Replies

1. 
   s._collins | Apr 22, 1999 05:53am | #1

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   Two years ago i put trex on my own deck using the deck master system. not only has it weathered well but it looks great. the cost and time it took to install was well worth it. When ever i do a deck for someone i recommend using it, most people seem reseptive to the idea until they see the price. That is the only real draw back.

2. 
   Guest_ | Apr 22, 1999 07:07am | #2

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   Hate it, sunbleaches and then you can't stain it. Structural integrity fades as temperature rises, screws suck in...Horrible. Fred put it best...Garbage.

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   Guest_ | Apr 22, 1999 09:42am | #3

   *Hmm, I wonder why the difference in views. Trex actually says to wait for the sunbleach, then stain? It does soften with heat, but at a conservative span (2x stock) it hasn't seemed a problem. It behaved fine when i installed it, and wood would've had its own problems, such as warpage and splitting. I think the product is fine, though it is hardly the end all and be all. It does not sound wise to stain it -- kind of like painting vinyl siding.Doesn't mean i wouldn't like a teak deck.I'll post a picture -- once I make up my mind on the *&^)*(! railing design.

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 22, 1999 10:21am | #4

   *Well, 2 up and 2 down...I'm with Andrew and Collins.... but with a qualifier, which may explain the differences:1. TREX is NOT wood. It doesn't have the emotional feel of a natural wood product.2. Since it is so monochromic and homogeneous in texture, any surface fasteners will be very visible. THis is especially disconcerting on unusual shaped decks where the joist pattern is telegraphed. Wood, with grain and knots, tends to hide the fasterners. Also, wood don't "pucker".3. The deck design and edge/fascia details need to be though out. Mixed material (wood and trex) can look funky. A Trex deck on a rambling ranch w/ redwood planters and benches is different than on a stucco contemporary with integrated stucco walls for the deck.4. TREX is available in multiple colors, but the standard grey is the lightest. Still, given the homogeneity, all colors will show fasteners.I've used TREX in an area where air temperatures are 110F and surface temps are...higher...perhaps 120-130? Yes, it does expand (only length, width not perceptable) but I can't notice any structural defects. Don't exceed 16" OC with joists perpendicular.Material Cost wise I find it competitive with high quality redwood (the standard here in CA). $1.50 or so per foot, versus $1.00 for Construction Heart or Deck Heart. Finish it twice and its a wash. BUT, add Deckmasters and its way more, primarily labor.BTW, if you are using redwood, try to find a "deckheart" or equivalent grade if you are doing heart as compared to Con Heart. The former is surfaced dry, and has tighter knots. Looks much nicer right off the bat.Big Hint: Watch the lotcodes and color matches on TREX. There is color variations that don't show up till after weathering:)Hey, use both, but use em on the right project!

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 22, 1999 06:48pm | #5

   *The redwood you use -- is it all old growth or do they farm the stuff? How much sapwood gets into it?On cost, Trex was at cedar/redwood levels, but didn't need the watersealing treatments. Rather than treat it as "fake wood" I am trying to use other unusual materials so that the trex is just one element of the look. Such as copper pipe and stainless cable for rails, cypress top rails (stained or varnished i don't know yet), etc. And trex is more amenable to weird layouts, you can bend it easily too.Adam is right that deckmaster is a good idea with Trex. I used glue and underspanned it too; the deck feels rock solid. you can get those Phillips Deckmate(?) ceramic screws in a pale color, maybe that would help with top fastening. I'd like to try using adhesive and a couple stainless finish nails on a mini-project I'm contemplating for a neighbor. Because it doesn't warp, I think it would be more likely to stay fast than regular wood.

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 23, 1999 06:47am | #6

   *Andrew, We used stainleess steel siding nails on the last 2 trex decks. The small head looks great, and the ring shank holds good, but all hand nailed. I'm like you why not SS trim nails in the old finish gun, shot in at opposing angles ( /).

