Trex decks: "...but ugly goes all the way through"

[tadink]

As they say - beauty is only skin deep, but ugly.....

Well - anyone else have their trex deck turn to mush? The house we purchased had already installed this crap, and now it is returning to its natural state - a pile of ground up saw dust and rice husks by the look of it. Class action law suit against TREX, but they are somehow still in biz. I'll leave the ranting and raving out of the post, but TREX has routinely sidestepped their 'warranty' with a variety of tactics (must present original receipt for the purchase, etc.).

So, aside from ripping this crap out - anyone done any research into re-saturating this crap with glue? I've done a few boards with a wood hardener made for dry rot, and it makes a nice crust on the top but does not penetrate very deeply. Maybe that is all I can hope for - I'll paint over the top to try and keep the worst of the moisture out of it.

Trouble is, the wood hardener is pretty $$$$, so doing as much as I have is going to be costly.

Any thoughts on an alternative? Anyone painted this crap before? Looking to the braintrust for some suggestions - always amazed at what this group comes up with!

cheers from Napa -

TD

[Cajundaddy]

How old is your deck? I think the only good solution here is replacing the boards with your preferred choice. I have a composite deck (not Trex brand) that still looks new with zero maintenance. Love it!

[widgeon13]

Is that a high traffic area? Is there any explanation for the wear?

[t-tom]

We have Trex around the pool at my lake house and have never had a problem with it. Its been there for 7-8 years. It sits in the sun all year long. Have you contacted trex to see if they have a solution?

[tadink]

This is just one example of how the complete deck looks. I'd estimate the age at something around a 2005 installation, there is a well known batch of product these idiots shipped that 'failed' due to mfgr defect, I think from their new RENO facility. But they are steadfast in their determination to sidestep their "lifetime warranty" at all costs, even in the face of numerous law suits against them. AVOID AVOID AVOID TREX

NOT a high traffic area - the deck sees rain in Napa, rarely freezes. Apparently moisture is the enemy here.

If you are up for enjoying the misery of others, here's a trex blog site about the woes of other owners like me - Trex Decking Review: A new Trex Class Action Lawsuit

[intakexhaust]

Although I've used and installed Trex, have never really liked it (for other reasons) or seen that type of damage. I've installed it on some unusual jobs too, such as a roof top deck on top of a six story flat in a city with extreme climate variables -30 to +110, sleet, snow, ice including as vertical privacy fence.

Was a chemical or high detergent used to clean it?

Bad for Trex not backing their warranty. Whatever happened in these cases, I wouldn't want the replacement of the same product but instead for a cost / expense - material and labor only. Then would tear the entire deck out and use something else.

[craigster59]

My uncle used it for the decking on his house up in Colfax. Built around 2005 and most likely came out of Reno. He had the same problem and they gave him all new material, but no compensation for labor/ installation since he put it in himself. He wasn't very thrilled with the outcome either. I'd want my money back, not another load of your crappy product.

[widebody911]

A friend of mine bought a house with a huge Trex deck which was decomposing. As part of some class-action suit, they sent him replacement boards, but didn't cover labor for re-installing. I don't know what kind of warranty the new stuff has.

[intakexhaust]

Not exactly to the OP issue with Trex but something similar I've noticed.

In many municipal to State parks, they use recycled plastics for small shelters - park bench, picnic tables. They use a heavy 4 x 4 (3 1/2" x 3 1/2" d.) even for these benches and tables but now see them sagging. Some are really bad. I could only imagine the taxpayers cost for these and what a waste for the crap. Do you think they would bother chasing the manufacturer? LOL

[RWebb]

replace, seal with something, or cover with wood

sorry to hear about the problem - document it well and realize that if you join the class, you will likely recover a tiny fraction at best

[jyl]

Suppose you manage to, in effect, bondo the upper surface. It may then be flat and non-disintegrating, but it will look like crap and devalue the house. I would not spend time and effort for that outcome. I'd live with the Trex until you are ready to rip and replace with a deck material that will actually look good.

