Around March time I had decking laid in my garden. I went for composite as I thought it looked better and would last longer. A week after it was laid I added new patio furniture and an outdoor rug. Very happy with it....until today.
I was sweeping the rug and realised it had got quite dirty, so decided to move it and decide how to best clean it. At first I thought it had stained the decking, as the area under the rug was darker. However, since consulting Google I've now learned that brand new composite decking lightens during the first few months, due to 'weathering', before it settles into its final colour. Apparently this process is known as ‘extractive bleeding’, and you shouldn't cover it up while this process occurs. Would have been nice to know this beforehand, but c'est la vie.
Has anyone else had this, and did you find a way to get the darker section to match the already weathered bit? I'm leaving it uncovered now in the hope it will even out, but have a sinking feeling I'll always have two-tone decking now, as the lighter section has had many weeks of very hot sun on it.
Photo being added to show what's happened. The darker bit on the left is where the rug was. I'm quite shocked at how much colour has bled. I'd have picked a darker colour if I'd have known it would lighten so much.