judiebug

One of my neighbors was telling me she heard about a new "composite" wood that's supposed to be ideal for decks, patios, etc.. Problem is, she can't remember what the name of it is. Has anyone heard of this and know the name and more about it?

TIA!

Judiebug

decorchallenged

I know Lowe's has a version of it. I glanced at it this weekend. It looks great, but it cost quite a bit more than wood. How long does a deck with pressure treated wood last if it has been sealed properly? Is it worth the price difference?

judiebug

You raise a really good point. That's one of the things I'm looking into. I know I wouldn't want to spend a lot of money needlessly. I'm looking to find out how long that composite wood would last vs. pressure treated and then the maintenance aspect of it. How often does pressure treated wood need to be re-treated, if ever? And if it does, how much would it cost?

fixitright

I think you should be able to get information on the "life expectancy/maintenance" of the pressure treated lumber as well as the composite. You may also want to try looking it up here on the web for more info..

Bill

i have seen at least ten different types of man made decking. some are better than others. there are also more than ten types of wood. the appearance and lastability and cost are all factors that need to be addressed when you choose your deck. good luck!

FirTrader

TREX and Millenium are the two I see the most of. Trex is a mixture of wood and vinyl, Millenium just vynyl I believe. Besides being utterly water and bug proof, there is no advantage to these products over treated wood, for the most part. If you put a treated deck together, and put some linseed oil or something like that on it once every 3 years, it'll outlast you.

The vinyl composites are super expensive, and they get awful hot in the sun - like forget going barefoot on the deck - it'll burn the soles off your feet.

All in all, I build a lot more treated decks than I do composite. I do used composites in non-structural rot proofing applications, but that's another issue.

As you can tell, I'm not a particularly big fan of these products in general. They are too expensive, too hot, too flexible, and not particularly attractive in my opinion (we joke in the industry that trex comes in "not-quite-purple" and "not-quite-grey".)

shadebuilder

I would have to agree with FurTrader. We are from time to time requested to use Trex but I much prefer natural treated wood.

BillsCatz

I've installed miles of both PT and composite decking in New England. The upside of composite decking is that it doesn't require oiling or staining every few years, in fact it doesn't require anything except a cleaning now and then. It also doesn't split or crack over time, nor does it warp as long as the joist spacing is 16" O/C or less. The better brands also come in several colors. The downside is that it costs about 30% more than PT.

I agree with the guys who've posted about PT decking lasting forever IF MAINTAINED. A common misconception is, "Oh, it's pressure treated, we don't have to do anything to it!" and five years later it looks like tore up drift wood with cracks and splinters everywhere. A well oiled PT deck will last longer than the owner.

The Gingerbread Man

Yes well oiled. BUT........ You must follow the directions on the can!
Too many of my customers complain that their decks are sticky or gummy after they use certain products. When asked if they read the directions they always answer "I thought you just put it on. So I thought alot would be better" doh

Gary

Our PT deck is around 20 yrs. old now. In the Spring we pressure wash it, let it dry & and seal it. There are a few weather cracks here and there, nothing major however. We removed the pool a couple years ago and remodeled the deck adding a few new boards here and there. Once pressure washed and sealed the difference between old and new boards is hardly noticable.