Lake Lanier is a boater’s paradise located an hour outside Atlanta in Gainesville. The Georgia lake attracts more than 7 million visitors per year and, on the western shore, the 500-slip Port Royale Marina is the gateway to the lake’s scenic north end.
In the midst of its multi-million-dollar upgrade, Port Royale’s owner/operator found the value in the addition of high-performance composite decking to enhance the marina’s amenities. The marina’s owner/operator, TEI Industries, installed MoistureShield’s Cape Cod Gray and Desert Sand composite decking for its:
• Main deck
• Docks
• Access bridge
• Raised walkways
• Finger peers
• Pelican Pete restaurant deck
• “Water Play Place” (children’s spray park)
“We chose composite decking because we didn’t want to have the maintenance issues associated with regular wood decking,” says Brent Pearson, operations manager for TEI Industries. “Prior to MoistureShield, we always used 2 by 8 pressure-treated lumber. Long-term durability is the key, of course; that’s why we chose MoistureShield. Plus, our customers love it.”
Pearson notes that while composite decking weighs more than treated lumber and requires additional flotation on docks, it weighs much less than concrete and does not have the maintenance problems of wood and concrete. Composite decking is also a cost-effective choice. “There are other alternatives, such as fiberglass, etc., but they are more costly,” Pearson adds. “Ironwood or ipe have incredible strength and easily work with 24-inch on-center structural supports and last a long time but are twice the price these days of composites.”
In addition to its affordability, MoistureShield’s manufacturing process encapsulates wood fibers in water-resistant polyethylene plastic, making it resistant to moisture so it can be installed on the ground, in the ground or even underwater. This moisture resistance made it an appropriate choice for Port Royale Marina’s decking, which is subject to high-moisture exposure from Georgia’s humid climate and contact with the lake water. One of the marina’s amenities that receives especially intense water exposure is the “Water Play Place”, which is a special deck in which children can splash in water fountains.
Beyond its performance benefits and great looks, MoistureShield is simple to install. Pearson explains, “It’s easy to work with and easier to fasten in place than ipe or concrete, that’s for sure; its workability is similar to wood.”
MoistureShield composite decking and railing offers the solution for every decking need with its range of attractive colors, realistic embossed wood-grain patterns and grooved boards to accommodate hidden fasteners. Because of a unique manufacturing process, each MoistureShield board is protected to the core, and is backed by a lifetime warranty. With 95 percent total recycled content, MoistureShield products are also an environmentally responsible choice, helping prevent discarded plastics from ending up in landfills.