Composite decking

[Barnbuilder]

Anyone have any long term experience with it? I built a deck for a customer about 7 years ago and the 5/4 deck boards are deteriorating. I have another customer with a deck that has Trex on it and looks like crap. I can get Ipe' out of Atlanta for about the same price as Trex but I have no prior experience and not sure what direction to lead customer as he wants my opinion.

Thanks
Greg

 

[Wolfy]

Azek makes an excellent composite deckboard, it actually has flax seeds embedded inside for stability.

 

[nbking]

Trex had a major recall some years ago for their boards fading/deteriorating. We have the Lowe's branded composite boards on our cabin deck, they still look really good. Can't remember the brand name, they are at least 10 years old.

 

[joeu235]

I installed a Fiberon deck next to a west facing brick wall. It felt like I was in a pizza oven while I was working on it. The temperate has to exceed 120F in August. 3 years later and I am not aware of any issues.

 

[Captain Dirty]

. . . I can get Ipe' out of Atlanta for about the same price as Trex but I have no prior experience and not sure what direction to lead customer . . .

I installed an Ipe deck in 2015 because Ipe is said to require no maintenance. Nothing was done except to seal the end grain. It has weathered from a rich brown to a pleasing (to my taste) grey. The rich brown could have been retained by using a finish that would require re-finishing annually or biannually. I have used scrub brushes and power washing to remove fortuitous stains such as spilled BBQ fat, and those areas inconspicuously blend into the general patina.

Unlike the PT SYP under framing, ipe is very stable. None of the mitered corners on the steps and on the removable gratings that "frame" the hot tub have "blown". (A friend with a composite deck is disappointed that the miters on his steps have opened 1/4 to 3/8".) Most boards were straight. Some boards had crooks; after levering the boards into position we felt that the crook would overpower the fasteners, and we rejected those boards. We used a hidden fastener system in which plastic "biscuits" were inserted into recesses routed into the 3/4" edges of the boards. Each biscuit is held by one screw that is supposed to be driven at a 45ｰ but hired help often installed the screw perpendicularly. So far that has not presented a problem except when lifting some of the gratings. (A yacht club in a neighboring town has a 5/4 or 4/4 ipe deck with two #12 or #14 FH screws per joist. The pattern of the exposed stainless screw heads reminds me of a ship with a riveted hull; perhaps that is appropriate. The two screws per joist probably has more strength to hold warped wood in position.) (There are also hidden fastener systems that require access to the underside of the deck. That was not possible in my situation.)

Other characteristics of ipe may affect installation. Ipe is hard. All screw holes should be drilled; cobalt bits last longer. Any saw cuts or routing requires carbide. Some ipe has groves milled into the edges to facilitate the hidden fastener system described above. Ipe is corrosive. All fasteners and brackets should be stainless, and by extension, fasteners contacting the stainless brackets should also be stainless.

In summary, expect to put more time and effort into installation, especially if you haven't worked with ipe before. I decided the durability and lack of required maintenance was worth the premium.

 

[ruffdog]

My 5/4 treated wood deck is 23 years old now. I need to power wash it this year and coat it again.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

I put some type of stuff down about 14 years ago, not trex. But I can't remember the name. Came from Home Depot. It still looks great. It came grey, it still is grey.

 

[KennyG]

My Azek deck has been installed for 7 or 8 years now and is in good shape. I power wash it once or twice a year. I've got a couple of mold stains under a tree I'm going to go after with cleaner this year. It does have the usual composite downsides - a little slick when icy (but that makes the snow push off easier) and it gets hot in the sun. I would go with it again if I had a do-over.

 

[EddieWalker]

Anyone have any long term experience with it? I built a deck for a customer about 7 years ago and the 5/4 deck boards are deteriorating. I have another customer with a deck that has Trex on it and looks like crap. I can get Ipe' out of Atlanta for about the same price as Trex but I have no prior experience and not sure what direction to lead customer as he wants my opinion.

Thanks
Greg

Since they changed how pressure treated wood is created, I will not use 5/4 boards for a deck anymore. The shrinkage is too extreme!!!! My bids are always for 2x6's for the deck boards. If they want to use a composite, like Trex, I double up on my joists in the bid and increase my amount for composite decking and fasteners. When clients see the difference in cost, they always go with they 2x6's.

Why does the Trex look bad? Is it sagging and cracking? I've seen that when the joists are too far apart. Composite decking has no strength.

 

[Barnbuilder]

The Trex on one deck has faded and looks terrible. The deck I built has 5/4 on a 45* angle. Joists are 16" oc. If I ran Trex 45* I would have to double up joists for the span. Other issue is the 5/4 is 20' boards for no butt joints which I've already drawn up a design to use 12' with no butt joints.
I haven5 had an issue with shrinkage as boards are kd.