Forestar product can adapt to various weather conditions. It will shrink in hot and expand in cold when installed. We recommend to put boards in the working spot 48 hrs before installation so as to make it’s adaptation to the weather.

You need to pre-drill in just a few instances. For example, when you install the deck, you need do drill in the deck covering area for adapting plastic expansion bolt.

It is not recommended to use Forestar product in structural applications although it can be used, it’s a job best left to a structural engineer to design any load bearing structures.

If Forestar product has been installed as mentioned in the Installation and Maintenance Guide, most of melt off will flow away rather than freeze. However, we recommend to use rock salt or calcium chloride for ice or snow removal. These may only leave white residue, but it can be cleaned easily by mild soap or rinsing with water.

Yes, but not required. Because Forestar product is very low maintenance product and not required to painting or staining. Stains and paint are just adhere to the surface of our boards, and you may need to re-painting them periodically just like wood does if you still want to stain.

The most affordable option (applicable to free draining, relatively dry conditions only) is to use treated softwood. Although softwood substructure will become slimy/moldy easily over time, this is normally acceptable as it is not seen. We can also provide a composite substructure profile which is useful in wet conditions or areas with low air circulation. In particularly damp conditions where the deck is over 1 meter off the ground, we recommend the use of galvanized steel box section beams / hard wood structure or other stronger structure.