composite decking

[katmat]

I have a lake home in S.W. Michigan. It has a large wood deck that the previous owner put "Restore" on it. The framing of the deck is in good shape & I am looking at putting a composite material down. Looking for some ideas. Has anyone found a manufacturer that sells direct?
Thanks
Matt

 

[vavet]

I used ChoiceDek (Lowe's house brand). It's held up well. It is not a drop in replacement for wood decking. I had to add two additional stringers for my stairs to provide the required support.
There was something else weird that required me to move one of the rails inward, reducing the useable area of the deck. I can't remember what it was exactly.

Just read the installation instructions carefully before starting to know where you'll have to make changes.

 

[larry_g]

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=310079

I had the above experience and looking back a year later I cannot recommend the product I have. It is warping and not looking good.

A couple of things that you have to take into consideration;

This material expands and contracts and you have to allow for it. On the first installation I had some 20' long pieces and they would change length 3/4" or more over the seasons. On the new deck 12' boards are the longest.

This is not strong material and if you have 16" spacing on the joists I would expect some flex. I have 12" spacing and have had no problems.

These boards are not a consistent width. They can vary 1/8"-3/16" from lot to lot. So if you have sections that **** up against another the spacing lines may not line up. You can see in the picture below how we fudged the spacing in the two different sections.

View media item 60508

Another picture is in my album http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/album.php?albumid=4150&page=2

Good luck with your project and read the instructions esp. about sealing the cut ends.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[rlitman]

You also need to use a fastening system that accounts for the thermal expansion and contraction by allowing movement without buckling the deck.

Then there's the issue with fading in the sun.

 

[ford33]

I have composite decking (TREX) on an otherwise all wood deck. The deck is 16 years old. I like the composite decking in general. The nice thing about composite is that it does not twist, cup, splinter and therefore stays nice and flat and I don't worry about walking on it while barefoot. It also stays relatively cool in the summer. It does require joists to be 12" on center and not 16" centers due to the flexibility of the material. Build cost is slightly higher.

What I don't like about it is that TREX stains easily and requires yearly deep cleaning. The winter snow and rains results in a wet deck that promotes mold and retention of dirt deep into the wood composite. In spring, I perform a deep cleaning with bleach solution and a stiff brush and a pressure washer. Then I seal it. It is a weekend job. By late summer, the stains re-appear and the dirt shows in areas where we walk. By the fall the decking looks poorly maintained. If I have the time I will go over it again in late summer with a pressure washer set on low.

TREX has changed their product over the years and perhaps it is better. But I would caution you to be alert to these issues with any composite product using natural wood fiber or allows water to be adsorbed into the material.

 

[Garage Flooring]

Please be careful here, NOT all composite decking is made the same. Some looks identical and some does not, but there are huge differences between them. Look at it from the side. You should be able to see two layers. The top layer should be more dense, likely a PVC and not absorb much. The interior layer should be the typical composite.

Buy a known brand. These products have all had issues, but companies like Trex have stood behind them. Try and contact the local distributor IG BOISE and talk to their salesperson about your needs

 

[terry603]

I don't remember the brand, but, when I checked for a permit, the town told me the name of a brand that did not meet their code
may want to check with your town about this

 

[Cougar]

Subscribed.
I need to replace some cedar decking.

 

[Scott H in Wheaton]

I used Veranda for my 40 ft long front porch. Mostly shaded, 8 yrs old, no problems at all.

I also used Veranda to build a 10x10 patio outside a French door. Joists were set at grade level on Deck Bloks concrete piers. No movement or shifting of the frame, but I made the mistake of spacing the joists on 6" centers and then installing the decking at 45 degree angle. Looks great but is a little bouncy. Read the directions later and noticed it said to use 12" on center if you were angling the boards.

For the back deck/breezeway I used the same stuff, framing is 12" on center and there are no issues with the decking.

 

[mechanic217]

! used Trex on a small side deck and it has held up well structurally but, mold grows on it when shaded and it does get hot in the direct sun so watch out with bare feet, this is a gray color other colors may make a difference.

 

[kd3pc]

trex and many others get really hot in the marina/dock arena during the summer months. As indicated above, most require special instructions and closer support than 16" on centers.

Can be expensive. Don't cut corners on quality of the material.

 

[Fishn1]

Not sure of brand I have, a contractor installed it. My deck is in direct sun, gets so hot in the summer can’t use the deck, and walking barefoot in sun forget it, it gets that hot.

 

[jkeyser14]

My suggestion is to get samples of a few different brands so you can compare how they are made. We looked at 5-6 different brands and went with the one that had the thickest, most scratch resistant outer layer. So get samples, look at how thick the outer layer is, and drag a piece of sandpaper or a knife across all of them and compare the results.

 

[Skiff Builder]

I built a small 6x6 fixed dock off a bulkhead using Wolf PVC decking. Five years old now.
Positives
It has held up remarkably well.
Not slippery, not hot in sun /bare feet. Light tan color.
No noticeable fade. Stays cleaner than the other wood and fiberglass decks on property.

Negatives
It grows and shrinks with temps.Keep in mind for trim boards.
Be careful when surface fastening.Use proper screws to prevent mushrooming.
It might look bland if used on a large area.
Cost was about $5 a sq ft. In the long run it may turn out to be the best value??

I still like wood. Looking at Black Locust for decking.That is nice material.

 

[CitadelBlue]

I went to Lowes and got their top of the line Trex decking ..Tiki torch is the color about $90 for 20 ft board, $70 for a 16ft board and $54 for a 12 ft. Another $200plus for their hidden fastners and a few bucks for a new blade for my saw. My joists are 16in but I doubled most of them with the better deck boards. Deck is pretty solid..no bounce. Since I did this in Nov and Dec 2019, I m waiting till it gets warmer to see just how much it expands.

 

[NewShockerGuy]

When we had our deck redone while getting a patio installed along with front walkway and porch. The installer used Evergrain Envision brand. We got the spiced teak and it's awesome. Looks soooo much nicer than the wood that used to be there.

No more staining or getting splinters in your foot.

I will get pictures when I go home and post up.
Couple things I do NOT like about composite decks:
1. When the sun hits them and you walk out on bare feet it hurts. Very hot. Think of bare feet at the beach on sand.
2. When it rains the water just stays on top of the composite material. Where as before with wood it would absorb/go away much faster.
3. It still needs cleaned. IE: I still have to power wash it because the back doesn't get a ton of sun so green appears on top. Super easy to power wash it off, but it's not a install and forget it type of deal. Still needs to be cleaned from time to time.

I was not aware of the non visible fastener system at the time or I would have choose that over them putting the manufacture's specific screws into it. This is merely cosmetics but now looking back it would have been nice to just see the planks of wood rather than the screws on top as well. No biggie though honestly.

I believe the stuff we got has a 25 year warranty so in that aspect I'll be old or dead if something happens...lol

-Nigel

 

[rlitman]

...I was not aware of the non visible fastener system at the time or I would have choose that over them putting the manufacture's specific screws into it. This is merely cosmetics but ...

It isn't merely cosmetic. Composite decking expands and contracts a lot in length over changes in temperature, unlike wood. Hidden fasteners are designed to allow for plank movement. Screwed down composite decks run the risk of buckling. Particularly when the planks are long.

 

[jake00]

My deck is Azek, installed it in 2007. It was pricey, way more expensive than the other brands listed but looks like new, doesn’t get too hot to not walk on etc...