Decking materials- experiences?

[Brad Shipton]

Cumaru is a tad less than IPE. Have you thought about your railings? That can really add up if you want a wood system. I offered to do a deck in the spring and she wanted wood Box newels and railing. Wow, did that ever add up. I think by the time I am done I am going to regreat offering to do this. I have a $10k pile of cumaru sitting waiting for me. The stainless steel hidden fasteners and screws sure add up to. I was quite perturbed to discover they are a Simpson Strong tie product. I know I could buy them for a lot less direct.

I got my lumber from Advantage too. I just about fell out of my chair when they said they would ship 4000lb of material 2000mi for $500. What an awesome deal.

Brad

[Dan Hintz]

Brad,

I was leaning heavily towards a glass panel setup for my railings, possibly a stainless steel wire deal.

[Rob Sack]

I, too, am a convert to composite decking. I've done redwood in the past and its fine. It is easy to work with and holds up well, although it has gotten expensive, requires upkeep, and the quality has dropped over the years. When I built my house, I initially built all the decks with Apitong, a hardwood similar to Ipe that is used for truck beds. It is extemely hard, as is Ipe, and has the look of Mahogany. It also was cheaper than Con Heart Redwood at the time, having purchased it from a truck bed lumber supplier. However, it is miserable to work with. When Trex was first introduced, I decided to try it out on a small deck. I've been sold ever since. Although heavy in weight as well as not being particularly inexpensive, it is great to work with, can be installed with a minimum of fasteners since it virtually has no "memory," and makes use of recycled materials. It also requires no maintenance other than washing it down, and having screwed it down from above with stainless steel screws, has provided us with unlimited easy access the our son's friends' dropped wallets and cell phones.

[Rob Price]

I will be putting in aluminum barristers, either black or bronze finish. My biggest aggravation in deck maintenance is brushing all four sides of the wooden pickets with stain. Staining the flat surfaces takes no time at all. More work up front, but much less work over the years.

[Paul Cahill]

I finished up a major deck in '06. I went with all PT. I let it weather for 6 to 12 months before pressure washing and sealing. Granted I need to redo the horizontal surfaces every 2 years but I have been pleased with the color. For a large deck even PT adds up and I had no interest in the added cost for composite or exotics. I also rationalized that PT is wood (sort of), and that it is a deck, not a piece of furniture. At the time I had to go out of my way to find non Arsenic PT, but that is no longer an issue.DSC_0004-1.jpg

[Jamie Buxton]

Consider slate. It has been used for exterior surfaces for centuries -- think slate roofs. It just does not weather. It also isn't plastic. And it is rather affordable. Here's a link to an earlier post on the topic.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...23#post1509323

[David Helm]

Over the years I have built hundreds of decks, from many materials. Redwood, Western Red Cedar, PT Pine, Ipe, Trex, other composites. I currently have 1700 square feet of deck at my own place. Most are WRC. I do also have a separate Ipe deck out over my pond. In my experience, when properly installed, the Trex is the best product. As with all composites, spacing is based on the temperature when installed. The worst product I've ever used is PT Pine. Whatever you decide to use, get manufacturers specs on installation.