Composite decking?

[Gofor]

I am in the planning stage for refurbishing my 16' x 24' deck. It needs some major repairs due to borer bees (and the pileated woodpecker damage when feasting on the larva) as well as UV/moisture damage on the deck boards.. Due to the lessening quality of treated lumber and the continuing maintenance of wood, I am considering composites. I do know that as a minimum, I will have to replace a couple of the headers and the majority of the deck boards. The 8' x 16' section that is always shaded is still in satisfactory shape, but the 16' x 16' section that receives full sun is getting well deteriorated. Part of the dilemma is that 4' of the deteriorated area is on 12' boards coming from the shaded area, so I will have to replace the entire boards. I plan to undertake this endeavor this fall after the temps drop some so have some time to consider the options.

I am looking for recommendations as to the best material/brand names to use. Feel free to offer pros and cons, because I haven't worked with composite materials for construction. I haven't looked at other wood alternatives yet, but will consider them also at this stage.

My goal is for a relatively maintenance free deck that will last for more than 10 years without major refinishing, etc.

I will appreciate any insight.

 

[Echd]

Most composite decking manufacturers will spec a much closer span between supporting joists than a traditional wood deck will have, so you will likely need to add reinforcement.

It is also EXTREMELY hot to stand on, especially if you're bare foot or your dog walks out there.

 

[1075tech]

What he said. Very hot to stand on with bare feet.

That said, My last deck was done with Trex using hidden fasteners. I used standard boards and color matched screws to picture frame the edges to hide the cut ends.

16" OC is fine for the deck as long as you are running the boards 90* to the joists. If you do a 45* run, you'll need to go 12" OC. Closer won't hurt. I made my stairs 4' wide and 12" deep. This necessitated using 4 stringers for the stairs. I used the standard boards and color matched screws here as well.

At some point, I will need to redo my deck here. I will likely use the same but I have to redo some of the support underneath.

 

[MikeMen]

I redid my deck a couple of years ago with the Trex decking. The joists are on 16" centers and it hasn't presented a problem. I even have a heavy gas BBQ grill sitting on points between the joists and don't see any deflection. I used the invisible fasteners for the boards and did a picture frame around the perimeter with deck screws. I also used a sealer tape on the top edge of the joists to cover over the old nail holes keeping out water.

My deck is in the shade in the afternoons so I don't have a problem with the temperature. If I needed to go out in the morning when it is in sunlight, I would wear shoes or sneakers if it wwas too hot.

 

[JimD]

I did an open deck on my last house with Trex and we liked it other than it being hot when in the sun. I was supporting it on 16 inch centers so Trex worked fine. On my current house I have a large dock. I postponed replacing the pressure treated wood deck boards by flipping them over. They were sun bleached and had some splits but were structurally OK. Might be something to consider if your boards are not too far gone.

 

[Rwe2156]

We redid our porch (12x20) with Trex. I did 12” OC joists on the recommendation of my building contractor friend. Composite is more flexible than wood.

One decision you will face is attachment. There are several types of hidden fasteners, from proprietary to others like Camo. My issue with them is they left gaps that are too wide for my liking. We ended up face screwing the boards. Had to do over I would use plugs, which I didn’t know about at the time.

The other thing I found out about later is running black duct tape on top of the joists. Not an issue since my gaps are 3/32, but with hidden fasteners a lot if the joist is going to show.

Also, a perimeter board to cover the ends + mitered corners require some forethought on framing.

 

[Cuprousworks]

Another satisfied Trex user. There were (at least) two grades of Trex, the premium version is ok for 16" centers. We were replacing joists and my contractor didn't see any need for them to be closer than that. Not sure what invisible fastening system he used but the spacing seems normal. He showed me a couple of the face screw plugs he used and they're invisible as well. We chose a light gray color, maybe it's less direct sun or the lighter color but we haven't had a problem with surface temperature.

 

[Martin Roper]

When I demoed my old deck I found the joists to be in great shape so I didn't change them. I did run joist tape over them though.

The joists were 16" OC and if I had it to do over again I would've taken the time to relocate the joists to 12" OC. There are places that are a too springy for my liking. I did have to rebuild a landing on which I did use 12" OC and it's as solid as a rock.

 

[Wilsoncb]

I wonder if a pollinator house would draw the borer bees away from the deck, or just attract more of them?

 

[Gofor]

Good points. Thank you. I have flipped the boards once, so it is now time for replacement. As for heat, I would be going with the light grey, as it would match the landing on my shed. Hopefully that will work. The wife is barefoot most of the time when going out onto the deck.

I plan to use the damaged boards to build an attractor (pollinator house) after the rebuild. It will be placed about 20' away from the deckI am also thinking about covering the bottom edge with flashing to prevent them from drilling in to the new boards. All the current holes are in the very bottom edge.

Thank you, all.

 

[mighty_fine_sawdust]

We used duxxback at our new home. Been in the home for two months now. Love it so far. duxxbakdecking.com