The Ultimate Green Lumber Comes from Recycled Plastic
The ultimate green lumber is a term you will probably know only if you are a builder or a handyman. Decks and deck furniture are typical uses of this product, which any environmentally aware person will endorse wholeheartedly. Eco-lumber and plastic lumber are two of the more common names for the product, but there are several others, including polywood, permowood and enviro-wood. You don’t always see that a material is good for the environment and also cost-effective, but this new material is precisely that and has had a great impact on the patio furniture industry.
The final product seems like a piece of lumber, but the amazing thing is that there is no wood in it, just milk jugs and other recycled plastic containers. It doesn’t only look like lumber, it also has the same feel and can be tooled, cut and sawed like any typical piece of lumber. Wherever you are accustomed to seeing lumber, particularly outdoors, you now see this material: in playground equipment, benches and tables in public spots, and of course, decks and patio furniture. Poly-lumber is a terrific way to use the ever-growing amount of plastics that are being recycled. A decade ago, 234 million pounds of plastic containers were recycled, and that number has now gone up to 1.5 billion pounds.
Hardwood lumber does have a number of disadvantages, such as the chemical treatment it needs to protect it against insects. The surface calls for sanding and re-coating regularly, in order to keep wood exposed to weather looking good and to stop it from decomposing over time. Because it does not contain any harmful chemicals, eco-wood will not contaminate the soil. Washing it down with a hose now and then is the only care that’s required. Eco-wood can be successfully used in any climate, from salty, windy coastlands to icy winter areas through to hot areas.
This eco-wood should not be mistaken for some flimsy, plastic product that has been made into chairs, like you see on numerous decks. Polywood is a thick material, and can be purchased in 2×4 and 2×6 thicknesses. Poly-lumber can be sawed and cut just as you would normal hardwood, and screwed down. Poly-wood works well with stuff used on a deck or around a pool, and there are new things for it to be used for being thought up all the time. This lumber created from recycled plastic is both a pragmatic and cost-effective alternative for normal hardwood. It does not decompose, it does not splinter, bugs and other insects don’t like it and it can be used in numerous ways.
If you buy furniture made out of recycled products, you are helping cut back the need for killing trees. Anyone who thinks or lives in an eco-friendly manner is interested in protecting our forests and trees from being exploited. This has added to the impetus for finding more ways to use lumber from recycled plastic, not just from an enviromental view but from an economic one too. It is by all odds a product that is friendly to the environment, and has virtually no maintenance.