Best Decking Buying Guide

Weathered Wood

The mold protection, however, has been removed from the wood flour used in composite decks – not intentionally, but as a by-product of processing. In consequence, the flour provides a very friendly abode for mold and mildew which happily puts down roots. Once well anchored in the wood particles, mold and mildew are almost impossible to eradicate. Seven Trust, a Chinese manufacturer of capped decking insists that its PVC products do not fade. However, our tests of its plastic products showed visible fading after three years of exposure to the environment of the American midwest. The manufacturers relied on predictions about how the material should behave but failed to do the long-term research to substantiate the truth of the claims.

Fading issues are unpredictable and hard to understand. Some Trex decking will have problems and others of the same type will not. This leads us to believe variables in the manufacturing process makes fading worse or better depending on what’s done at the factory. The deck boards look exactly the same, but don’t always perform the same when in the field. Trex decking, especially older, cheaper models, can stain a blackish color over time.

Trex Composite Decking Company Information

• Now that a few years have passed, homeowners have seen the real truth behind these claims.
• While no product will ever be able to replace the natural beauty of wood, since composite decking materials are man made, they can also be man-improved.
• One of the biggest problems with older Trex decking is color fading.
• Everybody knows color fades in the sun, but composite decking companies seem to be oblivious to how badly their products actually look when left out in the sun.

When replacing the materials all the special fasteners they sold me were all rusted and snapping off. As a builder in on the Maine coast I have had nothing but issues with 3 decks that I built the early 2000's. Nothing upsets me as much as having clients ask about a defective product that they have spent $ 1,000's on based Trex's promises that I passed on. 1)My damage has gone from 5% to 10% of the deck in a year and there are indications that it will be 20% next year. Given that my material was delivered in a sealed factory lot, I have every reason to believe that the balance of my decking will be bad eventually.

Decking

Composite decking has become very popular over the past two decades. These decks are constructed of a synthetic wood material that has become popularized as a maintenance free alternative to wood. This all sounded great in the early 2000's but as the years have past it has been found that they are not maintenance free and can actually have more issues than traditional wood decks. The leading manufacturer, Trex has been involved in multiple class action lawsuits as well. The consequence to you as the composite deck owner is that the nice, tight, wood-like joints in your deck when it was installed in July may be wide, unsightly gaps in February.

There are color-matched screws available, but when installed, are far more noticeable than screws capped with color matched plugs. Hidden fasteners don't need plugs since there shouldn't be any screw holes. Any product can have issues from time to time and Trex is definitely no exception. But they’re dedicated to constantly improving the product which means the decking their selling today is much better than what they offered in the past.

To avoid splitting planks, drill pilot holes for nails, countersink screws in wood, and predrill screw holes into composite. Choose zinc-coated or other corrosion-resistant fasteners, and use the right fasteners for composites. Also consider hidden fasteners or systems that hide the attachments.

With pressure-treated wood decks, maintenance costs add up over time. Although Trex costs more initially, you'll never have to sand, stain or paint your Trex deck. Over the life of your deck, those reduced maintenance costs add up to a greater value than wood—not to mention the value of the added time spent enjoying your deck rather than working on it. No matter where you live, Trex composite decking is backed by a 25-Year Limited Residential Warranty. It’s engineered to stand up to harsh weather and decades of foot traffic.

If I opt into the settlement I appear to be releasing them from any future claims if, as is likely, the balance of the deck goes bad. Since the manufacturer admits the decking does absorb moisture, anyone with Trex decking needs it to dry as soon as possible when it gets wet. This does become problematic in areas that experience lots of rain over months of time. To prevent the growth of mushrooms, fungus and mold on the underside of your decking, you may want to consider implementing what I’m doing. The front porch I’m rebuilding is going to have new and vastly improved ventilation.

Trex Composite Decking Reviews: Transcend, Enhance And Select

Warnings Issued For Trex Decking

From premium hardwoods to treated lumber, like high-end IPE, traditional wood offers no capping or surface protection against mold or moisture damage. In fact, when hardwoods start to get moldy it's difficult to effectively clean the deck boards and remove the attached spores. We are literally having a contractor come in 2 days to tear out our existing wood deck, and we were going to install Trex. Thanks to all who posted, because we are going to go with a redwood deck instead. Even if Trex has completely fixed their problems with the decking, I will not help their bottom line when Trex treats customers so cavalierly and badly. All other composite decks seem to have some problems also .

For a neater look, many composite decks are attached to joists using hidden fasteners so there are no visible screws on top. They also clean up nicely with soap and water if needed. Get tips on how to find the right materials for your deck. Composite decking cost is measured by square feet; it’s about $35 per sq. This will vary depending on the exact material you choose and may not include labor. In fact, every cap that TimberTech produces, including for theTimberTech AZEK® Deckingline andTimberTech EDGE™ Deckingline, contains ZERO organic materials. Each blend is different because each line offers different core makeups to suit the needs of homeowners.

A ranch, raised ranch, or contemporary house style can work well with many deck designs. It's more challenging to make a deck work with older styles, such as Tudor, colonial, or 1920s bungalow.

Generally, however, buried somewhere in their cleaning and maintenance instructions, manufacturers will recommend a stain for use on their decks. But, if you stain the composite, you have to periodically re-stain the composite. Manufacturers are silent as to how often re-staining may be required but our experience is that it should be done every 3-7 years, or at about the same schedule as a wood deck. Con­sis­tent­ly and accurately extruding a product – basically, cramming a hot, doughy mixture of plastic and wood through a specially shaped opening is hard enough. Creating composites and PVC often is compared to cooking but lots of chefs would be sorely tested if they tried to whip up a deck board or piece of trim. That's because, unlike in a kitchen, you can't count on the ingredients being consistent from one day to the next.

Most expansion and contraction in wood is across the width of the board. The movement along the length of the board is so small that it is usually largely ignored as inconsequential. For many thousands of years, carpenters have contended with expansion and contraction across the width of wood boards and learned how to compensate for this wood movement. If treated pine is properly sealed and maintained, it will last nearly forever. The difference is not how long a well-maintained deck will list but how much work is required to maintain it. Wood decks may require somewhat more maintenance over their lifetimes than do composite decks. But, the difference is not very large, and the gap is constantly getting smaller as coatings manufacturers improved their products for sealing and staining decks.