2. 
   Guest_ | Apr 23, 1999 08:46am | #7

   *OK, you go first. :) Actually, I plan to do a freebie job for an elderly neighbor's stoop, I'll experiment on him. (Carefully.)I think I'll stick to screws for stair treads.

3. 
   Guest_ | Apr 23, 1999 08:58am | #8

   *Whats "old growth"?Seriously, not much available unless you recycle old timbers. Most of it is "farmed" or as Georgia Pacific sez " from managed forests" . Quality is good. I usually see NO sapwood in the heart grades (if the lumber is graded right, none is allowed).I think we see eye to eye on the use...it needs to be appropriate to the application.BTW, I assume you all have see the drop dead deck in the last FHB. its a Trex advertisment. The TREX is used to curve around the deck as it wraps the cliffs above the ocean. Damn, the steel underpinning on that deck probably would cost what a nice house runs around here.

4. 
   Guest_ | Apr 23, 1999 08:31pm | #9

   *A friend of mine installed Trex in the front of his house last year. So far it looks great. It faded to a ligth gray color which happens to suit my tastes in colors. Fortunately the wife agrees. I helped him install it and we used coated screws and sunk them just below the surface. A few light taps with a hammer pretty much closes the small hole. In many cases the hole has completely closed up and the remaining ones aren't really noticeable. It helps to do it when it is 90 plus in the shade as the surface is pretty soft. We intend to use it on our deck despite its rather spendy price.

3. 
   Lisa | Apr 24, 1999 12:50am | #10

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   Railing design, who needs railing?! We don't need no stinkin' railing!! What are you, some kinda lawyer?!

4. 
   Guest_ | Apr 24, 1999 01:05am | #11

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   Adam,

   The TREX deck in the advertisement is a computer generated image, so I guess the steel underpinning isn't a concern. The current one is a mountain scene. Sort of like those joke pictures of imaginary golf holes with the tee box on one peak and the green on another.

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 24, 1999 04:44am | #12

   *Trex is "garbage"...That's "the good, the bad, and the ugly" of it.Near the stream, living well...trex free,J

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 24, 1999 05:32am | #13

   *Some kinda, yes. Too old to live life on the edge.

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 24, 1999 08:42am | #14

   *Geez Barry,Why'd ya tell me... I feel so....violated.Sure felt good sitting there looking west, though.Adam

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 24, 1999 08:45am | #15

   *JYes it is.Recycled garbage.Looking to line the stream with trex...(Jus' kidding)Adam

2. 
   Guest_ | Apr 24, 1999 09:43am | #16

   *But wouldn't a trex deck running along the stream look great? Heck, Trex right over the stream so you don't have to look at all that water. :)

3. 
   Guest_ | Apr 25, 1999 07:48am | #17

   *So is there garbage decking that's I like, has all the3 right stuff...I think so...It's called Timbertech...I'm in love with it so far and will make a little test deck with it soon.It's tongue and groove, so just air nail it, it's straight, has a grain top, stains and looks better than wood, I call it "Trex second generation."Check it out,...Timbertech, near the stream,J

4. 
   Guest_ | Apr 25, 1999 09:06am | #18

   *100% plastic. And active in a hot sun, I heard.

5. 
   Guest_ | Apr 25, 1999 11:24am | #19

   *I've seen it, and wondered how it drains and sheds debris?? I would think the tongue/groove would trap "stuff".Looked more "refined" than TREX. Perhaps for a sheltered deck or porch with a full roof?Let us know how it works.Adam

6. 
   Guest_ | Apr 26, 1999 02:32am | #20

   *Adam,Yes it is made to be a continuous flooring so debris is to be swept off. there are slots for water to get out however and they are hidden...It looks a thousand percent better than Trex.Near the stream, stirring the pot,J

7. 
   Guest_ | Apr 27, 1999 01:55am | #21

   *Local lumber yard (western WI) did an unscientific test of all the products you've mentioned -- nailed them to a frame and put them outside at their entrance. Trex was okay, but slippery as hell in the winter. TimberTech was a better looking decking, with more tooth for walking on, but the drain holes clogged almost right away. Burned me up, because I don't like the look of Trex, and I thought that TimberTech would be great on a deck that might later be enclosed and need some protection from critters climbing twixt the deck planks.

