Decks, Patios, Porches and Docks - Any opinions on Trex decking?

Would be layed on a second floor front porch that is covered but still gets rain & snow from three sides.

Any info is appreciated.

Thanks!

Dave

www.trex.com

It's more expensive than wood, harder to work with, and looks spectacular

slickshift,

"It's more expensive than wood..."

Guess that depends on WHAT wood you are comparing it to. Around here, Trex 5/4 is about $1.80/ft., Trex 2X6 is about $2.25/ft., and select heart redwood 2X6 is about $2.30/ft. (IPE is more yet.)

"...harder to work with..."

OK, it's heavier than wood, but other than that it's no more difficult than wood to work with.

"...and looks spectacular..."

IMHO, yes and no. The Brazillia and a lot of their Accents look great for a long time. Mixing their Origins Saddle and Woodland Brown makes a pretty dramatic statement when done right. But the is nothing pretty about their Origins Natural after about 3 years when the tannin acid in it starts creating black spots!!

All in all, I like Trex. You can do things with it that you can't do with other composites. Maintenance is very low, as it is with any composite or vinyl (try saying THAT about wood!), they have a much better selection of product than they had just 2 years ago. (I guess competition has forced them to improve!)

Ha ha ha...yeah I forget that other areas of the country use wood other than PTP for decks, that still kinda throws me
Sorry 'bout that

I've never seen a redwood deck, I bet that looks nice huh?

The original Trex had problems. Per specifications published by Trex, specifically the 24 hr soak test, it absorbed more water than any other product. Per the same specifications, it had a higher thermal expansion coeficient than many other products and dispite it's larger size, the strength specifications predicted a deck more springy than other products. In regard to the water absorbance, the "black spots" might have been mold or wood tanins darkening by the sun. None-the-less, customers in New Jersey who were told they must clean and seal their decks weren't happy to hear this was required on what they thought was a "maintenence free" deck so they filed a class action lawsuit.

Since then, Trex has changed there product, introduced Trex Accents with graining and Brazilia with exotic colors. The newer products look much better. However, going to their web site and checking product specifications, shows that the actual compensation of today's products are exactly the same as the original. (same low strength, same high water absorbancy, etc) Don't take my word for it. Go look on their web site. It takes some surfing, but it's there under the technical information.

Sooooo. in other words, nice looking, nice colors, but exactly the same composition that allows the surface to be gouged easilly - not with a metal chair or even shoes, but with your fingernail!

Jay_myself,

Most woods and composites are subject to gouging and scratching to some extent. Some are just more suseptable to it than others.

I have never felt a Trex deck that was properly installed be 'springy', nor have I ever had a customer complain about it. But then I never space the joists at the 'maximum allowable spacing' either on a composite deck. Always go a couple or three inches less, depending on the spacing that will work out evenly based on the size of the deck I'm building.

Lefty,

I know most composites are subject to scratching and gouging, but I cannot mark them with my fingernail like I can with Trex. It generally takes a key or something metal to mark other products. I'm holding a sample piece of Trex in my hand right now. Not only can I mark it with my fingernail, but I can come away with a small chunk of material under my nail.

The great majority of decks are built on 16" centers. I have stood on Trex and indeed it feels springy. Yes, I am heavy, but I don't feel that on other deck materials. "Springiness" is subjective but engineering specifications are objective. Trex just isn't as strong as many other products. I have compared specifications for many products as published on their literature or web sites. While there are some I have not compared, Trex has the lowest specifications for strength of any product I have seen.

If I were buying a vehicle to tow a boat weighing 10,000 lbs, I certainly would look at the specifications. These objective measurements guide me to the results I want. While I'm not going to tow a boat with a deck, the principal is the same.

I'm sure there are plenty of people happy with Trex but I haven't found one person who did an objective comparison choose Trex unless there was some specific reason like color. Trex is the biggest selling product simply due to brand recognition. It's like "Scotch Tape". Many people simply don't know there is any other product or that they perceive them all to be the same.

The biggest reason for using Trex that I have found is contractor's recommendation. This might be influenced by the loyalty to the yard he deals with discount points or simply the contractor has never used any other product. Oh, and Trex is probably the easiest product for contractors to work with. After all butter cuts easier than steak.

Jay_myself,

I agree with you.

Trex is certainly the largest supplier of composite decking on the market. It's also one of the softest. "Softest" leads to its "springiness" and its "gougability".

I don't think mold is a problem. The black spots that LOOK like mold are really just the tannin acid showing up.

The contractor being sold on the product because he's never used anything else -- yeah, that might be a case. Some guys find a 'comfort zone' and don't want to venture out of it. Discounts and "points" -- I don't know. I DO know that if I sell a 2K sq. ft. deck of WHATEVER decking material, I can go talk to my outside salesperson and get a few cents/ft. knocked off of the retail price for the decking. I can probably get delivery thrown in for no cost, for both the decking AND the framing mat'l. But all totaled, that MIGHT save me $100 or $150 on the cost of the deck. But $150 or maybe $200 savings on a $40K deck?? It's certainly not going to show up in the contract, and it's CERTAINLY not a deal breaker.

ABC homebuilders buy about $1 million a year from XYZ lumber yard. Anything and everything possible, (lumber, doors, windows, trim, decks etc) he buys from that lumberyard and tries to change the mind of a client he is building a home for who wants a product from another yard.

Why? When the year is done, XYZ lumberyard adds up everthing ABC contractors has bought. Every dollar is added up. Based on agreements, ABC recieves a higher discount for $1million than he does for 900,000. The higher discounts apply not just to decking, but to the total amount purchased. The mechanics and accounting might as I have represented them, but the idea is the same. A point or two of discount applied to a million bucks is definitely an incentive to loyalty.

This is one reason why contractors are loyal to a particular yard. It's not just a few dollars on a single deck, but considerable dollars on a very large yearly expenditure.

Now, does this same type of deal apply to DEF deck builder who does about $100,000 of business per year with the yard? No, the volumes are not big enough. The same is true for smaller remodelers who do relatively small dollars of business as compared to ABC builders.