Replacing Deck - Advice from the experts?

[Kilgore Trout]

I figured decks are similar to flooring, so here we go:

I am looking to replace the boards on my deck. They were painted wood and some of the wood is starting to go south and rather than replace those boards, sand, and repaint, I figured I would just do it right and replace it all with composite - either Trex or Timbertech. The frame looks to be in great condition, so it is really just replacing the boards, and the top of the railing.

I have about 300 square feet to do, including about six steps.

So, my questions:

1. Trex or Timbertech? Any advice the right "line" to get from either company?

2. How much time will this take to do? I am relatively handy. I partially remodeled two of my bathrooms myself (new toilet, replaced some drywall, new vanity, etc) and redid all of the shelving in the closets, replaced the banisters, replaced all of the electrical outlets, installed new ceiling lights.... I have the right tools (drill, impact driver, miter saw).

3. Hidden fasteners or standard screws?

Any advice will be awesome! Thanks.

 

[351cmach]

I got rid of my pt decking and railings and replaced with Azek pvc decking with Timbertech railings. The benefit of using composite is the lack of maintenance except the occasional wash of the railings. Still looks great 2yrs later.


1. I used Azek (which also owns Timbertech). My local lumber yard carries Azek and Timbertech.


2.Laying the decking goes fairly quickly. About 10 min a board between retrieving it measuring it, cutting and screwing it down. Railing takes 45mins to an hour each section.


3. Hidden fasteners all the way. I used a combination of cortex and conceloc fasteners.


Good luck. Well worth the added expense

 

[vavet]

I used choicedek when I rebuilt my deck- it’s the lowes house brand.
Make sure the span rating for whatever material you use is compatible with what you have...or that you plan for it.
I remember having to add an additional stringer under the steps. I like the hidden fasteners, but I don’t know if it’s worth the additional work and expense. For the particular material and fastener system I used, I had to se a router to cut a groove in the edge of the boards. This added more time to the project.

It was a learning experience, but I ran into several things that cost me a lot of time and money. When I started, I figured I could make all my cuts with my circular saw and table saw and drive all my screws with a drill/driver. By the time I finished, I had a miter saw and my first impact driver,

 

[Greywarrior07]

I just wrapped up a 500 sqft timbertech deck. The biggest concern with putting composite over an existing structure is the joist spacing. I would not put composite on 16oc joist. The manufacture calls for that to be the max, but recommends 12oc, with 16" oc you will get a lot of flex and bounce.

1. I dont think you can go wrong with either, I used Timbertech Legacy Collection - Tigerwood and Pecan, it looks beautiful, With the Kona radiance rail express. It really comes down to what color you like.

2. Again the decking goes down fairly easy, however, if you get creative by putting a picture frame boarder around it really begins to take some time.

3. Hidden fasteners are forsure the way - I like the conceal loc by timbertech.


My other thoughts. Use a planer, if you dont have one buy or rent one. I bought one for 70 bucks. Use a level and string line to pull across your joist in the same direction your deck boards will be laid, find the high spots and knock them down. Composite loves to show any imperfections and can look wavy if the high spots are not knocked down.

Also, place Cofair Deck Tape on all the joist before you lay the composite.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008BMJRSK/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[larry_g]

I used manufactured decking and find it changed length quite drastically during the first couple of years with the hot and cold. So much so that the material I used for top railing sheared off the screws that I had holding it down. So allow for the changes in length with a fastening system that allows the boards to move. Also be aware that board width is not consistent. We found that 20' boards were ~1/8" narrower than the 12' boards. So a section of 20' butting up to section of 12' boards did not match up. We had to play with the spacing to get it to look right. Just some things to be aware of and may not be a problem with all brands.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[Pathfinders]

Look under your deck, all the wood should look new. Unscrew the deck boards, flip them over and screw back down. Tint a sealer and done.

 

[yeldogt]

First thing to do is check the spacing -- some products are fine with typical 16" spacing others will not work.

