Abstract: Excellent fade resistance and a substantial reduction in whitening can unexpectedly be achieved by adding colorant pigments to polymer-cellulose materials which form the polymer-wood composites, prior to formation of the composites. Then, the outer surface of the polymer-wood composites including the colorant pigments are distressed. The addition of the colorant pigments to the polymer-cellulose materials, combined with the distressing of the surface of the composites formed therefrom, results in an unexpected reduction in the unacceptable level of whitening and/or fading mentioned above which has not taken place in polymer-wood composites which include either a per se colorant pigment addition or which have been subject to a per se surface distressing operation.