Thread: modwood problems

Originally Posted by darylb

hello ,
just wondering if any one has used this product and had any problems ,
I have heard from one builder that he has had problems with it spiltting down the 'grain' ,
I think that was the hollow version of it though, so im not sure if i should use it or if it has been fixed since then

AT:
We had a modwood deck put down as part of our renovations about six years ago. The tradesmen installed the product as per the manufacturers instructions and used the Klevaklip system as well. We chose the solid version as the hollow version had already been withdrawn.
Our deck is now badly swollen, splitting and warping - there are no longer any gaps between the boards, so airflow is reduced and patches of mould are growing on the underside, causing purplish patches to appear on the topside.

When we approached Modwood about the problem they said the ten year warranty was void because we 'hadn't installed it properly'. We checked with the installers and they wrote a letter, confirming that they had done the installation as per the instructions current at the time.
Still Modwood wouldn't come to the party. They finally said they would offer us wholesale price on the amount of product needed to replace our entire deck, but freight (from Melbourne to Brisbane) and installation would be at our expense and up to us to organise.

The Modwood rep we were in correspondence with seemed to only deal with customer complaints - indicating there are plenty of them!

So - the only thing you can take for granted as far as the ten year warranty on Modwood's product is that they will wriggle out of any claim.

Rumour has it they will have another version coming out in a year or two, but I still won't ever use Modwood again - and I advise anyone else considering the product to look elsewhere.

I include an excerpt from a woodworking forum regarding these composite products - just FYI:

'Commonly cited issues with composite decking products are scratching and splitting, colour fade and stains, and a high expansion rate. This is due to poorer material compositions like high ratio of softwood sawdust and soft polyethylene. Manufacturers say this was a problem with the earliest generation products and cheap imports, but improvements have been reported and warranties are now offered by suppliers to suit these advances.
Colour fade is still a problem, attributed to UV protection on that exposed cellulose content. Some suppliers have addressed this by using 100 per cent PVC products or plastic coatings over the top of boards which also protects from scratches, stains, mould and slipping.
Generation one products were made from recycled pine saw dust and polyethylene (milk bottles) and this soft plastic and soft wood combination translated into a product that was easily scratched by furniture and the like.
An opposing view supports the environmental characteristics of using a high level of recycled materials, like polyethylene (milk bottles) over PVC, but they are arguably less suitable for most applications.'