As far as attachment -- Again ... check the installation. The original non-wood products are now entry level .... the better products have 3 or 4 sides encapsulated -- with everything from modified wood product core to all plastic. They all have different recommendations about face attaching. Some clearly don't want you to do it -- others want the holes plugged.

my neighbor just had Zuri installed using the cortex system -- decking was expensive and the screws are mostly hidden. It was slower vs face nailing -- but they had three guys and about six of the cortex clamps.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

For spacing I will likely need to add some joists. I am pretty sure that I can handle that. It seems like hidden screws are the way to go, if nothing else since that seems to guarantee I get the spacing right!

Thanks for the heads up on the decking tape!

Any thoughts on how long it would take me to install the decking?

 

[TRWham]

Also look at TAMKO Envision. This product is molded rather than extruded and they claim it is stiffer than Trex or Azek. We did have a client use Timbertech on 16” centers and her’s does sag.

 

[yeldogt]

I just wrapped up a 500 sqft timbertech deck. The biggest concern with putting composite over an existing structure is the joist spacing. I would not put composite on 16oc joist. The manufacture calls for that to be the max, but recommends 12oc, with 16" oc you will get a lot of flex and bounce.

1. I dont think you can go wrong with either, I used Timbertech Legacy Collection - Tigerwood and Pecan, it looks beautiful, With the Kona radiance rail express. It really comes down to what color you like.

2. Again the decking goes down fairly easy, however, if you get creative by putting a picture frame boarder around it really begins to take some time.

3. Hidden fasteners are forsure the way - I like the conceal loc by timbertech.


My other thoughts. Use a planer, if you dont have one buy or rent one. I bought one for 70 bucks. Use a level and string line to pull across your joist in the same direction your deck boards will be laid, find the high spots and knock them down. Composite loves to show any imperfections and can look wavy if the high spots are not knocked down.

Also, place Cofair Deck Tape on all the joist before you lay the composite.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008BMJRSK/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I wonder about this stuff .. it seems that it could trap moisture under the decking -- and the 3 sided stuff does not like that.

Maybe because the newer PT is junk?

I just ripped off part of an old cedar deck and the structure under it looks perfect

 

[wmblanken]

Another vote for Azek. We did Kona with a black wrought iron railing. Looks awesome. For fasteners, I did not like the idea of the clips, so used a hidden screw system calls camo. Worked great for me and it has a built in spacer on the tool that is handy.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Why Azek? I have read good things, but what put you on that path?

 

[yeldogt]

Azek made a name making PVC trim -- used it at my beach house. The trim is white and has never required anything. They make full PVC decking --

What you have to understand is the original products ... like Trex. Are a wood based product -- it's sawdust and resins. They can not be in contact with the ground or be installed where the underside will stay damp -- like a ground level deck. From the original Trex products -- the industry moved to more plastic and finally all plastic ... the move up from that was to take the plastic core and cover it with a picture (like inside laminate) wrap. Take a look at Zuri. Most of the products have a wrap today -- because the original Trex was not perfect by a long shot. Some are 3 sided ..some 4. different thickness -- different material -- better looking. This all comes into play. Most of the plastics tell you not to to put thing one them .. like a rubber mat at a door .. you have to fully read the information after you decide on a product and before you order.

What you need to understand is that there all these levels within a given name -- all designed to work or look better.

I need to fix a ground level deck -- with little ventilation ..I'm stuck using the full plastic products.

 

[Copymutt]

The lack of having to do maintenance is a wonderful think.
Just two things to add. If your deck will get blasted by the sun you probably won't be in bare feet. All my decks are covered.
Any wood trim bits can effectively be made maintenance free w/ One Time Wood.
Jim

 

[wmblanken]

I went with Azek on recommendation of a friend that builds custom homes. He had problems with some of the other brands and said the Azek always looks good and hold up. My wife and I then went to the building supply store that carried all of the brands. We liked that Azek was not plastic trying to look like wood. It's more subtle with just a little bit of wood grain, but no "plastic wrapper". Others have that "fake wood look" that we did not care for. Finally, Azek came in a color we really liked.