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

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/de...cend/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.