lets talk about decks

[HydroSqueegee]

The deck out back at my house is old and falling apart. So ive come up with the hair brained idea to build a new one. Now i wouldnt mind going the cheap route of pressure treated lumber, but the wife is dead set on using composite.

What are some of the pros and cons of this stuff? Hows the maintenance compared to wood and how bad will this stuff fade?

 

[Greenman]

Depends on where you live and how you install and maintain it. I've used a bunch of different composites and had very good luck with them. My current favorite is called DeramDex.
I wouldn't have a deck made out of PT.

 

[ScoobMaster]

I just had one built last year. Here is the progress in pictures from start to finish:

Scoob's new Deck

After much research and pondering, I let my contractor talk me into going the pressure treated wood route. It was significantly less money and his preferred material (he has built a few with composite, but personally didn't care for it). For me, it came down to simple economics. The material cost of the composite was so much higher, that even if I hire (read PAY) someone a couple of hundred dollars to re-finish my wood every 3-4 years, I will still be money ahead 20 years later (I ran the numbers, but don't have them here at work).

I *DID* get very good deals on the PT wood as we built it in the "off season" here in the northeast. You have to ask yourself if the "low maintenance" convenience is worth the extra $$. Don't be fooled by claims of "NO maintenance", as that is BS. Composite decking still needs to be periodically cleaned to keep up its appearance. You won't have to re-coat it with sealer/stain like PT or other real wood, but you'll pay a lot for that convenience.

 

[Kntx]

*snip*

That's a badass deck

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Why a deck? Can't do anything with concrete, brick or rock?

 

[highland145]

That's a badass deck

True but have we been invited for a beer and a burger?

 

[Gothgar]

I personally like redwood for decks, usually not quite as expensive as composite, but looks really nice if you just stain it.

Your local jurisdiction should have standard plans on how to build one that you can pick up when you get your permit.

All it really is, is a couple pages showing the basic layout, but it should be easy enough to follow.

 

[ponyo]

I just had one built last year. Here is the progress in pictures from start to finish:

Scoob's new Deck

After much research and pondering, I let my contractor talk me into going the pressure treated wood route. It was significantly less money and his preferred material (he has built a few with composite, but personally didn't care for it). For me, it came down to simple economics. The material cost of the composite was so much higher, that even if I hire (read PAY) someone a couple of hundred dollars to re-finish my wood every 3-4 years, I will still be money ahead 20 years later (I ran the numbers, but don't have them here at work).

I *DID* get very good deals on the PT wood as we built it in the "off season" here in the northeast. You have to ask yourself if the "low maintenance" convenience is worth the extra $$. Don't be fooled by claims of "NO maintenance", as that is BS. Composite decking still needs to be periodically cleaned to keep up its appearance. You won't have to re-coat it with sealer/stain like PT or other real wood, but you'll pay a lot for that convenience.

That's a nice deck. How much did it run you? And aren't you worried about the weight of the hot tub on deck when filled with water?

 

[Cal166]

We recently build our deck over the fall and didn't get a chance to use it at all. We went for the pressure treated wood and we really like the look of it.

Built by contractors and got a decent deal..

18'x18' with Fence all around - a little over $6k

 

[vi edit]

The only real cons of composite are cost of materials and cost of labor. There are some others like fading concerns, heat rention(hot to walk on) in the summer, and consistent colors across purchased lots.

Where the cost *really* sneaks up on you is in the finishing details. If you go with the hollow core ones then you have to pay for the end caps at a $1 a piece. take that times a couple hundred and it adds up. Then there's matching railing/trim pieces that cost 5x as much as treated lumber. Or if you go with the hidden tiger claw mounts those are ridiculously expensive and a pain to work with.

Plus a cheap contractor will just come in with a nail gun and bang the thing out in a day if you go with treated lumber. With composite they'll be forced to use screws (which they should have done anyway with treated) which cost more take much longer to do.

But staining lumber every couple years sucks,and it *is* going to rot out at some point in time and need to be replaced while composite will likely last longer.

Soooooo....that being said....if you are going to be there for a while and it's not retardedly expensive, just go composite and be done with it.

If it's a starter/non long term place or you simply need something cheap in place then go treated and deal with the maintenance ever couple years.

 

[paperfist]

They have a few products out now that let you basically rubberize treated decking lumber. Prices vary by application method, but I would guess it would be on par with composite for longevity.

Otherwise yeah depending on where you build it (next to trees/sun/shade) will have an effect on maintenance for wood. Composite scares me as what do you do if it fades, or discolors? If you replace that part it's never going to match.

 

[child of wonder]

Hmm... my wife and I are having a deck built this summer. What's the typical life of a wood deck? We'll be in this house for another ~10 years.

 

[vi edit]

Hmm... my wife and I are having a deck built this summer. What's the typical life of a wood deck? We'll be in this house for another ~10 years.

It really just depends on a lot of things. Absolutely most important is upkeep. If you never stain/seal it then it could be as little as 5 years in harsh environments and if you never clean it up.

But even under good situations under typical midwest weather 10-15 is probably the norm. And you will probably find that the joists under the decking is okay and can be reused. You'll just have to redeck the surface.

 

[edro]

Composite has a problem with grey mold spots. It isn't just Trex.
Google "Trex mold" to see what it is.

I am going to build a deck this summer as well. I will still go with composite because our old deck was pain in the ass to clean, strip, stain, etc.

I hope others come in to suggest materials for the decking.

 

[vi edit]

I hope others come in to suggest materials for the decking.

If it's not a raised deck then do a concrete patio. That's practically maintenance free and will last as long as your home.

 

[gorcorps]

My dad has built decks for decades and he always recommends wood. The composites are just not there yet and from what we've seen the fading is pretty apparent.

If you absolutely want to go the laziest route then you can go composite, but the upkeep on wood is worth it economically and with appearence. You can restain and seal the wood to look nearly band new, but that composite will fade within 3-5 years and stay that way.

 

[Ryland]

I built a 16x20 gray trex deck around 2003. The biggest problem was that I kept snapping screws as we put the boards down. I periodically have to power wash it to get green mold off but other than that it is maintenance free.

I havent seen any fading over 8 years later.

 

[ScoobMaster]

That's a nice deck. How much did it run you? And aren't you worried about the weight of the hot tub on deck when filled with water?

Thanks!

It was about $6K give or take. But I was lucky to find a contractor that worked for me for a VERY reasonable labor rate (plus my father worked with him at no cost to me and I pitched in as well).

We designed it for the hot tub - if you look close at some of the early pictures, you can see an extra header and 4x4 posts under the hot tub area for reinforcement.

 

[HydroSqueegee]

Why a deck? Can't do anything with concrete, brick or rock?

well our current options are a deck to replace th old falling appart one, or demolish it, tear out the old concrete slab under it and put a nice paver patio in its place.
So far im leaning towards a patio, but need input on a deck.