Best Composite/Synthetic Deck Material

[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...k-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/