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GRN69CHV

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Looking into replacing the Cedar Deck on the back of the house. A little familiar with Trex, but there are quite a few other similiar available. One that I have seen is Timber Tech. Do any of you have any first hand experience with these or similiar products. Also going to be replacing all my railings.
 
#2 ·
We had a Vinyl deck put in. I've got a whole ton of pictures of what it looked like, as it went in. Let me know and I'll e-mail them to you, just let me know what file size your email can handle. I can put them in a word document, and dump that into an acrobat distiller too (makes a smaller file size).

PS - the individual digital pictures run about 400 kb each.
 
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#3 ·
I'm building a deck as well. Going with Trex. If you call them they will send contractor and homeowner catalogs, info and samples.

A friend used evergrain and is very satisfied about a year later so far.

I went with trex due to reputation and availability...and my porch was done in trex when we built the house, so the deck will match.
 
#4 ·
One thing to consider with composition decking when replacing an old deck is whether your framing is sufficient for composition. When I built my last deck (about 6 years ago and trex was still a relatively new product) the recommended spacing for floor joists was significantly closer than what I had to use (although I ran 2x6 deck boards over 4x joists so I was able to go a lot further center to center than with standard 5/4 decking).
 
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#5 ·
Rod is correct. Composit deck boards - any brand, are not as stiff as wood when comparing the same size.

Honestly, I can't recall the name of the composit I used (Choice Deck maybe) - the gray colored stuff they sell at Depot. Nice looking stuff - wood grained and all. They recomended a minimum of 16" OC for the joists. Since the old deck was framed with 2X10's 24" OC I simply added new 2X10's between the old ones and ended up with 12" OC. Just stable enough. IMO, 16 OC would not be adequate - too much bounce between the joists.

Another consideration for you. Since the composits are not as stiff as wood the top plane of the joists needs to be very flat. If they arn't the resulting deck surface will be very wavy. You can get away with this a bit more with wood because each peice is different from the next which distracts the eye. Composits boards are identical. Also look into what fasteners you should use. Most composits are dense enought that driving nails into it will be quite a challenge. Some composits are so dense you may have to pre-drill. I pre-drilled and used SS screws with a very small finish head. The boards mushroomed a little when the head went in but a tap or two with a hammer flattens the mushrooms. Unless you really LOOK for the holes you can't see them. They do make some rather nice screws now that require no pre-drilling, leave no mushroom, and come in different colors.

Composits - due to the plastic in them, tend to get hotter than wood. Obviously, dark composits will get hotter than lighter colored ones. Depending on your deck's exposure you may want to consider this issue.

Some composit manufacturers - I think Trex is one, produce composit railing material if you wally want to match the railing to the deck surface. None of the composits, however, are rated as structual material so the produced railing my end up feeling a little whimpy. I used regular pressure treated pine for my railing, painted the majority of it but capped the top rail with the composit to visually tie the railing to the deck.

Finally, don't let anyone tell you they are maintenance free. They will stain from leaves, the color will lighten with exposure to the sun. They will grow a little mold. Like any deck surface, depending on it's exposure, you will have to clean it. I have to PW mine every season.

Happy to snap some pics if you'd like.

Dan
 
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#6 ·
I Worked For G.p. For 13 Years, Stiffness Is Not The Factor, It's The Weight, Pure And Simple. Trex And Other Products Are Far Heavier Than Wood (unless The Wood Is Really Wet). These Products Are Great. If You Take A 20ft. Piece Of Fir And A 20ft. Piece Of Trex And They Are The Same Weight, They Flex Almost The Same. But In The Long Run, The Trex Will Not Hold Water And Is Far Supierior For Decking And Rails. Good Luck, It'll Look Great When Done.
 
#7 ·
Stiffness, weight - whatever, perhaps I used the wrong wording. I completely agree - solid composits are heavier than the same sized wood board.

Not trying to dispute what you state Black, but a 5/4 wood board is going to flex less than a 5/4 composit board given the same span.

I also agree that Trex, as well as some of the other composits, are great products with lots of advantages.

I don't like composits for railings though because railing sections typically measure several feet between support posts (3, 4, 5, 6 feet between posts is very common) and they will sag if not supported with blocks between the bottom rail and the deck. I've witnessed this with my own orbs.

The flex and sag is one of the reasons the composits are not allowed as structural members.

Dan
 
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#8 ·
So those who do have the composite material, are you satisfied? Would you do it again? How does overall cost compare with wood (installation, fasteners, etc)?
 
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#9 ·
I used they grey Trex. I like it, but follow the directions and space it correctly. It will swell when hot. Luckily I'm in the building materials business or it would have been a little pricey.
 
