installation

Professional installation option might be a best choice if you want to get your job done faster. This type of installation makes your DuraLife deck to look better. And of course, you have to pay for professional installation to enjoy your new deck.

An expert can charge $5 to $8 per square inch for the installation of decking. These charges may vary based on the size, design, placement, support beam, and joist of your DuraLife deck. The difficult part of this installation method is to find the professional and right deck builder.

DuraLife Decking Problems

All in all, DuraLife has a good overall rating. It does not have a lot of problems and complaints. DuraLife deck offers all valuable, durable, and reliable products.

But there are a few problems associated with DuraLife. These problems keep popping up nationwide. We are going to cover all these reported problems here.

  • The biggest reported complaint about DuraLife composite is that finding a DuraLife decking is a tedious task. Customers report that we can’t find any local dealer or DuraLife retailer easily. Most of the local dealers have limited stock or selection. Moreover, if you make a contract with any local dealer, you have to wait for a week to get the DuraLife deck order.
  • The other reported problem is that the DuraLife boards shows scratches. However, this is not a very commonly reported problem. Scratches tend to show due to certain factors. Such as weather conditions, maintenance, and improper care.
  • Some homeowners complain that their DuraLife composite boards swell or shrink after some time. The cause of this problem is not clearly known. But DuraLife decking suggests that decking boards are sensitive to humidity, temperature, and sun exposures.

Frequently Asked Questions about DuraLife Composite Decking

In this section, we are going to cover the entire commonly asked question about DuraLife decking.

Q. How can we clean Our DuraLife Decking?

The cleaning process of DuraLife deck is quite simple and easy. You just need to sweep the entire composite decking on weekly basis. It will remove all the dirt, leaves, pine needles, and other debris from the decking. DuraLife suggests rinsing off the whole DuraLife decking once a month with a garden hose. If your DuraLife decking contains any stubborn dirt areas and stains, you can scrub them with warm water and detergent.

Q. Can we Buff the Scratches out of Our DuraLife Composite Decking?

Buffing the scratches is not recommended by DuraLife deck. It will make the scratches more prominent and will damage the boards. Buffing can void your warranty.

Q. Is DuraLife Deck considered a Green Company?

Yes, DuraLife is a Green and eco-friendly composite decking. 90% of products of DuraLife are made from recycled material and hardwoods.

Q. Are the DuraLife Composite Decking Boards capped on from all Four Sides?

DuraLife deck boards are capped from all four sides. They are capped on from three sides. The bottoms of the boards come without caps. One side of DuraLife composite boards is left uncapped. It is done just to escape the moisture and humidity from the boards. It prolongs the overall life boards and lessens the overall weight.

Q. What is the lifetime of the DuraLife deck?

DuraLife accessories come with a 25-years stain and fading warranty. All the products are extremely resistive against scratches, fading, denting, and damage.

Q. What are DuraLife Decking products made off?

DuraLife deck products are made of polypropylene and hardwood.

Q. How can we Remove Ice from our Deck?

You can use snow-melting products like rock salt to remove ice or snow from your DuraLife decking.

Q. Can we Purchase Matching Fascia for our Composite Decking?

Yes, DuraLife offers matching fascia with its Siesta hardwood collections and Siesta solid collections.

Q. Is DuraLife Deck Reliable?

DuraLife provides highly recommended products. They promise the reliability of their products while maintaining the quality and durability.

Q. Does this type of Decking cost High?

DuraLife offers all its products at a reasonable price as compared to its rivals. The average cost of DuraLife decking is about $10,000 to $15,000. But this cost may vary depending upon the size of the project, decking style, and decking accessories.

Q. What we can put under the DuraLife Composite Decking?

You have to put a good base under this decking. You can also use concrete flooring and concrete stability for an even and stable base.

Conclusion

DuraLife makes your life easier by providing unique decking products while maintaining the quality of the products. DuraLife facilitates you with a four-step buying process. All DuraLife's products come with a warranty of 25-years. They offer 8 choices in colors selection. You can use your favorite color from Landscape palliate or from Hardwood palliate. You can also choose different board profiles with reasonable price ranges. DuraLife is an eco-friendly composite deck that makes 90% of products from recycled materials and hardwoods. It does not compromise the quality and durability of the products. The DuraLife deck does not waste your money.

Once you purchase the DuraLife decking, you do not disappoint over the durability, quality, and final look of your composite decking. 

Tags: duralife, DuraLife Decking Review,