A word of warning about this product. Do not buy from this company! We purchased this product from a dealer and had a reputable contractor install it. After about 6 months we noticed dark spots on some of the planks. I had the contractor look at it and the dealer we bought it from. They thought I could pressure wash it off. I tried this and most of it came off but you could still see stains. It came back again after only a couple of months. The strange thing is that some planks have the stain and some don't. I had the dealer take pictures and send them to Master Mark. After many, many phone calls waiting for a response I told them I wanted to call Master Mark direct. The representative told me they were aware of the problems and they were trying to find a cleaner that would work. I told her I bought the deck as a no maintenance alternative and it was sold to me that way. She said all decks outside need cleaning from time to time. I don't mind spraying the dust and dirt off but a low or no maintenance material should not have to be treated with anything. I was told that after their experiment, which should be finished by the end of February they would have something that would clean and seal it. It would also have to be redone maybe every six months.

I called them again April 10 since I hadn't heard anything. After three phone calls I finally got her and was told the experiment was still ongoing and would be finished the end of April. I feel that they are stalling or hoping I will give up. I told her I didn't want a cleaning suggestion but total replacement of the product. She said that after the test they would determine how to proceed.

I did a search on the web about problems with this material and found many other people that have had the same problem and had the same hassle getting anything done. Some of the posts were dated back to 2002. Our problem is going into its second year with no resolution in sight.

If anyone else has had problems or found a solution to getting compensation from this company I would appreciate hearing about it. I wouldn't be surprised if there is a class action lawsuit against them somewhere.

We live in Southern Oregon and the annual rainfall is about 25 inches in our area, most during the winter months. We have a small Rhino deck with about half of it under roof, it is aboout three years old. The under roof area is free of fungus/mold, but the exposed to weather area grows a black fungus/mold over the board, top and bottom. It takes a large power washer to remove the mold spots and in order for the board to come clean the embossed wood grain gets smoothed away.
This weekend,it took over 5 hours of pressure washing to get a 6' X 25' area almost completely clear of mold. the railing takes forever to clean. The contractor does not use this product anymore.
Based on our experience, I would not suggest any plastic/wood board for decking in an area exposed to weather.
If anyone knows of a product that we could use to replace our failed one..and performs the way all the manufacturers say they do, please let me know.

You may want to have a look at ipe David. It cost a fair amount more to install, but well worth it in my book, it's surprisingly close in /ft cost and is a beautiful product.
You can get railings for it but stainless a cable railing looks top end when ran through the ipe 4x4... talk about respirators though (last post I did) this stuff is like sandpaper on the throat so you really need them and a bear to work with, eats blades and is very dense.
Here is a bit about it:
http://www.ecoproducts.com/Building/build_decking/build_decking_ipe.htm



Alter Eagle Construction & Design

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I would take a look at GeoDeck. There is no wood flour, dust, chips, or lignins of any kind in this composite so there is no platform for mold growth. Also because there is no wood of any kind it holds its color very well. Check it out @ www.geodeck.com and find a dealer near you to look at some samples.

Cellulose fibers is just another word for wood fibers. The end product is still a composite.

"Manufactured from a combination of recycled and other plastic, GeoDeck is blended with...' '...made by the recovery of purified cellulose fibers"



Alter Eagle Construction & Design

http://www.altereagle.com/ | Construction & Design | http://decks-ca.com/ | Decks, California outdoor living | http://kingofcrown.com/ | Molding and finishing | http://installcrown.com/ | Crown tutorial

Yes, composite means there is more than one ingredient in the product. The cellulose product in GeoDeck is a trademarked product called BioDac, which is produced by Georga Pacific. GP is a paper manufacturing company, which yes, makes paper from wood. However the cellulose that is in BioDac is basically the what is left over after all the lignins and "wood" have been used to make paper. Through the refining process all these problem causing properties (at least problem causing in the decking industry) have been removed. Therefore there is really no living material left in the cellulose to fade or decay. It is more like a mineral, which is what the other 2 ingredients is BioDac are, minerals.

We live in North Carolina and bought Rhino Deck in 2003 to say we are disappointed in it is an understatement.

It stains (even a professional cleaning didn't remove it), it breaks, and it swells. None of these is covered under their warranty. The distributor did replace the broken board.

We are in our 70's and cannot afford to replace it - can it be painted? That's the only thing that would cover up the ugly staining - however, it would not correct the swelling. (note standing water in the photo - it reflects the vinyl siding on our house).

Any suggestions appreciated.

Decked