Trex for a Deck?

[dennis thompson]

I'm planning on building a deck of man made, hopefully maintenance free material. I've heard some bad things about Trex, has anyone had any experience with Trex or any other man made material in building a deck?
Thanks
Dennis

[Howard Acheson]

What have your heard "bad" about Trex? I built my front porch floor and my rear deck using Trex here in coastal North Carolina. In the almost six years of use, I have not done anything more than an annual quick power washing. It's held up very well and it's quite popular here.

Just be sure to follow the manufacturers directions and specifications for installation. You can get them at their website.

[Clifford Mescher]

Been reported by many that it gets very hot in sun and makes bare feet very uncomfortable. Clifford

[David G Baker]

Dennis,
From what I have read about Trex it has a 10 year guarantee. I used a product called Trimax on some of my California deck. Trimax has a 50 year guarantee. Trimax is a recycled plastic mixed with fiberglass. It is solid like wood and not like a lot of the newer plastic deck products that are hollow. It is as strong as lumber and can support the same load with the same amount of span. It will not rot and is used in areas where wood rod is a high risk. I haven't priced it in 10 years or checked on its availability but you can do a Google and do your own research.
The only negative that I can say about it is it is hot to walk on with bare feet and once in a while some of the fiberglass fibers raise from the boards.
The product was readily available in California but since I moved to Michigan if I want it I have to have it shipped to me.

[Paul Girouard]

#1: It's heavy to work with.

#2: Different length planks CAN be slightly different thicknesses, (close to 1/8 to 3/16" ) so I avoid , IF possible, butt joints by getting 20' stock. OR figure in some waste IF the deck requires longer than 20' material.


#3: We generally gap it to the wider space using the Trex spacers. The narrow spacing seems to , over time , close up just a bit to much and the deck CAN become non draining , crap in the cracks , some swelling (or I guess I should say "expanding" of the planks and there you have puddles or a non draining deck.

#4: End spacing we do a small gap , and we ease the end cuts before fastening them down.

#5: The screws we use , trim head S/S tend to "pooch" the Trex a bit , they do sell other types of screw but he boss man likes the trim heads.


This is in the PNW , so warmer climates may have different experiences, I'd think it would expand more where it's warmer, we seldom have 80 deg. days in my area.

So spacing details may vary.

And like most products that say they don't expand , BUT DO , it only gets bigger , thicker , longer. It does NOT act like wood and shrink back. This may or may not be a plus , YMMV , etc, etc.

[Prashun Patel]

I have it on my deck. I like it. Couple things to remember:

1) Nothing is maintenance free. You'll still have to wash it every year; but you won't have to refinish it.

2) If your deck is in a lot of sun, the color will fade. I suggest you buy test board and let it bake in the sun for a year to see if you don't mind the effect.

3) If (like me) your deck gets a lot of shade, then it can develop a moss that must be cleaned with a deck cleaner. This happens to me every 2 years.

4) The railing system looks great, but can develop sags; The recommendation is to limit spans to 4' but I'd do them 36" or less, or add cripples in between the uprights.

5) Each year, the colors and grain patterns get better and better; like Honda and Toyota, the 'best' brands leapfrog each other. My year the best was Trex. Now, people in my area seem to prefer Timbertech.

You can't go wrong if you don't expect it to look exactly like wood and you don't exect it'll be 100% maint-free.

- shawn

[Jason White]

I seem to recall that years ago, some installers were installing Trex boards tight to each other without any space in-between. This caused water to just "sit" on the surface and some homeowners had mold/mildew problems. You need those gaps for drainage and a little bit of movement.

JW

I'm planning on building a deck of man made, hopefully maintenance free material. I've heard some bad things about Trex, has anyone had any experience with Trex or any other man made material in building a deck?
Thanks
Dennis

[Matt Ocel]

I don't know if I can add much.
Its heavy.
Some areas need pre-drilling.
Some of the Trex lines do not have all the accessories yet.
It absorbs alot of heat so sometimes bare feet get hot.
IMHO the rail systems look cheap.
Its spendy. here is what I pay for a 5/4" x 6" x 12'
Treated $ 8.20 ea
Cedar $16.30 ea
Trex $29.50 ea

I personally prefer Pro-cell
www.azek.com

[Rick Fisher]

I have trex on my deck and installed it myself. You need to install it as the instructions say.

Its a great product.

Its heavy and you end up dragging it around. I countersinked all the screws to avoid lumps around all the screws.

I would use it again. Avoid any decking that is hollow, especially in a humid area.

[Jeffrey Makiel]

Some very good pointers given in this post. I agree that it's hot in the sun, can sag such that you can see the joist locations, and it fades in color over time. But it's nearly maintenance free (just wash it) and it won't split or crack.

Trex was one of the first offerors. There are a bunch of manufacturers, mostly regional. Lots of colors and grain patterns now available. Be cautious of the Veranda stuff sold at Home Depot. It's very thin versus what is available at building supply yards.

As far as railing suppliers, there are Trex-like railings, PVC plastic railings and fiber composite railings (like Fibercon). Lots of styles.

-Jeff

[Matt Ocel]

On a stair tread application Trex can only span 12" O.C. which usually means an additional stringers will be required.

[Dan Bowman]

I had Trex installed three years ago and I hate it. Mildew is awful and the various products to clean it simply don't work. Trex customer service is non-existent - they know all about the mildew problem and could care less. It may not rot like wood, but it's anything but "low-maintenance".

[Steve Jenkins]

I have "Choice Deck" from Lowes for my deck and love it. It does get hot in the sun but I just don't walk on it much barefoot. Maybe Kelly Hanna will see this and post. He builds decks and did mine.

[Larry Anderson]

I used Timbertech on my deck and am happy with it. I got it on sale a couple of years ago for $2.35/ft. Upside: it's tongue and groove so screws are hidden. Downside: even with pressure washing some stains remain and it is hot on bare feet. I considered their railing but quickly changed my mind when I found it worked out to about $30 per foot. Would have cost more for the rails than the decking.

[Yuchol Kim]

I compared to Trex and went with Timbertech. It was more rigid, looked more wood-like than Trex.