Best Composite/Synthetic Deck Material

[Bailey Guns]

OK all you handyman types. I'm about to rebuild my deck and want to go with a composite or synthetic material. Who's done this or has a composite/synthetic deck? What brand works and what brand should I steer clear from?

I'm not interested in wood decking at all so no need to go into the cost benefits of wood vs composite.

These are the priorities:


A composite brand that DOES NOT warp
Ease of install...I need something that can be easily installed without any specialty tools.
Minimal upkeep/maintenance.
Price will be a factor...obviously want the best quality at the best price
Color isn't important to me but it is to the wife...we'll want a natural-looking color.
Availability. I want to be able to buy it/pick it up locally.
Support. I'll need an established company in case I need a repair piece or two down the road.

Any suggestions or recommendations?

[rockhound]

Carl so happens i also just applied for a permit to repair and extend my deck and have been looking at these options i am not finding much locally in the way of color options, the colors you are looking for are available, but are special order,

Depot carries brown and gray at $33 bucks for 16' pieces, but the color you are looking for would be an extra $26 each, $59 per piece according to the pro desk, there is a lighter option at lowes that isn't horrible on price

[kanekutter05]

OK all you handyman types. I'm about to rebuild my deck and want to go with a composite or synthetic material. Who's done this or has a composite/synthetic deck? What brand works and what brand should I steer clear from?

I'm not interested in wood decking at all so no need to go into the cost benefits of wood vs composite.

These are the priorities:


A composite brand that DOES NOT warp
Ease of install...I need something that can be easily installed without any specialty tools.
Minimal upkeep/maintenance.
Price will be a factor...obviously want the best quality at the best price
Color isn't important to me but it is to the wife...we'll want a natural-looking color.
Availability. I want to be able to buy it/pick it up locally.
Support. I'll need an established company in case I need a repair piece or two down the road.
Any suggestions or recommendations?

Trex is really the way to go for synthetic decking. Fairly easy to install and it will take a beating. The only thing I've been able to do to it so far is slightly melt a bit of the handrail when I left my grill on high (above 700 degrees high) while it was too close to the railing. And unless I pointed out the spot you wouldn't even notice it.

And screw home despot...Lowe's is the place to go. I may be slightly biased since my wife is an assistant store manager there and we get a smokin discount, but I digress [Beer]

Definitely keep us updated with some pics!

[yankeefan98121]

I agree, IF you can Trex is the way to go for synthetic

[Bailey Guns]

Carl so happens i also just applied for a permit to repair and extend my deck and have been looking at these options i am not finding much locally in the way of color options, the colors you are looking for are available, but are special order,

Depot carries brown and gray at $33 bucks for 16' pieces, but the color you are looking for would be an extra $26 each, $59 per piece according to the pro desk, there is a lighter option at lowes that isn't horrible on price

Yeah...we're having a hard time deciding, too. And to be clear, we haven't ruled out using wood (I think it came across that way in the OP), but I'm far more familiar with the options there so I'm looking for opinions on the synthetic/composite stuff.

And kane...I've pretty much ruled out Trex. Way too many horror stories on that brand.

[Tim K]

There are some tropical hardwoods that are similar in cost and just amazing. My deck is Ipe (pronounced ee-pay). It's 3/4" thick and much more rigid than 1 1/2" plastic wood. It's commonly used in marine environments, and is almost impervious to water. It'll grey out in a year or so, then just quit changing. I slap some sealant on my every three years just to maintain the brownish color.

I had some leftover boards buried in the dirt for six years in the backyard that I stumbled on while cleaning up a few weeks ago. Once I knocked the crap off them, they looked just like the day I tossed them out there.

There are two negatives from my perspective. It's a natural wood, so some boards are going to want to warp. This stuff is so amazingly strong that when it wants to warp, there's almost no stopping it. I bought a few extra boards so I could replace the warpy ones when they appeared, and that worked out fine. It ended up being 5% or less. The second negative is that it creates tiny, very strong slivers. If being able to walk on your deck barefoot is a desire, move on immediately.

It cuts about like maple, but it's only 3/4" thick so most any chop saw will make short work of it. Oh, and it's heavy. Really, really heavy.

[kanekutter05]

And kane...I've pretty much ruled out Trex. Way too many horror stories on that brand.

IMHO, I think the horror stories are from people who do not properly install it and/or do not have a proper base for the deck. I can tell you I've done at least 10 decks with Trex and every single one of them (last time I checked to be fair) was in superb condition. YMMV I suppose, but I think with the sampling that I've had experience with I am thinking it's more user error than a bad product.

[Great-Kazoo]

IMHO, I think the horror stories are from people who do not properly install it and/or do not have a proper base for the deck. I can tell you I've done at least 10 decks with Trex and every single one of them (last time I checked to be fair) was in superb condition. YMMV I suppose, but I think with the sampling that I've had experience with I am thinking it's more user error than a bad product.

