dfeck
Gold Member
I've built 2 decks in the past few years. My deck is 16 x 33 and decided to use PT #1 choice wood due to the cost to use composite decking. I did however use vinyl railing. The entire deck cost me around 6K. Using composite decking would have increased the cost by 4K min. If I had to do over I would have used composite decking due the PT looking like garbage. It swells in the fall/spring due to increased moisture content plus it has split and cupped in many areas. Plus I need to clean and stain every couple of years.
I built a deck last year for my parents using a 100% plastic product called Aztec. That stuff is fantastic but cost a ton. I decided to use plastic because it doesn't have any organic material in it. Composite material like Trex does have organic material in it and will grow mold and stain. Plastic is the same color throughout and looks like real wood (woodgrain). It worked/cut very easy. I ended up using a screw system that countersunk the screws and had plugs for the holes that were the same color. yes, the cost for a 20ft board was 62 bucks but for my parents (68years old) the very low maintenance of the product was attractive.
Again, if I were to build a deck today I would not use any PT for the decking or railings. I probably wouldn't use Aztec because of the cost. Although, it's a great product.
I built a deck last year for my parents using a 100% plastic product called Aztec. That stuff is fantastic but cost a ton. I decided to use plastic because it doesn't have any organic material in it. Composite material like Trex does have organic material in it and will grow mold and stain. Plastic is the same color throughout and looks like real wood (woodgrain). It worked/cut very easy. I ended up using a screw system that countersunk the screws and had plugs for the holes that were the same color. yes, the cost for a 20ft board was 62 bucks but for my parents (68years old) the very low maintenance of the product was attractive.
Again, if I were to build a deck today I would not use any PT for the decking or railings. I probably wouldn't use Aztec because of the cost. Although, it's a great product.