(ARA) - Now that temperatures are warming up, attention is once again shifting to home improvement projects you can do outside. Some people will make painting the house a priority. Others will resurface the driveway or stain and paint the deck, all chores that take a lot of time.

While his neighbors are working hard to maintain their houses, on weekends, Chuck Head of St. Cloud, Minn., plans to spend his time barbequing. "I used to be one of those poor souls who had to restain their deck every year until I replaced my wooden deck with one made of composite material," he says.

Head didn't know that was an option until last spring when he came across a display at his local home improvement store. "The thing that caught my eye was a ticket on the display that said the material was rot-resistant," says Head. "I have a garden behind the deck and water often. As a result my old deck was rotting away, so I decided to give this new material a try. Now a year later, the deck looks just as good as the day I had it installed."

"Composite decking is a strong, durable alternative to wood that makes a lot of sense," says Mark Reum, CEO of Master Mark Plastics, the company that makes Rhino Deck, the material Head's deck is made from. "It looks like wood but is impervious to termites, manages extreme temperatures better than wood, doesn't splinter, and never has to be treated."

It's also a lot more environmentally friendly than all-wood products. Rhino Deck is made of 50 percent recycled wood (recovered from furniture and cabinet making) and 50 percent recycled plastic (comprised of post consumer bottles) blended with colorant and UV stabilizers. "The fact that it's made of recycled material really sold me," says Head. "I'm in the printing business and know how many trees get cut down every year so we can make paper. This is a product that's really environmentally friendly."

Rhino Deck is available in several colors including acorn brown, redwood, cedar brown and barnwood gray. The boards are sold in two-foot and four-foot increments, and installed with standard wood working tools. Matching railings, trellis, and fencing are also available, plus a new white rail system to complement the Rhino Deck board colors has just been introduced.

These days, more and more people are seeking out maintenance free solutions so they can spend more time enjoying their homes and less time working on them. For more information about composite decking, visit www.rhinodeck.com.

Courtesy of ARA Content