New deck - Trex Toasted Sand or Timbertech Antique Leather

[berettafan]

Anyone with experience in these brands? The trex is capped. on 3 sides, open on the bottom. Supposedly this lets moisture escape. The Timbertech is capped on all 4.

Wife prefers the look of the Trex. I kinda like it too but unsure about durability.

[Crowbob]

I've heard composite decking in the sun sags over time, the color fades and it gets super hot.

[dad911]

It's open on the bottom to compete with Home Depot, Lowes, big box stores. That is the 'Enhance' line.

My suppliers also carry Trex in Transcend and Select that are not.

Did a dark brown Trex deck for my sister 10+ years ago, still looks good.

[DanielDudley]

I have done a couple of Trex decks. The material came from a local lumber yard, and was coated all sides. I would think if it was not coated on the bottom it would be prone to cupping.

As long as you keep your framing to 16'' on center, you won't have any problems with sag.

[VINMAN]

When I build with any of the 3 sided material, especially the fluted bottom ones I always go with 12" o/c joists to avoid sagging and bounce. Unless I'm doing a redecking job.. Enhance isn't bad, I've used it a few times, it's Trex' s lower line. Most brands are pretty equal. I use Fiberon a lot also. It also comes down to customers budget and choice.

[berettafan]

My guy says we're doing 12" spacing so we're good on the sag issue. I guess the concern for me is threefold- scratching, fading and mold.

We keyed the various samples this morning and the trex definitely has the softest finish. dragging an empty but fair sized flower pot on it flattened the grain texture noticeably as well.

[stealthn]

We built a Timbertec one last year but using the Trex hardware. Does not get hot, easy to walk on, lasts forever. It was easy to do but the stairs need real planning. It just happened that we went to Lowe’s one day, we had a 13% off card and all the decking was on sale at 30% off, so we pulled the trigger.

Way worth it, I’ll post a pick later

[Scott Douglas]

I believe my brother's deck is Trex. He got it in a big roll so he could cut to the length he needed. The only joints are the long way as the pieces are full length. This deck is at least 20 yrs old. All he does is power wash it, maybe once/twice per year. Still looks like new when clean, easy on bare feet and doesn't get hot.

[island911]

Originally Posted by berettafan

... I kinda like it too but unsure about durability.

Like so many materials it looks pretty good when new.

You need to know that plastics need a lot of support (joists, typically - looks like you know that) and they move a lot with temperature. Wood moves a lot too, but with moisture, and mostly across the grain (gaps needed).

The plastic products are used a lot in Hawaii for some of the high traffic paths and such. (supported by sand) and that seems to work out well for a few years before warpage becomes too much. But great abrasion resistance.

Crowbob is right too, wood decking is much nicer thermally. The plastics really hold a lot of heat. I wouldn't want to walk on barefoot or lay out on a dark trex deck. Yet VG cedar is quite nice.

[biosurfer1]

Originally Posted by berettafan

The trex is capped. on 3 sides, open on the bottom. Supposedly this lets moisture escape.

100% marketing crap, it's a cost saving measure to compete with cheaper brands.

[rfuerst911sc]

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 !

[KFC911]

^^^^ The wood on my deck is nearly 30 years old....some of my spoons...much older.

Nuthin' like good wood

[JeremyD]

I used WearDeck on my dock - expensive - but it takes a fair amount of abuse

https://www.decks-docks.com/weardeck

[Deschodt]

after 5 years my trex looks like waves on the ocean - bought it for house 1, inherited it for house 2. Hate it, never again. GEt real wood or something else, not Trex !