Composite decking

William Roscoe

New User
William
I'm replacing the deck at my beach cottage and I was thinking of using Trex from Lowes. Anybody have any experience using this stuff or other brands? I'm concerned about the constant sun and salt that it will be getting in that harsh environment.
 

Gofor

Mark
Corporate Member
My neighbor had Trex on his deck, but ended up removing it. It was very hot on bare feet, and during the hot days of summer, flexed quite a bit between the joists. I don't remember whether he had 16" or 24" oc, and he has since removed the deck, but think it was 24"oc joists.. Appearance wise it did hold up quite well. He did remark that he wasn't happy with the cost of the special fasteners when he installed it. This was not a salty environment, so not sure how those fasteners would hold up to that exposure.
 

tri4sale

Daniel
Corporate Member
I'm replacing the deck at my beach cottage and I was thinking of using Trex from Lowes. Anybody have any experience using this stuff or other brands? I'm concerned about the constant sun and salt that it will be getting in that harsh environment.

They are actually better in the harsh sun and salt then wood. Past couple of trips to beach I've noticed many municipalities are switching to composite materials on boardwalks. I'm not at the beach :( but the composite deck I built in 2011 has required zero maintenance except washing off the pollen every spring. Installed correctly, composite decking will last longer and with less maintenance then pressure treated wood. That's the upside. Down side is that they do fade over time, and they get much hotter than wood. Much hotter. Some days I can't step barefoot on my composite deck.

The boards flex much more than wood, and shouldn't be installed 24" on center. I'm getting ready to build a floating deck out of it, and I plan to go 12" on center for better support. My first deck I did a hidden fastener system, and it isn't cheap, but I got a ton of comments and compliments on the fact you can't see any screws when I built my deck. A lot of those are designed to screw into the side of the boards, but I used a system that has a metal sheet attached to joist, and you then screw up from the underside to hold the deck boards. http://www.shadoetrack.com/products/shadoeTrack.php If you do screw in from the top, composite material is bad for "mushrooming" where the screw goes in.

I also built a ramp to my shed nearly 15 years ago, using the composite boards. The joists have rotted out and need replacing, but the boards are fine, and will be reused when I replace the joists.

Cost is higher, with 8ft boards starting at $14.00 ($1.75 linear foot) and going up, up and up!! while a pressure treated 8ft board is $3.49 ($0.44 linear foot). So like many things the upfront cost is higher, but long term costs of maintenance are lower.
 

Jeff

New User
Jeff
We redid our wood deck several years ago using TimberTech composite and their hidden fasteners so there are no visible screws. It is expensive and hot on bare feet in full sun.

 

FlyingRon

Moderator
Ron
Trex is hot and it's also quite succeptable to staining if any kind of oil (such as salad dressing) gets on it. They warn you that it is more flexible than the equivalent sized wood lumber, so if you don't pay attention to the joist spacing, you can get a springy deck.
I'm not overly fond of ours. I
 

drw

Donn
Corporate Member
I installed Trex at my last house; compared to the pressure treated decking that I removed, I liked the composite materials MUCH better (it didn't buckle/curl/warp). That being said, the composite stuff isn't without its issues. It will stain, it will mildew and it will fade. I also, added additional joists (as I recall 16" OC), otherwise it much too springy.
 

William Roscoe

New User
William
We redid our wood deck several years ago using TimberTech composite and their hidden fasteners so there are no visible screws. It is expensive and hot on bare feet in full sun.

Do you think the TimberTech is a better choice?? Who sells it?
 

William Roscoe

New User
William
Thanks for the help guys. I'm going to space it 12" oc and I'm getting a very light gray color to help with the heat problem.
 

Gotcha6

Dennis
Staff member
Corporate Member
I replaced my deck a few years back with the gray from Lowe's. Although it does flex, mine is installed on 16" o.c. joists on a bias in most cases and it is holding up very well. Manufacturers recommend supports at 8" o.c. for steps. I'd much rather have the moderate heat issue as the splinters.........
 

Hjanes

Harlan
User
You're getting good advice. We chose an encapsulated composite from Moisture Shield to replace our wooden deck. Two years and all is well. Specs require no more than 16 in centers and we mounted some at 45 degrees which the specs require 12 in centers. And that has worked fine here downeast. It is hot in direct sunlight so the lighter color should help a bit. We used the hidden fasteners so the decking is smooth in appearance and feel. At the beach I'd check if the hidden fasteners will hold up to salty air. I did not check that out as I"m near freshwater. The marina in our community has used Ipe, a tropical wood with success for its floating dock system. It's holding up extremely well over time. After it weathers it's not too pretty, gets dark. And installation is tough as all screw holes have to be drilled. Very hard, dense material. But it's serviceable. I chose not to use it at my home, instead going with the synthetic. Good Luck, Harlan
 

ralitaco

Jim
Senior User
Ipe not LPE, its wood
Thank you. Ipe - If you’re considering ipe wood for a deck (or for siding, or for a fence), you probably already know that the smooth hardwood resembles mahogany and can last more than 50 years without needing replacement...thanks google
 

FlyingRon

Moderator
Ron
I've been doing a lot of stuff with Black Locust. It's available from a company called RobiDecking over in Winston-Salem. It's close enough that I just called them with my order and then by the time I got my truck over to their yard they had it ready and just forked it into the bed.
Here's the pool surround for the endless pool. I used their natural oil finish on it as well. Made some benches for the steam room as well.

185225
 

Barry W

Co-Director of Outreach
Barry
Corporate Member
We rebuilt and modified our deck a couple of years ago with Trex. We bought ours from a local building supply rather than from one of the big-box stores. Trex in made in several grades and the product we bought is one of the heavier grades in light gray. I recall that the contractor added additional floor joists but don't know if the main area is on 12" center, the steps are on 12" or less. We have had no sags and maintenance only involves washing with a mild cleaner and a soft brush. The only problem, minor one, is some of the exposed screws used on the picture frame have loosened, I only had to tighten them. The main area is installed with hidden fasteners which have caused no problem.
 

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