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I recently was contemplating redoing our back deck with composite . The existing spans are 16 " on center so that wasn't a concern . Because the stuff is $$$ the expectations are very high for it to be maintenance free and last forever . Digging deep into the internet regardless of brand or price point several things stood out to me .

1.Most manufacturers recommend you seal EVERY cut . How well can you seal in the field ?

2.Most manufacturers recommend that things like chairs/tables/potted plants be moved once a month or staining/shading can appear on the decking.

3.I read a fair amount of horror stories from people that spent big money on a deck ( 10k - 20k ) that were happy the day it was installed but not so much a year or more later.

4.Lots of complaints about surface scratches . As an example lets say you have a table and chairs setup which almost every deck will have . Slide those chairs in and out a couple of hundred times and you can wear through the surface layer of protectant . Then what ???

Ultimately I made the decision to go with standard 5/4 x 6 pressure treated decking . Yes I have to stain it every 3-4 years but I much prefer the look of natural wood . For all of you that have successfully installed composite decking and are happy with it more power to you . That's why we have choices .

Our previous house in Marietta GA. had a Trex brand composite deck in a light grey color installed by the previous owners . It was on the western sun exposure and there was NO WAY you could walk barefoot in the afternoon on that deck . Again that was light grey !