Trex vs. Wood Decking?

[koziclan]

We built a deck (ourselves) in 2001. We used Timbertech decking and cedar for the frame and railing. We wouldn't change it for the world! It is maintenance and splinter free. Just a quick wash in the spring and we're ready to go! It was pricey but well worth it!

 

[Chris]

Another vote for Trex, so worth the extra $$. I love our deck now, but would never go out on it before because I'd get splinters!!

 

[CTdiznymom]

Don't use the Veranda decking c**p they sell at Home Depot. Ours didn't last one season before it developed stains all over the surface. It looked like someone splattered black oil paint all over the deck. Had it power washed, used every detergent and solvent I could think of to remove the stains. Nothing worked. DH and I finally got so disgusted we had to paint it last summer. So far the spots haven't penetrated the paint. We'll see how it looks this summer. Very upsetting.

 

[mistysue]

You can tell I do ADR's tomorrow because I seriously read your title and thought "somebody is really asking if they should eat at one DTD restaurant or get an entire deck?"

Our real wood deck is a pain to take care of. If there is a lower maintenance option, I would go for it.

 

[clh2]

I absolutely HATE, HATE, HATE staining the deck. Seems to need to be done about every other year...HATE, HATE, HATE it.

I wish we had a patio...or the trex deck. Something with no maintenance.

HATE, HATE, HATE cleaning and staining the deck.

 

[Colleen27]

We had a dark gray composite (not sure of the brand) deck at our old house and I really didn't like it. It got hot in the sun and slick in the rain, and I'd rather have wood even with the maintenance.

 

[amylevan]

We replaced our wood deck with trex 2 summers ago.

The Good: 1. Love the lack of maintainence!!!! We hated staining the wood deck, and thus, we'd let it go longer than we should have and it would look crappy.

2. There are a lot of design/color/railing options. We "picture framed" our deck with a darker color along the edge, and it looks beautiful.

3. Splinter-less. Love how smooth everything is.

The Bad: 1. Price. We used Trex brand, and the price is definitely much higher than a wood deck. There are cheaper composite brands, but after looking around we opted for Trex.

2. Ours does get hot in the summer sun. Luckily, our deck is only in the sun in the morning, so it's not too bad.

3. It also gets slick in the rain and I discovered this winter that ice forms a lot easier too. Crocks + rain or ice = me on my butt. I think I'm still adjusting after years of walking out there on the wooden deck without so much as thinking about the rain.

 

[crisi]

When we put in our deck a few years ago, both my uncles who are builders said "go with wood" - when they put in composite decks they don't do refunds and have a lot of unhappy customers - the decks stain or fade unevenly. With Minnesota weather, they expand and contract and mistakes in installation can cause them to buckle and crack.

For the difference in price, we can have someone come out and wash and stain our deck every other year for ten years.

 

[mikehn]

We have the Evergrain brand. the worst part of having a composite deck is you cant abuse it the way you can with wood. For example, when it snows, I cant use a snow shovel to shovel snow off the deck. I use a push broom. I have to use a mat under the grill to protect the composite from grill drippings. I never used a mat with wood.