Purpleheart Decking

Benefits of Purpleheart Decking

Purpleheart decking has a number of qualities that make it stand out as the superior outdoor construction material.

1. All Natural– Unlike composite decking, which is a combination of wood pulp and plastic, a non-recyclable material that pollutes our planet and pressure treated or reclaimed lumber that is loaded with toxic chemicals known to harm surrounding plant and animal life, Purpleheart is 100% natural. It is ideal for repurposing, bio-degradable and does not create any biproducts that can harm the environment. No chemicals or plastics whatsoever, just 100% real wood. That’s why we say, “Go Natural!”
2. Hardness– Purpleheart is an extremely hard wood with a Janka Hardness rating of 2,520. Compare that to Oak, at about 1,200. This extreme hardness lends to its dimensional stability, long lifespan, and natural weatherproof properties. Pressure treated wood is known for substantial expansion and contraction with seasonal changes. This process destroys the cell structures from the center of the boards, outwards. It also increases the rate of decay. This movement is also responsible for creating raised wood grain that can be painful to walk on without shoes. Raised grain is a common problem with pressure treated woods but does not occur with tropical hardwoods like Purpleheart. Composite and plastic decking will also expand and contract significantly over time which compromises the rigidity. This eventually leads to boards drooping between the joists. Purplheart, being so hard, will expand and contract some, but very little. Minimal movement is one key element to Puprleheart’s incredible longevity.
3. Longevity- Purpleheart is renowned for its ability to last many decades even in extreme weather conditions. Density and hardness, as discussed above, plays a large role in that. Natural resistance to water penetration and rot/decay also contributes to its longevity. The forests, from which they evolved, experience 100-400 inches of rain per year. That is up to 8-10 times more than anywhere in the United States. Evolutionary responses to this heavy rainfall have made this wood naturally resistant to water penetration, mold, rot and decay.
4. Board Replacement- Many people fail to consider how board replacement can be a HUGE obstacle with alternative deck materials like PT or composite. Let’s say you drop the hot contents of a grill on your deck and it damages the boards beyond repair. Unfortunately, if you don’t have a Purpleheart or tropical hardwood deck, you’re in for a rude awakening. When you replace a PT or Composite deck board, it will stand out from the others, dramatically. These materials are all very consistent and continue fading over time. So, the new boards will ALWAYS stand out from the others. You are left with a deck that has very obvious patchwork. Tropical hardwoods vary from board to board, so replacing boards is no big deal. They may stand out from the others for a couple of months, but before long no one will be able to tell the new boards from the original ones. This benefit is specific to real, natural woods. Board replacement is also a common problem with prefinished and engineered wood flooring.
5. Insect Resistance- Purpleheart and other tropical hardwoods, are naturally insect resistant. For reasons still largely unknown, Purpleheart is especially insect resistant. Domestic lumber is treated with chemicals to deter wood boring insects. Purpleheart evolved in forests with insects much more proficient at wood-boring than their North American counterparts. Very few insects in their natural habitat are capable of infiltrating their tough wood fibers and certainly, the domestic insects of the United States are no match. This is true for most tropical hardwoods.
6. Fire Resistance- For many states in southwestern United States, fires are a large factor driving construction material decision making. This also holds true for large commercial projects in urban areas. Purpleheart is very resistant to flame spread. Purplheart typically achieves high B ratings in Flame Spread rating tests. This usually means that prolonged exposure to flames may cause damage, but flame spread is minimal, at best. Plastic, composite and pressure treated lumber typically receive the lowest flame spread ratings C Class. Ipe and Purpleheart are very similar, but Ipe typically outperforms Purpleheart in this metric. Watch Matt Risinger’s YouTube video demonstrating Ipe’s incredible resistance to fire.
7. Forest Stewardship- Purpleheart is sourced from the tropical forests of South America, Brazil in particular. Concerns with harvesting Purpleheart from the “lungs of our planet” are well warranted. The truth is, Brazil’s hardwood timber industry may be the forests best protection from clear-cut uses like Cattle and Agriculture. When Purplheart is harvested and regrown in its natural habitat, that habitat is protected by both the organization that replanted and the local or federal government. Without responsible forestry management, forest lands are more likely to be cleared for grazing cattle and planting crops. Each purchase of Purpleheart, or other tropical hardwood, from conscientious hardwood dealers like Brazilian Wood Depot contributes to the value of naturally forested lands.
8. Cost- Contrary to popular belief, Brazilian Hardwoods are not more expensive than the alternatives. The opposite, in fact. Pressure treated lumber is considered to last about 5-7 years before boards begin to deteriorate and rot. Plastic and composite boards will typically begin to fade and deteriorate within a few years. A composite deck is unattractive and nearly unusable after about 8 years. Alternatively, Purpleheart is known to last from 25-75 years, depending on the environmental conditions. When you consider the cost of replacing pressure treated or composite boards through the life of just one installation of Purpleheart, Purpleheart is far, far more cost effective. The front-end cost of Purpleheart decking is below any decent composite material and far outperforms them in every metric. Pressure treated lumber is cheaper than Purpleheart, but you’ll replace the PT boards 5 times in the life of one Purpleheart deck. So, is Purpleheart the most cost-effective decking? Yes, almost always in the short-term, but certainly, in the long-term.