As is with a few "horror stories" Once you dig deeper the root problem has always been user error.

[TFOGGER]

When we built the deck off the east side of our house, we used the Trex Transcend product. Basically it's the normal synthetic decking material, but wrapped in a polyurethane outer covering. Looks good, and has been absolutely indestructible as far as weather goes.

http://www.trex.com/plan/products/decking/transcend/index.htm

Downside: High initial cost, but pretty much zero maintenance.

[BPTactical]

You may want to consider traction in your requirements.
Trex stinks in that category.

[Richard K]

I wanted to replace my redwood decking but when I looked into it I was told that the joists had to be on 12" centers mine are on 20" centers. It would have required me putting additional joists in for 90' of deck.

[snichols28]

Trex is great. I like mine! Other people are correct... make sure you install it correctly and follow the manufacturer directions. Not leaving enough gap for moisture to drain and/or expansion of the materials will ruin your deck.

Also... get yourself a couple of Lowe's 10% off coupons. I saved over $1200 by using coupons with my deck build. You can buy the coupons on eBay for only a couple of dollars each!

[migkpapa]

Check out Brock Dock and Brock Deck. I've used it for decking and docks for 20+ years and the old stuff looks just as good as new. It has excellent wet traction because of the embossed chevron pattern.

http://www.royalbuildingproducts.com/products/brock-dock-systems.aspx

[Troublco]

I used to do decks (and other woodworking) with a friend as a side job when I worked at Buckley. Best synthetic deck material I used was some pure plastic stuff he'd get thru an outfit in Parker called Carefree Recycled Products of Colorado. This stuff is different than Trex in that it has absolutely no wood in it; it's all plastic. It's made with a groove in both edges and you use small tabs that you put a screw through to install it. It's easier than it sounds, and it has the advantage of allowing the material to expand and contract without breaking the screws. It also keeps you from needing to put screws through the material. It comes with the color molded in, with different colors available. It's impervious to water, rot, etc. but can be a bit slippery when wet. It comes in different widths and the length is usually determined by what you're going to do with it; you can get it up to 49' long so you don't have butt joints.

Instead of explaining it all, I'll just put a link to their site here. This was what I was going to use to replace the deck on my house before I moved to NM.

http://www.carefreedecks.com/products.html

[sniper7]

My sister put in Trex at her house a couple years ago. still looks great. I think the problems people have are not following directions

[asmo]

I put in Trex 7 years ago on a southern facing deck (no shade at all). Used the red and grey -- there is a bit of fade, but it still looks nice.

[Bailey Guns]

Even the guy at Lowe's recommended against Trex. In addition to a lot of quality issues they're in the midst of at least a couple of class-action lawsuits.

We may go look at aluminum tomorrow...but probably cost prohibitive.

[Bowtie]

I used to do decks (and other woodworking) with a friend as a side job when I worked at Buckley. Best synthetic deck material I used was some pure plastic stuff he'd get thru an outfit in Parker called Carefree Recycled Products of Colorado. This stuff is different than Trex in that it has absolutely no wood in it; it's all plastic. It's made with a groove in both edges and you use small tabs that you put a screw through to install it. It's easier than it sounds, and it has the advantage of allowing the material to expand and contract without breaking the screws. It also keeps you from needing to put screws through the material. It comes with the color molded in, with different colors available. It's impervious to water, rot, etc. but can be a bit slippery when wet. It comes in different widths and the length is usually determined by what you're going to do with it; you can get it up to 49' long so you don't have butt joints.

Instead of explaining it all, I'll just put a link to their site here. This was what I was going to use to replace the deck on my house before I moved to NM.

http://www.carefreedecks.com/products.html

I used to install this product as-well. There premade clips are better now. We use to have to make all of our clips. The expansion and contraction of these boards at long lengths is extreme.

[jslo]

And scary noisy at night when contracting

[BigDee]

Give the guys at The Deck Superstore a shout. They carry numerous brands of decking material and are more than happy to tell you about the pro's and con's of each brand they carry.

I'm about to build a deck in my backyard and was turned on to the Deck superstore by a co-worker. I was a few days away from placing my order with the Depot on some Trex and am extremely grateful my co-worker advised me to check this place out.

If you go to the showroom in Commerce City they have sample decks built out of all the lines and colors they carry so you can see how the product wears and the color it will turn once it weathers. They will also give you samples to take home so you can match the color up to your yard and find the color that will work best.

http://www.thedecksuperstore.com/

[Scoobypup]

My deck had the Veranda stuff from Home Depot installed just prior to me purchasing it. I DO NOT recommend it. It is crazy slippery when wet and gets insanely hot during the day. It's installed facing South, but it still shouldn't get hotter than asphalt.
This is the only experience I've had with a non-wood deck though.