Decks, Patios, Porches and Docks - Deck Dilema
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matwell
05-27-04, 07:44 PM
I have a 2 tiered existing deck that needs to have many boards replaced. I am toying with just replacing the entire thing - but do I use PT wood or composite decking? I know composite is almost double the price, but since my deck gets a lot of sun and connects to a pool (cholrine harms the wood) is composte the right way to go? So - I do not have much info on composites - which products are better? do they trap heat and are hot to the touch? Do I need to slope it for water drainage? are they slippery when wet?
Also - Has anyone ever seen a composite deck with wood railings? or is that not a good way to go?
Any help with this dilema would be appreciated!!!
Also - Has anyone ever seen a composite deck with wood railings? or is that not a good way to go?
Any help with this dilema would be appreciated!!!
lefty
05-28-04, 07:53 AM
Matwell,
There are something like 35 or 40 different composites currently on the market. How many and which ones the retailers in your area carry will determine which (and how many) you have to actually choose from. I have installed both Trex and WeatherBest and have not noticed them being any hotter to walk on than redwood, as long as you stay with the lighter colors. And I have never noticed either being slippery when wet -- not any more so than a wood deck. But they both have a texture to their surface. A composite with a really smooth surface will probably tend to get slippery.
A composite will handle the water and clorine issues caused by the deck's proximity to the pool better than a wood deck will. No, you don't need to slope the deck. Water will fall off of each deck board, but since the boards are gapped, it can't run from one board to the next. If you look at Trex, you will see that the top is slightly convexed. This aids in water runoff. Most other composites are flat on both sides.
Most of the composite decks that I build have a combination wood and composite railing. -- redwood 4X4 posts, redwood 2X4 rails, redwood pickets, and the same composite as the decking for the top cap. Looks good, works fine, and saves the customer a pretty fair chunk of change. The customer should be sealing the wood every few years (I suggest that they do), but how many of them ACTUALLY do, I have no idea. All of the wood surfaces are vertical -- water won't be standing on it and doing any damage.
Yes, any composite deck is going to cost more than a similar wood deck to build. The composites cost more than wood, and many need more joists to support the deck boards. The savings comes in when you don't have to stain and seal the deck every year or two, and when you don't have to start replacing split, cracked, warped or rotten deck boards. In 15 or 20 years, you'll have less money invested in a composite deck than you will a wood one, and you won't be looking at replacement.
There are something like 35 or 40 different composites currently on the market. How many and which ones the retailers in your area carry will determine which (and how many) you have to actually choose from. I have installed both Trex and WeatherBest and have not noticed them being any hotter to walk on than redwood, as long as you stay with the lighter colors. And I have never noticed either being slippery when wet -- not any more so than a wood deck. But they both have a texture to their surface. A composite with a really smooth surface will probably tend to get slippery.
A composite will handle the water and clorine issues caused by the deck's proximity to the pool better than a wood deck will. No, you don't need to slope the deck. Water will fall off of each deck board, but since the boards are gapped, it can't run from one board to the next. If you look at Trex, you will see that the top is slightly convexed. This aids in water runoff. Most other composites are flat on both sides.
Most of the composite decks that I build have a combination wood and composite railing. -- redwood 4X4 posts, redwood 2X4 rails, redwood pickets, and the same composite as the decking for the top cap. Looks good, works fine, and saves the customer a pretty fair chunk of change. The customer should be sealing the wood every few years (I suggest that they do), but how many of them ACTUALLY do, I have no idea. All of the wood surfaces are vertical -- water won't be standing on it and doing any damage.
Yes, any composite deck is going to cost more than a similar wood deck to build. The composites cost more than wood, and many need more joists to support the deck boards. The savings comes in when you don't have to stain and seal the deck every year or two, and when you don't have to start replacing split, cracked, warped or rotten deck boards. In 15 or 20 years, you'll have less money invested in a composite deck than you will a wood one, and you won't be looking at replacement.
matwell
05-28-04, 11:23 AM
Thanks for the advice Lefty.....
Matwell,
There are something like 35 or 40 different composites currently on the market. How many and which ones the retailers in your area carry will determine which (and how many) you have to actually choose from. I have installed both Trex and WeatherBest and have not noticed them being any hotter to walk on than redwood, as long as you stay with the lighter colors. And I have never noticed either being slippery when wet -- not any more so than a wood deck. But they both have a texture to their surface. A composite with a really smooth surface will probably tend to get slippery.
A composite will handle the water and clorine issues caused by the deck's proximity to the pool better than a wood deck will. No, you don't need to slope the deck. Water will fall off of each deck board, but since the boards are gapped, it can't run from one board to the next. If you look at Trex, you will see that the top is slightly convexed. This aids in water runoff. Most other composites are flat on both sides.
Most of the composite decks that I build have a combination wood and composite railing. -- redwood 4X4 posts, redwood 2X4 rails, redwood pickets, and the same composite as the decking for the top cap. Looks good, works fine, and saves the customer a pretty fair chunk of change. The customer should be sealing the wood every few years (I suggest that they do), but how many of them ACTUALLY do, I have no idea. All of the wood surfaces are vertical -- water won't be standing on it and doing any damage.
Yes, any composite deck is going to cost more than a similar wood deck to build. The composites cost more than wood, and many need more joists to support the deck boards. The savings comes in when you don't have to stain and seal the deck every year or two, and when you don't have to start replacing split, cracked, warped or rotten deck boards. In 15 or 20 years, you'll have less money invested in a composite deck than you will a wood one, and you won't be looking at replacement.[/QUOTE]
Matwell,
There are something like 35 or 40 different composites currently on the market. How many and which ones the retailers in your area carry will determine which (and how many) you have to actually choose from. I have installed both Trex and WeatherBest and have not noticed them being any hotter to walk on than redwood, as long as you stay with the lighter colors. And I have never noticed either being slippery when wet -- not any more so than a wood deck. But they both have a texture to their surface. A composite with a really smooth surface will probably tend to get slippery.
A composite will handle the water and clorine issues caused by the deck's proximity to the pool better than a wood deck will. No, you don't need to slope the deck. Water will fall off of each deck board, but since the boards are gapped, it can't run from one board to the next. If you look at Trex, you will see that the top is slightly convexed. This aids in water runoff. Most other composites are flat on both sides.
Most of the composite decks that I build have a combination wood and composite railing. -- redwood 4X4 posts, redwood 2X4 rails, redwood pickets, and the same composite as the decking for the top cap. Looks good, works fine, and saves the customer a pretty fair chunk of change. The customer should be sealing the wood every few years (I suggest that they do), but how many of them ACTUALLY do, I have no idea. All of the wood surfaces are vertical -- water won't be standing on it and doing any damage.
Yes, any composite deck is going to cost more than a similar wood deck to build. The composites cost more than wood, and many need more joists to support the deck boards. The savings comes in when you don't have to stain and seal the deck every year or two, and when you don't have to start replacing split, cracked, warped or rotten deck boards. In 15 or 20 years, you'll have less money invested in a composite deck than you will a wood one, and you won't be looking at replacement.[/QUOTE]