Deck Refacing

[Richard Wolf]

So I promised my wife I would redo the deck this fall. It's pretty big, 650 sq. ft. I have cedar now, and it is overdue to be replaced. I want to use composite material, Trex enhance or Home Depot's Veranda. I would like to save the money and use the Veranda but I also do not want to do this again.
Any experiences?

Thanks

[trevor adair]

I don't know if they have improved but I installed Trex 5 years ago and I will be replacing it in the spring. My experience has not been positive at all. I paid the premium price for Trex (medeira) so that I would not have to replace it for a long time.. I cannot get rid of the mold and staining. I have tried every product under the sun and I have finally given up. The only product I had any luck with was Corte clean.. very expensive and it seemed to help for about a month then back comes the mold. I also do not like how flexable it is, you have to keep your joists spaced pretty tight to avoid sag or bounce.. I will be re-surfacing with Ipe and hope it lasts the 20 years that the Trex was supposed to..

[joe milana]

I've done a few Trex decks. Been out there about 5 years & still look new. Time will tell though. I would recomend 12" joist spacing for the Trex, or it will be a bit "bouncy" feeling. The coretex screws are pretty slick. Railings are an issue as well. Use wood for railings & you will be maintaining them. Not too difficult though. Good luck, decks are fun!

[Kevin Bourque]

I installed a TREX deck on a customers house about 8 years ago and I was shocked at how easily it scratched, and, it was a dark color and it was almost too hot to stand on in the summer. Don't like the stuff.

[Kevin W Johnson]

My understanding is that if the deck is in the shade very much, the composite material is very prone to mold, mildew, and staining. I've seen enough examples personally, that I won't ever be installing it.

[William Burgess]

Not knowing the shape of your current deck, but cedar is pretty nice stuff and lasts a long time. Have you thought about taking a pressure washer to it then sanding it down? It will make an old deck like new.

[Richard Wolf]

Yes, I have spent a lot of time over the years saving the deck, it was there and stained when I bought the house 16 years ago. I've power washed, sanded, replaced boards and flipped boards. The problem with decks starts when people decide to stain the boards, they don't like the weathered look and head to the borg for deck stain, which is lay on the surface paint and not the stain we think it is. The next year it starts to wear and peel and the nightmare starts. Scraping or power washing and restaining. The following year it continues, until the finish is a complete disaster.

Anyway, the cedar has to go and I'm not looking forward to the rehab job, but hope it will last until I leave this house.

[Matt Meiser]

There was a similar thread recently on my club's forum and there were several negative comments on Trex not being the miracle material thought. I can tell you--don't use the hollow stuff which does seem stiffer, but the end caps pop off constantly in high traffic areas. I used this stuff on steps in my garage. It also has some stains that I can't powerwash off.

Someone mentioned in that thread that Azek is making a deck material. Its probably nice, I'm sure its $$$.

Our deck was stained when we move in and I've been living the same nightmare. We are going to have redo the visible parts on ours pretty soon and I think when we do it will just be wood but will not be stained. Though I do have to say--when we installed a sliding door in place of a window we had to add a step which I stained with the same stain. The new wood soaked it up like you would expect of a stain and it still looks good.

[scott spencer]

Our PT deck was getting pretty old and ratty looking...it had been "stained" with stuff the flaked up like paint. After some failed attemps with pressure washing, I ended up renting a drum sander that made short work of the surface and made it look darn near new. The rental and sandpaper were in the range of $75....it took about 3 hours for < 400 square feet. Highly recommended.

[joe milana]

Our PT deck was getting pretty old and ratty looking...it had been "stained" with stuff the flaked up like paint. After some failed attemps with pressure washing, I ended up renting a drum sander that made short work of the surface and made it look darn near new. The rental and sandpaper were in the range of $75....it took about 3 hours for < 400 square feet. Highly recommended.

How did you deal with the nail/screw heads?

[joe milana]

As an update to an earlier comment I made, the decking I installed was AZEK, not trex. Oops... I'll agree with the comments about Trex; I've never heard anything positive about it. Same with the wood/composite hybrid products available at the BORG. In a fit of paranoia, I stopped by this morning & checked on one of my decks, and yep, it still looks new. It definately has a "plastic" look to it, so it may not be for everyone, but it seems to be holding up very well.

[Harry Hagan]

I'm still waiting for something that's durable, reasonably priced, and doesn't look fake.

[trevor adair]

I installed a TREX deck on a customers house about 8 years ago and I was shocked at how easily it scratched, and, it was a dark color and it was almost too hot to stand on in the summer. Don't like the stuff.

My deck is in direct sunlight throughout the day and I can tell you for a fact you have to run across it to prevent burning your feet.. any gatherings we have people have to keep something on their feet and I hose down the surface every 10-15 minutes... hate it

[scott spencer]

How did you deal with the nail/screw heads?

Most were good, some needed to be resunk.

[Kent A Bathurst]

If the question is Trex v Veranda, you should feel completely comfortable with the Veranda product.

In a planet far, far, away, I worked for a company that is one of the suppliers - and there are multiple suppliers that have to meet the specs - of the Veranda product. I will not list any criticisms of the Trex product - that is up to others to do. But, based on my detailed knowledge, my choice would be easy. And - at this point in time, I have no personal interest in the outcome of your decision.