Home Deck--Wood or Composite decking

[RonR]

Needing to make the big decision on type of decking to use--composite or wood. I walked past a piece of composite decking at a lumberyard recently and almost had a heart attack when I saw the price of it!

Background:
Pic is of the before--the concrete is mostly GONE!
Deck will be 14x20. Of course the sub material will be CCA.
Will be one level, simple design.

Right now I'm leaning toward using 2x6 CCA for deck boards. I don't want it to warp/curl/crack/split. Plan to use screws everywhere.

We'll be in this house probably 10-12 more years, most likely.

I'm guessing composite will double the cost, if not more.

Any thoughts? Have you tried one and liked it? Regrets?

Thanks!
Ron

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Ron, I would NEVER EVER use CCA decking or railing if I had a kid or a pet. Studies have shown that the levels of arsinic on a kids hands are 400% higher than the EPA considers safe, if the kid plays on the CCA deck.

There are pressure treated woods availabe at many of the large home centers and many lumber yards that are NOT CCA. The price is the same. Please consider using one of those.

Now for the composite stuff. I have one small deck made of TimberTeck decking. I like it, I think it looks good, and it seems to be holding up very well with ZERO care. However, it is somewhat fragile when you are building with it and you can crack the sidewalls if you are not careful when you load/unload it, etc. Once it is in place I think you can probably drive a car on it, but care must be taken when throwing it around.

I also have a deck that is 100% plastic, I do not like it. It gets very hot in the summer and is uncomfortable to walk on. Part of the problem may be the fact that it is dark brown. It is a zero maintenence deck and has been in place for 6+ years with absolutely no work ever done to it. From that standpoint I love it. There are NEWER plastic decks that are probably much better than the one I have, but again, mine was one of the very first available and the choices back then were pretty slim.

My neighor has 2 TREX decks. He is very happy with the TREX material overall, but he is happier with the NEW TREX than with the old TREX. The new product seems a bit thicker and the corners have a smaller radius making the overall deck smoother.

The problem with all the manufacturered products is price. The advantage is the long term time savings, and the deck maintainence costs that go with wood decks (cleaners, stains, etc). Also there are no slivers with the manufactured products.

 

[RonR]

Bob,

Maybe I am using the wrong term... I thought they stopped using arsenic in pressure treated wood as of 2003. The new stuff I thought was arsenic free--not sure what the new stuff it, but thought it was safer. Good point about the poisin though!

Thanks for the reply!
Ron

 

[shvl73]

Composite decking has a lot of benefits, such as low-no maintainence, no slivers. It can however stain from spilled beverages, a dropped burger off the grill, etc.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

CCA lumber, to my (limited) knowlege, is still available at some of the lumber yards and home centers.

The new stuff is also identifed by 3 initials, but I can't remember the new term now. It is supposed to be safer. I just used some yesterday for a shelf that has some contact with concrete. It actually bleeds liquid when you hammer into it. It still has a greenish color as CCA lumber, cost is pretty cheap. I don't know if it takes stain or if there is a brown version of the new stuff.

 

[mathey]

I built 2 decks last year out of the recycled plastic stuff (I forget the brand name) but this was solid and not structural shaped. The MINIMUM joist spacing is 16" and 12" would be much better, as this stuff can sag. Also, and imperfections (such as a joist sitting a smidge higher) will be noticeable. Lastly, this stuff is HEAVY, I used 2x8 joists, like I would have normally used on a regular wood deck, but I should have bumped up to a 2x10 to accomdate the extra weight.

 

[neilly2]

I don't believe the new treatments hold up well over time vs. the CCA. I built a playset for the kids from wood with the new treatment. It was wet, which made it odd to work with and didn't seem very treated.

After 1 year in the elements I had to start replacing members that were warped and cracked.

I built a Trex deck less than a year ago for a relative. Building with it is a breeze, like any manufactured material. Personally, I was surprised that I liked the look of it since I'm partial to natural materials. Wood decks start to look rough after a few years.

One issue with the Trex--- The deck is solid as heck, but they have an edge trim that looks a band-aid. I was immensely dissapointed in that. If I do it again, I will use full boards to frame the deck and provide the edge.

Have you considered brick pavers for the patio? Then you can use the tractor a little more.

 

[shvl73]

The treatments applied to the commonly found southern yellow pine are for decay resistance & insect resistance. They have no effect on the wood checking or twisting. This applies to the CCA treatments as well as ACQ. Wood twist & checks as it dries. SYP is a fast growing & somewhat inexpensive wood that takes the treatment well. Treating more dense & slower growing wood would be an expensive process with less penetration. Wood being a natural resource will warp & crack, some pieces more than others. The faster growing species such as southern yellow pine or south american radiata will move more than slow growth species such as maple, cherry, birch.

 

[johnday]

Ron; I've building decks for years, I prefer to use cedar for the deck boards, but most people have cost concerns. You know, cheaper is better. I just came back from my place in Northern Michigan where I just completed the deck on the new house. I used all pressure treated of the new ACQ stuff. I want to see how it holdsup compared to the CCA we used to be able to get. The only CCA I know of now is in the heavier timbers usually used for posts. The new stuff is very corrosive, the minimum fasteners recommended is Hot Dipped Galvanized [HDG]. Stainless is the better way to go although a little more costly. Not only the fasteners but the hardware like joist hangers etc. also have to be of like treatment. Keep us posted and good luck!!! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Poppa]

Ron, I put in a trex deck three years ago and haven't done a thing to it since. It was more expensive but I don't have to pay for any chemicals to resurface it each year. As nice as the No-maintenance is, the number one selling point for my wife was the no-sliver aspect. My deck is six to ten feet off the ground (no, the deck isn't sloped, the ground is /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif) and there is a system for the trex that allows you to screw the boards in from below so the top of my deck has no fasteners showing. I also sided my deck with wood since the edges are not attractive at all.

All that being said, I have to ask as did someone else if you have thought about pavers. For me, anything ground level gets pavers or concrete. In fact I am going to put in a paver patio this summer.

Good luck, Mike