[JavaBrewer]

Originally Posted by tadink

Our last home that was built in 2003 had a large deck off the back that showed the beginnings of what you have pictured. I attributed it to the harsh sunlight and heat from a Southerly exposure. I estimate 10 sq/ft total out of 400 sq/ft of Trex was doing this.

[FPB111]

Maybe one of the deck "restore" products?
Rust-Oleum Restore Case Study - YouTube

This one looks smoother?

Olympic Deck Rescue Review Part 2 - YouTube

[matt711]

Not sure if the Rust-Oleum product will stick to the Trex but that seems like a great option.

[Iciclehead]

Speaking of problems with decks, I have a 600 sq ft deck with built in brick planters, dry storage underneath with full concrete pad and the lifetime vinyl I installed lasted 13 years. Had to pull it all off, repair the rotten wood and decided to replace the surface with an industrial roof system. Put on this Georgia Pacific product called Densdeck coated with two layers of a liquid, trowelled on urethane membrane from Sika.

Did all that stuff, applied the Sika and ended up using double the estimated amount plus the stuff started to bubble. Called the factory rep, they inspected and said...I applied it too thick. When I told them I had followed the instructions to the letter they said "the instructions are wrong, the trowel size is way too big". Terribly sorry, but you should have known better (!!!)

Out of the kindness of their heart, they offered to replace half of the membrane product (which as about $4 per sq. ft.) but the labour was up to me to sand off the old membrane and replace it.

To make a long story short, I complained to Home Depot where I bought the stuff....they actually stood up for me, got all the new product I needed, supplied a floor sander and paper to sand off the old stuff and generally were quite good about it.

But no compensation for my 2 weeks of labour....sigh.

And relevant to the thread, while I had problems with application, the Sika product itself was outstanding. You might consider using it....I think it is called Sikalastic 180.

Dennis

[LWJ]

My next door neighbor had that same issue. It was a bad batch. There is a warranty / lawsuit that should give you some relief. (not enough as mentioned above however)

[tadink]

Originally Posted by LWJ

My next door neighbor had that same issue. It was a bad batch. There is a warranty / lawsuit that should give you some relief. (not enough as mentioned above however)

yah, that's all well and good IF you have your receipt. Since I purchased the house from the person that has the receipt - now dead - TREX's response to me and others like me is "AH HA, SO SORRY, YOU LOSE!"

BTW, following the TREX lesson - I have a bunch of parts for sale with a LIFETIME WARRANTY. It appears that all you have to do is state that you have one, you apparently don't actually have to do anything to provide the service!! Well, that is the TREX model at least - - -

Bottom line - I suggest that anyone considering doing business with TREX discount the warranty claim they make to ZERO since it clearly does not exist. Well, does not exist for a bunch of people whose decks have turned to sawdust.....grrrrr

so, back to my original question - I wonder if re-impregnating the now-porous sawdust with some sort of binder / glue / adhesive will do any good? And, if one were to do such a thing - what might one use?

I'll explore the other deck rescue products a bit, thanks for turning me on to those...

thx

td

[look 171]

when you are done and ready to replace the decking, may I suggest Ipe. Its a read wood product and it weathers well. It should be OK in SF. I try talking people away from the milk bottle deckboards. I like real materials myself. Sure, you still have to treat, but only once every couple of years. They use the same stuff for some of the boardwalk at Long Beach, so that will tell you something about the materials. I have it for over 10 years at my own house and have treated it twice so far. No sign of wear and tear.

[RWebb]

I've also heard good things about Ipe - I think it is a tropical hardwood - if so, do NOT breathe any sawdust

[look 171]

Ipe is also fire rated. Most people don't know about this. Ipe and Penofin penetrating oil is the way to go. My own deck and many of my clients have had many trouble free years. it survived a sandbox sitting on the decking with two little kids. After all, I built the deck for them.

I have been using Ipe for a long time, way before it got popular with deck builders. I believe Ipe is a type of Teak but harvested and yes, it is super hard. I breathed a little of that sawdust over the years. That why I am so damn dumb. Important thing is cross ventilation.