Going off of fdl's thread, I have already decided to go with a deck instead of a patio as it will fit our backyard decor better.
I saw that Scrib recommended Trex, but do any of y'all have any experience with any other manufacturer? There seem to be a LOT of choices out there.

Also, how does it really hold up? Does it fade a lot? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

 

Not too much info for you personally, but one of our friends did a Trex deck in NY and they love it. They've had it for a few years now and haven't had to do a thing to it. It gets a ton of traffic, they have two little dogs plus two kids (although one is an infant) and it has held up great.

 

I have a composite deck(its not trex brand, I think the brand they used begins with a V, but I could be mistaken) and its great. One of my good friends also had a large(1000 sq.ft+) deck made out of it and its great, he loves it as well. It gets slick in winter, but so does wood. The stuff used at my place is grey and looks nice and after a few years of use has NO stains/marks or visible wear. My friends is a brownish color(more natural looking) and his aging great as well. It costs a lot more, but if your going to be there for a while its worth doing and it will add value if/when you decide to sell.

Its really nice to walk on bare foot, even if its wet or damp - an added bonus is you'll never get a splinter again!

If its in the budget I'd say do it

 

I have heard great things about Trex decks.



Scrib has a trex deck on the back of his house.

https://acurazine.com/forums/home-garden-37/updated-pics-house-%2A%2A%2A56k-no-%2A%2A%2A-314283/

 

Only bad thing I've heard about Trex and the like is it gets very hot if exposed to direct sunlight.

 

Hmmm, it sounds like Trex is the way to go.

Now, I just have to figure out dimensions to get a cost

 

I would highly recomend Trex, it does fade a little, but still looks great

 

the other thing ive noticed is that they can get slippery when wet and really bad in the winter

 

I've heard that from a lot of others as well, having had a pressure treated deck now composite, the composite is MUCH less slippier when wet(contrary to what Bon Jovi says).

In fact I remember as a child running on the deck in the rain and stopping and slidding on the pressure treated wood, do that now and I'd stop and fall on my face.

 

Thats usually from the fact that most people never scrubbed/cleaned teh deck yearly. when that happens yes wood is slippery. I walk on decks every day (as an apprasier) and i can say from my experiance the man made decks are slipperier

the newer stuff seems to be getting better than the stuff a few years ago though

 

So, as an appraiser, what do you think about it value wise?

 

Well....we did ours in IPE ( Deck ) and Wrap around porch. It gets HOT as well, at least that portion does that is exposed to the sun. I have it stained Dark and that is part of the problem. It absorbs all the heat. This will be a problem with Composite or Natural wood. Darker = Hotter.

 

My co-worker's dad replaced their deck and used composite. It looks great and a year later still looks brand new. Although their's is a light color, it still gets really hot.

 

I hate to hash up an old thread. But my deck (which was installed before I bought the house) is in horrible shape. Much of the deck is rotting and splitting. And I am interested in the idea of the composite decking so that I can get something that is long lasting and can stand up to the brutal winters. We use the back deck as a main entrance so we shovel and walk on it in the winter.

Anyone who's had the composite decking over the years have any regrets? What were the approx price per sf for install?

 

Have had it for almost four years, no regrets. Price was about 25% more than normal. Can't remember what brand, but get decking that is a solid color through out the plank. Cheaper stuff in Home Depot and Lowes are not.

 

Trex ftmfw!

 

Are you tearing the entire deck down? I know that the joists need to be a max of 16" oc for synthetic opposed to wood which can be further apart.

 

When you say 25% more, you mean for a comparable cost of real wood and installation?

Not planning on it if I can just replank with the composite stuff, but it probably would look nicer if I do the deck and the railings around it (it's an elevated deck so it's all enclosed). I need to build a small fence as well in a damp area (the one there now has rotted nicely). So I might kill a few birds with one stone.

The main problem when they installed the deck is that the boards are nailed down instead of screwed down, so some are starting to pop up.

 

Oh yea - also. Anyone have issues with mold and mildew? That seems to be one thing I find when searching.

 

One of my neighbors is having trouble with mold/mildew. He has to wash his deck down every year with a pretty strong solution to kill the mold (which shows up as black spots). He can't power-wash it due to the damage that can be caused by the high-pressure water. I'm not sure what brand of composite decking he has.

My deck is 11 years old, made of pressure-treated pine. I power wash it every year (and that's it -- no staining or finish) and it still looks good. I used the soaked-through-with-cyanide boards for the decking and regular pressure-treat for the structure and railings.

 

Only when there is shade involved. And it's not a big deal.

 

yes


Also check the local building code, even with just changing out boards you might have to have them involved.

 

My builder told me you can get much better than trex, forget what it is though. He had many objections to trex, to include length of span...

 

are you referring to Timbertech?

i considered using composite materials when i redid the deck... but i couldn't justify the addt'l cost... and i don't plan on staying at that house forever, so it wouldn't really benefit me in the short term...

 

^ My pressure treated wood went 25 years in a very harsh environment. All the new construction is using composite, so I'm thinking to keep up with the Joneses, but use PT on the floor and composite on the seating and trim. I don't care what they say, trex is much more slippery to walk on than PT.

 

my old deck was at least 30 yrs... and it didn't look like it had any sealant on it...

 

I put in a trex deck about 7 years ago. Powerwash once or twice a year, that's it.

I've had very, very slight bowing in a few pieces, but no one else has noticed it. I see it mostly on the top of the rails, seems like the centers are starting to get a little raised...

I have a very slight mould issue in the spring only, only around the umbrella base under the table (shady, sometimes wet area). This is usually gone by may-early june and can be easily powerwashed off.

I haven't noticed any color fading at all, and I have both the tan and reddish color alternating planks. I recently made a planter out of some leftover boards, and I don't see any color difference with those, which sat in my garage since the deck was built.

I've never noticed it being slippery or hot. I walk barefoot on it in the rain, and hot summer days, no problem.

If you're going to put this on an existing frame, be careful. Trex is much heavier than normal wood, your beams / joists may not be designed for the extra weight.

Well worth the extra bucks.