Decking materials

[Gunslinger08]

We're planning to build a deck in the next few weeks and I'm trying to figure out which decking material to use. Pressure treated pine will be about 25% cheaper, but it has the obvious drawbacks of needing to be stained, fading, warping, and cracking. Trex Transcend is supposed to resolve the stain and scratching issues with older composite products, but Trex seems to be love it or hate it. Reading reviews online (like always) you only get people with experiences on the extremes. Trex would be nice for low maintenance and no splinters. I need to ask my contractor if he has used hardwood decking, such as Ipe. I'm not sure how the price compares.

What do you all think? Also, and recommendations on size/features? Looking at 24x16 with stairs on one side.

 

[Gunslinger08]

Anybody?

 

[Jumpem]

My aunt hated her Trex deck. They had all sorts of warping and discoloration issues. I would go with a traditional pressure treated deck. It will still last you decades with nothing other than painting/staining once in a while.

 

[Drako]

I prefer natural materials myself -redwood, but that's just me

 

[edro]

Be prepared to spend 3x as much on your deck if Trex is used.
Drawback include: price, heat in summer, fading, uneven discoloration, 12" joist spans

The positives are obvious; no staining or maintenance besides cleaning.

We went with pine decking and composite railings, since that is the most troublesome to clean and re-stain.

 

[iGas]

Your Ultimate Guide to the 5 Materials That Make a Modern Deck

PT

 

[Greenman]

I've never seen pressure treated pine, I assume it's as ugly as PT fir.
Trex has had major failures in the past, they claim it's all good now, but I remain unconvinced.
DreamDex is a nice looking material that's easy to work with, though none of the projects I've used it on are past two years old, so the jury is still out.
I've had very good luck with Tembertech twin finish. I have projects that are five years old and still look great.
I've also had very good results with EverGrain, the oldest project is only three years old though.
Redwood is always a good choice, though it has the highest maintenance.

Edit: Forgot to mention fasteners. Some of the composites have a proprietary hidden fastening system that can add two dollars per square foot to the cost, be sure to figure that into your total cost.

 

[olds]

Ya, never heard of PT pine.

 

[gorcorps]

Not a fan of trex. It seems to fade almost as fast as a wood deck, except you can't re-stain it so you're stuck. IMO the ability to maintain a wood deck is a plus and you're calling it a drawback.

 

[edro]

I've never seen pressure treated pine, I assume it's as ugly as PT fir.

Ya, never heard of PT pine.

wat?

It's the most common deck building material known to man.

Fir is a type of pine...

 

[olds]

I had no idea.
It is commonly referred to by several different names which include North American timber, SPF (spruce, pine, fir) and whitewood.

 

[iGas]

wat?

It's the most common deck building material known to man.

Fir is a type of pine...

You mean that they are both conifers.

Fir = Abies
Pine = Pinus

Both are from different genus.

 

[Markbnj]

My two cents... stay away from composite materials like Trex. They sag, aren't dimensionally stable, and look like crap after a few years in the sun and weather. Of course, so do wood decks, but at least you can refinish those.

I asked a colleague once what kind of wood deck I should build, and he said "a stone terrace."

There's some logic there. Large outdoor structures made of wood are a pain in the ass. Too bad good stone terraces are so expensive. Patios aren't a bad compromise.

Nevertheless I did build a wood deck, and chose western red cedar. Cedar is mildew and rot resistant, dimensionally stable, and resistant to checking. It comes in several grades from knotty to architect clear. I used a mid-grade for the decking, and architect clear for the posts and rails.

The one thing I would note is that good cedar is getting rarer. You want to make sure you pick your pieces, and get a good amount of the red heartwood. Yellowish pieces are sapwood and they aren't worth shit.

Not a fan of pressure treated. I don't think it holds up well in sun and weather. It's great stuff for the posts and joists of the frame, though.

 

[Greenman]

wat?

It's the most common deck building material known to man.

Fir is a type of pine...

Fir is not a type of pine, it's Douglas Fir. The SPF designation covers a lot of lumber, most of it not worth using.

 

[Drako]

Redwood or something natural, but I repeat myself. That synthetic stuff does not last any longer than the real thing, but you will pay more.

 

[MarkXIX]

Pure teak wood, accept nothing less.

 

[Greenman]

Pure teak wood, accept nothing less.

Teak is tough to work with, but pretty.

 

[Markbnj]

Teak is tough to work with, but pretty.

It's pretty if you keep it clean and let it weather to a nice silver. But play the yachtsman just once and throw some oil on it, and you're shackled to a lifetime of slavery.

 

[edro]

You mean that they are both conifers.
Fir = Abies
Pine = Pinus
Both are from different genus.

Fir is not a type of pine, it's Douglas Fir. The SPF designation covers a lot of lumber, most of it not worth using.

Both are in the Pinaceae (pine) Family, thus, both are pine.
Family trumps genus.