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Discussion starter · #10 ·
The deck spacing is 16" OC, already looked into that. I built it in 1989. Framing is 2 x 12's PT. still in great shape. The cedar looked great for the first 7-8 years but now has gotten so beat up that it just plain looks like crap. I finally applied a solid stain to it 3 years ago to get by, but it needs to come up now. Around here either Trex or TimberTech are going for about 34-35.00 per 16' length. How does that compare? Timber Tech railing system is nice and appears to somewhat stout, the last thing I want to have to do is deal with painting ballasters again.

Thanks for the input.
 
#11 ·
I believe an ave of $2 a foot with Trex is normal. A railing system that I am going with is PVC composite. You install 4x4 posts as normal but then 'sleeve' them with pvc post covers and the rails and baulesters in between. Its strong because of the real 4x4 posts and mainenance free. One brand is Fairway Vinyl Systems, havn't checked prices yet.
 
Discussion starter · #12 ·
Took a good look at it last night, definitely going to start pulloing up old decking over the weekend. Didn't want to do this right now, but might as well get it over with. I was looking at a similiar rail system with sleeve over std 4x4 post and like that also. Right now I have all cedar 4x4 posts installed and can reuse most of them (have to double check the ht). Either way, the posts are the least of it. I have several offsets along the face of the deck that I may delete while at it, also may extend the table area a couple of feet while at it. No big deal, just means the Chevelle sits for another month. Good part will be more free time when done. As much as I like the look of a real wood deck, it's amazing how much more work this has become as the surface has deteriorated. Seems like I was getting 4 years in between major upkeep, now it barely gets through one year that it looks like heck.
 
#13 ·
I used "Ultra Deck" a few years ago, available at Menard's in this area. Right now it runs about $1.19 - $1.79/ft. Biggest problem I had was that all holes had to be drilled and countersunk, and I broke 6 countersink bits. The heat from the bit would make the material build up on the bit. I didn't use the rail system cuz I just built a "patio deck". It does need cleaning yearly, and they say it doesn't need to be stained but if you CHOOSE to stain it, it will need to be restained as wood decking would. Built mine on 12 inch centers to make sure it would support the weight of a hot tub. So far, no problem with waviness or anything. I like mine, and would recommend it.
 
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#14 ·
I should elaborate. Our vinyl deck is "extruded" vinyl ... meaning if you cut it and look at the cut, the shape is not rectangular. The 4x4 corner posts and horizontal railings (which are also vinyl) have heavy gauge steel liners for strength. Still has to go on top of a traditional wooden structure.

We went with a 12 foot by 38 footer, and it ended up costing us about $7000. It was well worth it, IMHO. Yeah, sure, I have to pressure wash it a couple of times a year ... but that's alot less time spent on maintenance than with a wood deck. Oh yeah, I was just reminded of a downside to composite/vinyl decking materials ... we have our grills (1 charcoal and 1 gas) on the deck. I was trying to fire up the charcoal grill, and it wasn't cooperating. It was just about burnt out, so I was squirting starter fluid into the charcoal again. Starter fluid container was running out ... charcoal flared up ... stream of starter fluid IGNITED up to the spout ... so, I threw it away from myself and the deck ... Ran out to the lawn to stomp out the fire, and failed to notice that a blob of flaming liquid had dropped from the thrown bottle ... right on the vinyl deck. Now, I've got a baseball sized melted spot.

Like I said, I've got LOTS of pictures of it being built (how it goes together), and completed. Anyone who wants a looksee, just let me know and I'll whip up an acrobat document or two that should be dialup email friendly.
 
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#18 ·
Yes, I like mine and would do a composit deck again.

You do have to clean it but that's about it. No cracks, splinters, warps, checks, bows, or cupping. Because the composits are somewhat flexible you do need to ensure you get the first row on nice and straight (perpendicular to the joists if you're running them that way).

They will stain, and burn - carefull with the grill as noted above. You won't get grease stains out of the stuff very easily, or completely.

A note about extruded decking. Because it's extruded you do need to plan for the finishing details, meaning - how to cover the exposed ends.

Joe, if you are considering 5/4 type material you may find that 16" OC is just adequate. Before you commit to it, buy and lay 4 or 5 boards down on your structure and walk on it. No need to screw them in because the screw aren't going to help much at all. Trex will be fine at 16 OC cuz it's considerably thicker than 5/4 material. However, if your current deck is 5/4 boards then using thicker material may cause height/interference problems at doors and steps. Just tryin to give ya some things to think about.

When I did mine 4 years ago I think the stuff I used was about 20-25 % more than wood in the same size. Cost differential is probably less now.

Dan
 
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#19 ·
Joe, I just received my latest copy of Fine Homebuilding magazine and there's a pretty big article on - you guessed it, composit decking.

If you haven't already pulled the trigger on this stuff it might be worth a read.

Dan
 
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GRN69CHV
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