Perhaps the peak season has already arrived in your area and you're frantically answering the phone, bidding jobs, digging out your tools, and checking out new materials. Calls for new decks are a sure sign of spring. If it's not the deck season now, get ready for it. It's coming!

This chapter will introduce you to some of the latest materials on the market, but remember that this is by no means the final word on the subject. By the time you read this book, I'm confident that other innovative products will be out there just waiting to be installed. Always be on the lookout for new products that make your jobs – or your sales – easier.