Decking material?

[CTdiznymom]

In the process of putting on a small deck. Had picked out a composite material, and now the contractor wants me to look at something else. His reasoning is, it is slightly less expensive and "just as good". He of course will adjust what he is charging us. I have no issues with his billing. Anyone have any + or - comments regarding Timberteck vs. Weatherbest decking. I need to let him know by Monday. Hope you all can help. TIA

 

[lvloopingbag]

Which one is he recommending?

 

[kmacht]

They are both probably just as good as one-another. Both materials are polyproplyne based. The only difference is in the filler material that they use. I believe that the timbertech has a 25 year warranty where as the weatherbest only comes with a 20. Who knows if either company will be around in 20 years though. The timbertech is slightly stronger and can be put on joists spaced 24" apart while the weatherbest is limited to 16" spacing. This won't make much difference on a small deck but the extra cost of joists on a large or complex deck can add up. The timbertech is shaped like n upside down E while the weatherbest is solid. This gives the timbertech more strength but the weatherbest will sound more solid when walking on it. Both are put in with hidden fasteners so you shouldn't see any screws. In all honesty I am surprised that your contractor is offering much of a price difference between the two products. Timbertech is usually aroun 2.50 a board foot while the weatherbest is around 2.25.

Keith

 

[lvloopingbag]

If you go to www.contractortalk.com you can do a search on both.......

 

[jlparedes]

My brother is a contractor and built our huge deck last summer using Trex. We love it! When you think about not having to maintain it, not splintering, quality and warranty it's worth the little extra $$.

 

[CTdiznymom]

Thanks to all who replied. He's actually recommending the Timberteck which I'll go look at Friday. I'll check out the website that was offered. I'm in the Northeast so weather is a factor. Glad to hear your Trex is holding up. I've heard comments to the contrary regarding staining and mildew. The best recommendation is word of mouth, so thanks again.

 

[crisi]

We live in Minnesota so the advice we were given may not apply.

I have two uncles who are contractors. Both said "go with real wood, not a composite." I called the deck company, they'd do composite, offer three vendors, but will not guarentee a composite deck, only real wood. Saw a house we almost ended up buying (they didn't take our offer) - warped composite deck.

We went with wood.

In Minnesota the about of expansion and contraction in a composite deck can cause significant issues. Also, my one uncle ripped off three before he stopped putting them in because the color didn't hold. Be especially careful if your deck (like ours) is on the South side of the house.

 

[CruiserMom]

Be sure to google whatever composite decking you choose. We put in ChoiceDek (purchased at Lowes) 2 1/2 years ago. It is now covered by mold spots. There is nothing that will remove the spots for more than 2 weeks. It has something to do with the plastic material being used in the composite, that it came from post-consumer waste, and the mold grows from inside the material. You can clean it, but the spots come right back.

There have been thousands of complaints about it, and now a class action lawsuit against Weyerhauser (the manufacturer). They have now agreed to a settlement.

I've also heard that Trex decking has problems also.

 

[ChrisAlli]

Will the deck have a roof?? My DH used Weatherbest on our deck. It's beautiful, he routed the edges to make it look more real and made it tounge and grove so not to see the screws, but it does show scratches, protect chairs, and the facia (SP?) boards have warped in the sun, but he fixed it. We do have a roof over ours, so that helps a lot too. We have no mold issues, but it will stain is something oily is left on it too long.

The pool deck he just built is with the stuff from Lowes. Came out nice too, shows scratches, again have to protect chairs. This faded really fast, but the color came through nicely. My neighbors have the same stuff, for an uncovered deck and it had mold from where they put a carpet.

I like not have to worry about splinters and taking care of it as well as no screws showing.

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

We decided against the composites and went with real wood. A lot of the reasons have already been mentioned - but the main one was that we have outdoor dogs and we were worried about the heat on their paws.

We are very happy with the wood.

 

[CTdiznymom]

Thanks for all the help.

No roof, so it will be subject to the elements. It's going to be practically ground level. DH and I will be checking out the Timberteck tomorrow. I like the grain & color I chose in Weatherbest brand, so we'll see how it compares. The comment about the solidness(is that a word? lol) is something I also will look into. Thanks everybody!

 

[lvloopingbag]

I've been researching decking material myself to replace the pressure treated lumber on my front porch. Azek (Procell) and Correct Deck CX both come with lifetime warranties......You may want to see if your builder can order those.

 

[CTdiznymom]

I've been researching decking material myself to replace the pressure treated lumber on my front porch. Azek (Procell) and Correct Deck CX both come with lifetime warranties......You may want to see if your builder can order those.

We looked at the Azek however it isn't installed with hidden fasteners. We will be using that material for trim. I did see a piece of the Timberteck today, and the graining isn't as natural looking as the Weatherbest.

 

[kmacht]

I am not sure who told you that Azek decking can't be installed with hidden fasteners but they were wrong. They can use any hidden fastener that a normal wood deck can use. It is true that they don't sell a specific hidden fastener for their decking system but that is because it is a solid plank. They don't have to have special fasteners like some of the other composite decks that are not solid all the way through. If your contractor is telling you they can't use hidden fasteners I would point him towards the installation instructions for the material. They can be found on the Azek website.

Keith

 

[Momma2dakidz]

I have timbertech decking and honestly it looks just as good today as it did 3 years ago. I have 5-7 dogs at my house on a daily basis and outside all day in the summer. The most i have to do is powerwash it when mud season hits.

also do not let them use screws in it, i did and i regret it now. use the hidden fastners and no hot tubs on the deck it WILL warp it.

Oh and i used white handrail sold at lowes rather than the timbertech color matched stuff. I LOVE the way it looks with a white rail and i can match the white to my accessories!!!!

 

[crisi]

I've been researching decking material myself to replace the pressure treated lumber on my front porch. Azek (Procell) and Correct Deck CX both come with lifetime warranties......You may want to see if your builder can order those.

One of the things to be aware of is that the manufacturer will provide a warrenty on the materials, but generally not the labor. So if your deck warps or discolors or molds, and its covered by warrenty, you generally will not get a new deck without paying out several thousand to the contractor - unless the contractor is also willing to warrenty the labor or the manufacturer will warrenty the labor. This is why neither of my uncles will put on composite decks and why the deck company we used (never do business with family - advice is good, expecting your uncle to install a deck in a reasonable amount of time - bad) is clear on not warrentying the labor on a composite deck.

 

[lvloopingbag]

I believe if you go with the Timbertech XLM you can get grooved boards that are made to use with the hidden fasteners. With the Azek, the contractor would have to make the grooves himself. The Correct Deck CX also has boards with grooves for the hidden fasteners......

 

[dhuba]

We put an Eon deck on a few years ago and love it. It is made of 100% plastic and comes in beautiful colors. Looks like real wood, with hidden fasteners and there is no fading splitting, cracking or warping. Eonoutdoor.com. I am in PA and we have no roof over it and it still looks great. Costs a little more, but I think it was worth it.