Quote:
Originally Posted by sky's
you have to keep in mind composite is nearly 3 times heavier than wood. i would say in around a dozen or so decks we do a year the frame 99% of the time is not sound and will need to be replaced. also many decks that were installed were nailed down which is WRONG when you remove the old decking chances are you'll see huge nail holes that may be a factor as well even with a hidden fastener system. good luck in your project. also check your ledger board to make sure it was flashed properly
|
Most decks that were built 20 or so years ago are probably not strong enough for composite decking, esp if the frame has deteriorated.
I built a 14' x 16' composite deck a few years ago for my son and the town made me use 16" sono-tubes instead of the usual 12" because of the extra weight. That was a lot more bags of cement than I wanted to mix!
I noticed that when I bought an extension for my Aluminum dock they use a much lighter material for their deck boards. It's not the same as the composites decking.
Composite decking might be OK for a permanent dock but it would be too heavy for a dock that had to be removed every year.