Composite Decking

Avoid Improper Decking Gaps

When composites came out they were touted as never staining, never needing maintenance, and never fading. 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. Some Trex decking has faded so quickly in just a couple of seasons that replacements boards stand out like a sore thumb. Color fading is something the company knows about and acknowledges.

This is due to an improper amount of bounding agent and antioxidant added to the composite material. Ultimately, the wood fiber absorbs moisture with UV together which causes the composite decking to decay, crumble, deteriorate, and rot.

For wood decking, the remedy for would is cleaning and re staining. Composite decking requires using special cleaning chemicals that will kill the mold and remove some of the finish. This will leave the decking more porous and susceptible to more mold growth. This can happen in many ways but the most common is just the daily use of the deck.

Trex Company, Inc

As my father used to say, quality remains long after the price is forgotten. Fiberon, trex, Timbertech composites are all horrible. Don’t be fooled by the contractors on here saying it’s not what it used to be. New names every year and ground breaking technology every year. Inside is wood fillers and recycled milk jugs, garbage bags etc. outside is a cheap “vinyl” capstock. It won’t cover any of it due to weather conditions.

Any more information from anyone who has had success getting their deck replaced is welcomed. to keep it looking good throughout the years, much like washing your car. For early generation composite decking , periodic cleaning with a deck wash is required. Trex high-performance decking require less work - a simple soap and water cleaning is all that is necessary to maintain the beauty of the products. is a revolutionary steel deck framing system that provides a stronger, straighter, safer and smarter foundation for Trex high-performance decking and railing products.

Here’s a detailed review about composite decking, including how to choose the best boards, comparing costs, as well as installing and cleaning them. If you’ve founds some winners here then share them with us. For me, I’m not comfortable trusting the same companies who told us 20 years ago that their product was foolproof and failed that now they’ve REALLY made it foolproof. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. I’m in the mid-atlantic and have replaced both of my decks — beach and suburbs – with Zuri. Even buying the best cedar and finishing both sides — 10 years it was a mess.

Wood And Composite Decking Review: Pros And Cons

Although some capstock and plastic deck manufacturersNote 1 insist that their products do not fade, the empirical evidence is to the contrary. I recently was on a home inspection for a home that was approximately 10 years old. During the inspection I was looking at 2 decks that were part of the home. These decks were constructed of a composite wood material that has become popularized as a maintenance free alternative to wood.

I took off the PT after 4 years and put down the Zuri … down about 5 years now. It’s strong enough to span the 16″ on a very solid structure. It’s 100 percent PVC and it’s equipped with an ASA capstock as well. Even though it’s the PVC and ASA, it’s what’s in the mix of the product. They have a nice wood grain texture but not as pronounced but still nice.

I was excited about having something touted as being “maintenance free.” Over the years I have power washed it to keep the vegetation (moss? algae?) at bay. Mind you, I was never really told how to maintain it . For the most part it has held up well and we have enjoyed the deck.

Sided Capped Board

5 Great Deck Materials - Popular Mechanics

The Materials for Making a Modern Deck

It could be also a total disaster if you can’t get the exact same deck board because in that case you’d have to replace all the decking. A wood deck gets hot enough so that walking barefoot is mildly uncomfortable. All composites and plastics get hotter than wood – some get hotter than concrete. Dense materials retain more heat and get hotter than less dense materials.

Certainteed, for example, allows only that its EverNew® 20 decking offers "weatherable low-maintenance design…". This is a Trex composite but most non-capstock composite decking materials have this problem to some degree.

It’s offered in nine rich colors including Earth Tones with deep wood grains. Transcend also meets the ASTIM E84 Class B fire-resistance rating, as required by the California State Fire Marshal. You can find Trex composite decking in 6,700 retail locations around the world, including Home Depot and Lowe’s. Trex also sells composite decking to wholesale distributors, who then sell the products to retail lumber outlets.

On the Jersey Shore, where Hurricane Sandy turned many of the area's fabled boardwalks into driftwood, oceanfront communities are rebuilding, and some are choosing composites over wood. initially planned to use Ipe, a tropical hardwood found in the Amazon rainforest. But environmental groups including the Sierra Club encouraged the towns to go with composite decking. After the decision, some critics noted that Ipe can be sourced from sustainably-harvested forests, and they offered the opinion that it will outlast composite decking. That’s why these seaside boardwalks will be under the building industry’s microscope in the years ahead. Currently there is additional bad news for the composite decking industry regarding Trex decking and their latest multi-million dollar class action mold lawsuit. It is absolutely true that all decks and decking materials have some susceptibility to mold and mold related issues.

• While composite decking is known for being a step up from wood decking, not all boards are created equal.
• Capped polymer and 4-sided capped composite decking provide homeowners with a great alternative to traditional composite and wood decks that are susceptible to mold and mildew.
• There are different composite products on the market and the availability of these products may vary depending on your location.
• Although several features determine an ideal deck design, the overall style of a deck is dictated by the actual deck materials.
• Most composite decks are manufactured from the by-products of wood such as wood chips, sawdust, and recycled plastic materials.
• Composite decks have become popular over the past years as the price range of decking boards continue to rise over time.

Decking Buying Guide

Common complaints from homeowners include their composite decking board swelling, shifting, warping, and shrinking. The texture of the surface of the boards and the very rough surface of uncapped ends can easily hold water within its grooves. Since the water doesn’t quite absorb, it becomes stagnant, with the moisture finally causing mold to develop. Despite composite being “low care”, homeowners living in humid/wet regions might find them having to clean their decks excessively to control mold, fungus, algae, or moss growth.