8. 
   Guest_ | Apr 28, 1999 08:26am | #22

   *Barry,If you build with Timbertech, and pitch tthe deck to drain, then why would it matter if their even wer drain holes to clog?Near the stream,J

9. 
   Guest_ | Apr 28, 1999 09:15am | #23

   *Hey - aren't you guys kind of leary of "manufactured" products in general? I know, I know, I sound like they must have when plywood was gaining popularity, but after LP siding I am extremely nervous about this type of stuff. - yb

10. 
    Guest_ | Apr 28, 1999 06:41pm | #24

    *ADK,This is western WI. If you tell a deck builder here to pitch the deck for drainage, he'd probably do it parallel to the joists.

11. 
    Guest_ | Apr 30, 1999 06:13am | #25

    *Barry,True...Hold the level for them for the first deck or two.Near the stream and b knowhow hard it is to change set ways!!!!!!!!!J

5. 
   Jeff_Baker | Apr 30, 1999 07:23am | #26

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   Out here in the wild west we have three options. Trex which I agree looks like doo doo. "Carefree" and "Ecodeck" are the other two products. They both look great and a few of the ski resorts here in Colorado have them. The problems are with expansion/contraction with change in temperature to the degree of deck screw breaking. The Carefree product is said to get somewhat brittle when temps are less than 20 F. Both are made of recycled plastic and come in 3-4 colors and will not stain. They are suppose to be maintenance free.

6. 
   Guest_ | Apr 30, 1999 07:53am | #27

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   ... but they look like & worse feel ... plastic! Fine in a commercial setting, but at home?

   Interestingly, i may get to build a deck for someone else sooner than I thought. A customer for another project has a deck I starting poking around on after she pointed out some cosmetic problems. Horrifying workmanship. The "beams" -- 2x6's, same as the joists -- are face-nailed to the posts, which themselves are starting to push up the deck boards and are set straight into the dirt, no concrete. Below the soil line, I showed her that the wood was quickly decaying. The balusters are attached with drywall screws. The top rails are made of multible 2x4's, spliced here and there with metal plates. Rot is so extensive that I started pulling off handrails after a while, and I'm no Hulk Hogan. Etc. Did I mention this is on a moderately sloped hillside? I recommended demo, worrying that I looked like one of those pad-the-project contractors but knowing I wouldn't let a parakeet out on that deck.

   Well, the point was, I have no idea what I'd recommend as a new decking material. How do you pitch X v. Y? I know clients don't like too many options. I'm pretty sure i can talk her past pt. What I'm wondering about is good old salesmanship. If I ask for her budget, she won't know, though she seems to be a do-it-right kind of person (disappointed to have repair stuff eclipse her improvement plans).

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 30, 1999 06:08pm | #28

   *Andrew,This'll take a year, but why not make up a sample board? Get pieces of various decking materials, attach them to a sheet of sturdy material, and finish the wooden materials with a quality sealer/stain. Leave it outside a year, then use it for customers. Have a price for each ready. This would be more realistic than the manufacturers' samples in paint stores that never saw a rainy day.

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 30, 1999 06:17pm | #29

   *Hey Jeff man, Colorado is "back East" to lots of us! (but, uh, I never hold it against a man for living in a gentler local) - yb

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 30, 1999 07:43pm | #31

   *Great idea. I could also use different types of fasteners to demonstrate looks, corrosion. (Maybe I can make one faster if i just sneak around the neighborhood with a hole saw...)

7. 
   Guest_ | Apr 30, 1999 07:43pm | #30

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   I just saw this product actually used for the 1st time this week . It looked absolutley terrible and ruined the porch it was used on IMO . Not to mention whoever installed it used an air nailer and it left terrible pucker marks . Is this stuff as bad as it looks ???? I would never use it after seeing it .