Experience with plastic or composite decking?

[Loony Singer]

Hi, all...

We are on the verge of replacing our 14-year-old pressure treated deck (yes, it should have lasted longer, but that's a different story). Given that minimal maintenance and nice appearance are our priorities, we've decided to go with one of the new plastic or composite materials.

I've checked Consumer Reports, but their last tests were done at least 3 years ago, and much has changed since then. I've browsed a couple of local lumber yards, and have found a bewildering array of brands and multiple models within each brand. Clearly, you pay more for deeper embossing and more color variation (i.e. more realistic looking). But beyond that, we haven't come to any conclusions.

I'm wondering if anyone on the Forum has used this stuff and has some recommendations (or non-recommendations), things to watch out for, etc. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

[SAB1]

I have limited experience with it ...my brother inlaw used it around his pool (light grey in color). It is in full sun. I gets so hot in the afternoon you cant stand on it in bare feet. Other than that its great.

[Bear Islander]

We have used Azek decking and have been very happy with it. Because the color goes all the way through the material you can rip or mill without difficulty. Some decking is only a veneer with a different color inside.

[BroadHopper]

Composite are heavy and yes they get hot in the sun.

I vote for aluminum for lightness and it stays cool in the sun.

Since Cresote is banned, wood has a short lifespan, even pressure treated.

[brk-lnt]

I have a Timbertech deck that I'm pretty happy with (going on 3 years now).

The Azek material BI mentioned is probably the "best", but at significant cost.

Timbertech is sort of like "trex" wrapped in "azek". Many of the pure composite decking materials can have problems with swelling and deterioration over time. Timbertech is a composite core, with a PVC outer wrapping. It looks better (IMO) than the normal composites and is priced in between trex-type decks and Azek.

When I researched this a couple of years ago, it seemed that the environment where the deck was going to be installed played a bit part. Most of the materials had various trade-offs in terms of shade/moisture exposure, sun fading, resistance to chemicals and so forth.

[DickR]

I posted this for a similar thread on hearth.com:

We used Fiberon composite decking on ours, now about four years old and still looking good. It has the grooves for use of hidden fasteners. If you use that type of fastening system, however, be sure the deck framing underneath is adequately braced against racking. The use of hidden fasteners doesn't provide suffient racking resistance. When selecting a product, check also the maximum allowed joist spacing. Some require no more than 16" oc, or 12" if the decking is laid diagonally to the framing.

[MeredithMan]

We used Azek on the panels of our crank-up dock. Love it. No more splinters and never have to worry about it again. It also has some texture, so there is no slipping, even when wet.

[Merrymeeting]

I used this on ours. Over 10 years old now and still in great shape. The honeycomb underside keeps it light, and it does not absorb heat like some do.

It was expensive, but given how long it's lasted and the shape it's still in, a good investment as far as I'm concerned.

http://www.michiganlakeproducts.com/Brock_vinyldocksmichigan.php

[ishoot308]

Here's a good thread covering this topic...

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12185&highlight=composite+decking

Dan

[sky's]

Hi, all...

We are on the verge of replacing our 14-year-old pressure treated deck (yes, it should have lasted longer, but that's a different story). Given that minimal maintenance and nice appearance are our priorities, we've decided to go with one of the new plastic or composite materials.

I've checked Consumer Reports, but their last tests were done at least 3 years ago, and much has changed since then. I've browsed a couple of local lumber yards, and have found a bewildering array of brands and multiple models within each brand. Clearly, you pay more for deeper embossing and more color variation (i.e. more realistic looking). But beyond that, we haven't come to any conclusions.

I'm wondering if anyone on the Forum has used this stuff and has some recommendations (or non-recommendations), things to watch out for, etc. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

few things to keep in mind composite is nearly 3 times heavier than the wooden deck you have on there now, so first step is making sure your framing is up to standards in many cases there are some adjustments that need to be made perhaps ad a row blocking, secondly if the old decking was nailed on and most likely it was you may have to add 2x4's along the existing joist to give you more fastening options not trying to intimidate you but its not as easy as ripping off the old deck and putting down a new composite deck your welcome to pm me and once we get got up with roofing projects perhaps we can help you. good luck :)