Composite or Plastic Decking?

[Virgil]

There are sooooo many brands of Composite and Plastic Decking materials
out there. I was wondering if you had a favorite or one that you think I
absolutely should not use. Right now I am thinking of EverGrain or Azek.
Your experience and advice would be greatly appreciated. (My deck is about
200 feet off of a tributary of the Chesapeak bay so wood is out. My pressure
treated lumber deck is only 10 years old and is totally splintered and beat up.)

[ERASMO]

Re: Composite or Plastic Decking?

Virgil
Somebody was telling me their was a sytem to retrofit over existing pressure treated without having to rip it up but I have not been able to find any info online.

[Virgil]

Re: Composite or Plastic Decking?

Thanks, but I am looking forward to the demolition. THAT I know I can do well!

[Jed]

Re: Composite or Plastic Decking?

Virgil,

I can't comment on the two brands you have listed. I've installed two decks with TREX, and have been happy with the results both times (after the TREX was in place, that stuff is heavy!).

My one issue with the stuff is that the grease splatters from the BBQ grill leave staining on the deck that is really quite permanent...

JED

[Virgil]

Re: Composite or Plastic Decking?

What I have read is that the pure plastics stain and mildew less than the composites.

[egalecki]

Re: Composite or Plastic Decking?

I have no idea what brand our composite decking is, but it was a fairly early model. It's faded a bit from the southern exposure. Otherwise, it's solid as a rock. No warping and no cracking. We use a pressure washer to clean it up when it needs it.

We use the brand 84 Lumber sells (not sure what it is, but not Trex) on new construction now- it's a different profile from the first varieties- has a sort of grooved bottom and a ridged top, and a more squared profile. It seems to go down better and so far it holds up very well. It doesn't heave nails and screws out. My husband says he won't go back to regular decking- both for sustainability reasons and ease of use!

[exceloven]

Re: Composite or Plastic Decking?

Virgil,
I am using Trex on my deck right now and have found it to work very well. One thing I can say is that my experience with Azek is that it shrinks and swells. Azek admits that. So if your deck has any joints Azek is not the product to use. That's my two sense.

Mark

[Virgil]

Re: Composite or Plastic Decking?

Thanks Mark.

[JAG]

Re: Composite or Plastic Decking?

Virgil,

Before going with non-wood decking check out IPE wood. It is a Brazilian walnut and the most incredible decking I have ever seen. I recently demolished my ailing red cedar deck and replaced it with IPE, patting myself on the back, going with IPE is probably one of the most brilliant things I have done.

The down side is that it is very expensive, carbide tipped tools are absolutely required and it needs to be pre-drilled when installing.

[christo]

Re: Composite or Plastic Decking?

I used IPE as the material to finish the benches in my patio project. It is very dense - it sinks in water. Will confirm the expensive comment, but love the way it looks.

A neighbor who is in insurance said that in our area it has the same fire rating as a concrete deck. I'd confirm this with local people if you are looking for a possible break on insurance.

I made several cuts and rips on my table and chop saws - all finished cleanly with no splintering. I also predrilled and piloted all my screw holes.

At the lumber yard where I got my wood - they have a variant with slots cut down each edge for use with hidden metal fasteners that engage with the slot and screw to the joists, elimiinating the need for most pilot hole drilling.

Christo

[Virgil]

Re: Composite or Plastic Decking?

Thanks. I will look into this but I know it is about twice the cost....

[gjbingham]

Re: Composite or Plastic Decking?

I used Choice Deck - sold by Lowes. 25 year warantee not to stain or rot. Mine looks like crap after 1.5 years. I think there's a class action suit working against the manufacturer of this stuff.

[Rob BU]

Re: Composite or Plastic Decking?

Trex is excellent.

I have done a big deck 3 years ago--looks great.

But recently came across DekStone and other such products--made from concrete based material. Lots of finishes, colors. You can choose one that lays across 4x4s (4x6s etc), or other kinds that have small "feet" to lay on a roof. Not cheap, but seems like a great product. They will send samples.

R

[edschmidt]

Re: Composite or Plastic Decking?

I am a contractor and have installed my share of composite decks. The real problem with these is the balance between wood and plastic content. There is one that menards cells with a high wood content and its hollow in the center. The problem is it stains like crazy. If a nail is left on it over night it will permanently stain the deck. Grease same thing and because its hollow you cant sand it very deep. It also stays wet and can tend to mold. On the other end of the spectrum theres high plastic content decks such as eon which are extremely slippery, and expand and contract way too much.

The only one I ever feel good about installing is trex, It seems to have a good balance between the two, and has been in this business a long time without changing there products every year to correct problems which seems to be the industry norm. I would stay away from all of the fancy hidden fastener systems as well. I find that they never hold well and allow the joists to move freely. I use the small stainless steel screws that mushroom the surface of the deck when they go in, then I just tap with a hammer and the material fills in the hole which was just created. Solid and hidden, and about 1/2 the price of those crappy systems.

With all that said I would not necessarily recommend any of these products. They all seem too expensive for what you get, there are still compromises. I would take my savings on High quality southern pine treated decking, and use it to pay people to clean and finish it every year.

My 2 cents.
Eddie

[gjbingham]

Re: Composite or Plastic Decking?

Eddie,
Thanks for the input. Nice to hear from someone who works with the products. You can't get southern pine around the NW. Too much Doug Fir at rock bottom prices these days. No need to ship in lumber from elsewhere.

G.