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New deck?

4K views 18 replies 8 participants last post by  robertcdf 
#1 · (Edited)
Which brand of composite decking should I choose?

I'm trying to decide on three brands of composite decking—Trex, TimberTech, and ChoiceDek . Does anyone have any experience (good or bad) with any of these?

Thanks,
Kelly
 
#4 ·
My only suggestion is to find a material that is hard in nature. My only compalint about Trex is that the material is soft and gets marked up easily if anything is slid across it(i.e. chairs, tables, grill). :mad: My neighbor bought some cheap brand composite decking and although it requires a little more maintenance it stands up to all sorts of abuse without affecting appearance. :thumbsup:
 
#5 ·
Thanks and yes, I've heard about the scratching problems. I'm actually a little more concerned about mold than anything else, but it looks like this is hit or miss with just about every composite decking manufacturer. Some people have problems, a lot don't. So far the decking product I like best, just based on the samples I've received, is ChoiceDek from Weyerhaeuser and formally A.E.R.T. It looks the most natural, but this latest generation is relatively new.

http://www.choicedek.com/
 
#9 ·
I agree with bigchaz.....my sister in-law has a huge composite deck that wraps around the side and back of her 5 year old custom built home. There are twos sets of stairs with treds that are sagging, the side of the home that gets the most direct sunlight looks like it is starting to fade in color, and the multitude of trim pieces that finish off the railings and the edges where the decking meets up with the siding and are not fit together very well which has caused some noticable gaps where you would expect to see a nice clean finished edge. I think it is a combination of the decking iteself and a shabby installation/construction job. IMHO, a well maintained natural wood deck will outperform, outlast, and just looks better than the composite stuff.
 
#10 ·
Maybe, but everything that I've read says that composite decks hold around 90% of their value, whereas wood decks hold much less. If I'm going to invest some of my hard earned $$'s I'd like to retain as much of the investment as possible. Besides, bigchaz, because of his business, is obviously biased, which is understandable.
 
#14 ·
kcrossley2----IMHO, unless you build one heck of a deck with the composite stuff that outdoes everyone elses deck in the neghborhood, If you go to re-sell, the added value of the composite deck would be the same as the value of a wooden deck. A typical home buyer looks at a house and sees a deck.....not a composite deck or a wood deck....just a deck.....no more added value due to material.
 
#15 ·
Explanation as requested per above:
I heard ceder wood is from a type of tree which lived in the water, therefore the wood is resilence to rain/water damage, so no need to do stain protection and still last a long long time.... I have ceder wood playset at the backyard seems to support this agrument as I bought it second handed and don't know if the previous owner also bought it second handed and the wood still strong and hold....
 
#19 ·
Depends upon the enviroment. Where I am at NO WOOD lasts past a few years if you dont stain it YEARLY no matter what the can says. It cannot hold up to the harsh UV rays we have here. (unless the deck is shaded then MAYBE you can get away with 2 years) So a composite product that can hold up to this enviroment is really the only solution and Correct Deck CX is the only one I have seen hold up in this enviroment.
 
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