Re-posted from 2014. OG Boardwalk.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger
In March, 2013, the rebuilding of the South End Boardwalk in Ocean Grove, New Jersey began. Blogfinger covered that story, and our article said, “The final surface (that we walk on) will be placed last, and a composite material will be used instead of wood. This splinterless approach may upset some purists, but it is the most practical for safety, endurance and strength.” So for those who are complaining now, they were not paying attention before. This is old news.
The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association decided early after Sandy to use Trex, the world’s leader in wood alternative materials. The Trex boards are made of 95% recyclable materials. They use plastic bags, sawdust and wood scraps. No trees are cut down for this industry which has been in existence since 1996. It is a “green decision” to use this product.
The CMA chose a color that looks like wood, and after one year, that sample stretch of boardwalk at the South End has not warped, and not a single complaint was received by the CMA regarding this choice of materials. On the contrary, JP Gradone, COO of the CMA told us today that they have received many complements regarding the appearance (“sharp and clean”) of that area over by the beach badge office, near the fishing pier.
But Ocean Grove is not alone in this choice of planking. Among the post-Sandy boardwalk reconstructions which have used Trex are Belmar, Sea Girt, Pt. Pleasant and Atlantic Beach, NY.
Spring Lake also used a composite, but one made by TimberTech. Only Asbury Park did their boards in wood. Bradley Beach did theirs with masonry pavers.
We spoke to Mr. Gradone today regarding the decision to use Trex, and he was enthused about the choice. “Trex has a 25 year warranty, whereas wood boardwalks only last 7-10 years.” The composites, he said, don’t warp, rot, crack, splinter, fade or shrink. Shrinking of wood causes screws to “pop.” Trex resists staining, he said, and they are less slippery when wet. No staining, sanding or other maintenance is needed.
Note that the infrastructure beneath the Trex boards was constructed for strength with treated wood piles and beams using steel screws, bolts and brackets in addition to the preexisting bulkheads.
PAUL SIMON from Songs From the Capeman: “Quality.”
It can practically melt flip flops in the hot July and August sunny days and I really wish they’d gone grey. More appealing look.
I like the composite, but the reddish brown color stands out too much. I would have chosen gray, the color wood planks become after a year.
As much as it was disputed,I like Avon’s boards the best; they look fantastic and really, wood is nice.
The Trex boards seem more uniform and stable than wood and a more even surface should be better for the joggers, runners and walkers. The surviving wooden boardwalk segments are no close to even and I wonder how many people trip over the irregularities.
So far I like it. And I look forward not needing to dodge traffic on Ocean Ave again.
Doubting Thomas – The materials you list are permitted because they can be milled and painted to closely resemble historic materials. Suburban plastic decking, like Trex, however, is *not* permitted in Ocean Grove.
Mary Beth – I believe you are mistaken about the boardwalk not being part of the Historic District. The National Register of Historic Places defines the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association District (added 1976 – Monmouth County – #76001170) as: “Bounded by Fletcher Lake, NJ 71, Lake Wesley, and the Ocean”
And yes, Trex plastic decking does last longer than wood… but only in the landfill or ocean. It is only guaranteed by the manufacturer for 10 years in this application (and that’s not so good). Trex has only been in business since 1996, and they’ve already had to reformulate their boards at least once (that they publicly acknowledge, following several class action lawsuits).
And not even Trex claims that their boards are stronger (let alone more hurricane-proof) than wood.
There seems to be a lot of misinformation out there.
Sad to see the Trex boards. I feel about it the way I do vinyl fences, yuk! Wood looks great, feels great and ages nicely. It is a renewable resource. Trex is fake, or faux if you prefer. Considering the lack of dimensional stability lengthwise on the Trex, I do not buy the claims of greater storm resistance. When it washes away in the next Great Storm, it will be a piece of plastic trash washing into the ocean. Give me the real thing.
Sue, Trex does indeed get very hot (so Main Avenue businesses, here’s a Haney for you to offer low-cost, high-margin flip flops and aqua socks to your wares so visitors only burn their feet once, LOL). I can’t tell you how many splinters I have removed from my feet after walking on parts of the boardwalk with older boards that were deteriating due to age and weather.
The boardwalk was not one of the tenets of qualification as a National Historic district, like the Great Auditorium, the layout of the streets, the flared setback, and the several different styles of homes that are key and supporting structures. If it were, we would not have used Trex or move the path of the boardwalk farther west at the suggestion of the Army Corps of Engineers.
It’s no secret that the Township Committee and Administration have been very active in trying to obtain FEMA funding to fix the broken Boardwak at the Main Avenue beach. The survival of our small businesses depended on it to keep their businesses operating and the B&Bs full and also to try to increase, year by year, the visitors we have lost because the word was out that we still had not repaired our boardwalk. Last year, many folks visited damaged beaches up and down the coast, showing they were stronger than the storm and snapping pics for Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr in front of debris yet to be cleared. This year, they wanted their damaged beaches and boardwalks to be functional again. The public is fickle.
Going back to the construction of the boardwalk with Trex instead of wood, the CMA had to take into consideration the expected life span of the composite boards instead of wood. The CMA also had to take into consideration the possibility of another storm wreaking the same damage on the boardwalk. Trex is sturdier than wooden boardwalks, which will hold up to storms better and keep the CMA from having to raise funds to fix it after the storm.
The biggest drawback of Trex is it gets very hot. Bathers will be doing a quick hop across if they forget their flip flops.
There is some composite decking near Surf Ave that is horribly warped. When might that be replaced?
RR. Welcome to the 21st century. The HPC, guardians of the history flame in town, now allow fiberglass columns, Hardieboard siding, Azek gingerbread, and inside toilets.
You are missing something—it’s a sense of proportion. You are worried about some sort of historic precedent being violated, but meanwhile this new boardwalk will provide Ocean Grove with a historic way to enjoy our oceanfront, and nobody, not even you, will worry about this new material once summer fun kicks in.
I think RR means “really ridiculous.”
It’s possible I’m missing something, but on their website, Trex explicitly notes that they only guarantee their boards for *10 years* (not 25) when used in non-residential applications. Also, I’ve been in Ocean Grove for quite a while and I don’t recall these 7-to-10-year entire boardwalk replacements that some suggest wood necessitates.
Whether or not one chooses to simply believe Trex advertising (really, wood grained plastic is less slippery than wood grained wood?), the fact remains that this plastic, artificially colored, suburban decking material has no place in a historic district like Ocean Grove (not one of the other towns noted in this article is like Ocean Grove in this very important respect).
I think composite was definitely the way to go for the boards. My only concern is over the color choice. Compared to the lighter color gray boards in Belmar and other towns, our darker choice results in an extremely hot surface under the full sun. Those coming up off the beach to use the rest rooms better be sure to grab their flip flops to prevent burned feet!
Why are the plastic “boards” so badly warped in the one location on the south end near the office? Is that what happens to the plastic when it gets hot?
Also, to Blogfinger’s comment, when is a boardwalk ever slippery? It grips so much that you get splinters if you try to slide.