Trex decking

S

Shann

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Sep 2, 2004
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Talked to my contractor about a front steps and landing. I'd asked about Ipe. He said that he recommends Trex now. Said its much better than it used to be. Does not fade and lower maintenance. He showed us an ipe deck that he did a few years ago. Has faded to silver\gray but still looks solid. Also a Trex deck that he did. Looks pretty good but I'm not generally a fan of composites over real wood.

Anybody have any experience with Trex?

As a practical matter I'm lazy and unlikely to take care of the stoop if it takes a lot of work. On the other hand I can't imagine that a 4'X7' landing with a couple of steps could require too much time and effort. Its not like its a 20 foot deck. North side of house. Extremes of weather likely to be cold rather than heat, but we were 90 degrees this week and humid and we will hit 20 below and lots of snow during the winter.

In addition to maintenance, my main concerns are looks, since it is the front of the house and slipperiness since we get a lot of snow and ice in winter.
 
My Dad put in a huge Trex deck at his place a couple of years ago. In my eyes it doesn't really look like wood, but it doesn't look bad--might just be a factor of the color. He lives on one of the little lakes about half an hour north of Wasilla, Alaska, so he gets plenty of extreme weather in addition to 20 hours of direct sun in the summer. He was bragging about it when I went to visit this summer, and he is happy about how well it is working out. As I recall, there was a problem with some of the screws lifting, but I think that had more to do with getting a crappy batch of screws from the hardware store. He did say that he wishes he had built in a slightly larger gap between planks to allow for more drainage versus wood. The winters up there now aren't as hard as they were when I was a boy, but it is still a harsh environment for exterior structures and his deck is holding up fine. I haven't been back in the winter for a while, but it was quite "grippy" in the rain and Dad never mentioned any problems with slipping in winter. For a small deck, I would say go for it. I need to replace a 4' by 7' landing too, but on my back door (must be a common size), and I am probably going to go with Trex just to stick it to those damn termites....
 
A small project would be perfect for Trex. I recently finished an 800 sqft deck with multiple levels, and five sets of stairs, all with Trex.

I recommend 12" spacing on the joists. Anything above 16" gets a bit soft under foot. The hidden fasteners saved a ton of time as well, as you don't have to pre-drill/bore screwholes. The hidden fasteners allow the composite to grow/shrink/shift if they need to, so warping won't be an issue.

If the internal structure of the deck is still in good shape, wood would save you money. If you're rebuilding the deck, Trex is a little costlier, but worth it.
 
Thanks for the info. I doubt if we will get anything like the extremes of Alaska, but we are "similar" in the widely changing weather. 4X7 seems like a good size for an entryway where you're main goal is to be able to stand on the landing, unlock the door, let the dog out and bring in the groceries all without having to stand on the step!

I had also heard about using 12" on center because of the flexibility. I think that's pretty easy with a small deck because it doesn't really matter.

What did you guys use for the frame for the decks? I see that they offer some kind of a metal framing as opposed to the regular old wood one. That would probably last as long as the trex without worrying about the internal structure rotting.
 
I used 2x8 pressure treated boards with 4x8 PT beams underneath. For a 4'x7' structure, you will only need one beam perpendicular to the joists. I stayed away from metal, as cutting wood is easy, and I didn't want to be drilling/tapping hidden fastener holes every 12 inches on an 80' long deck :D
 
Cypress said:
I used 2x8 pressure treated boards with 4x8 PT beams underneath. For a 4'x7' structure, you will only need one beam perpendicular to the joists. I stayed away from metal, as cutting wood is easy, and I didn't want to be drilling/tapping hidden fastener holes every 12 inches on an 80' long deck :D
Click to expand...

That's BAD (Big A** Deck!).
 
Shann said:
That's BAD (Big A** Deck!).
Click to expand...

It's nice to be finished with it. 10' wide the whole way with an extension around the hot tub in the corner! I'm German, so just the subframe possesses roughly 32 pounds of well-placed screws, and the Trex has another 18 pounds of hidden plastic fasteners. If an F5 tornado happened to come my way, I'd probably hide under the deck :thumbup:

Sucks to be whomever decides to tear it up when I'm gone though...
 
I took a look at a friend's trex entryway to his office. I liked it more than I thought. I would definitely use the hidden fasteners. He screwed straight through with stainless screws and although they are okay they don't look great. The trex railing system was very sturdy, although it looked much more plasticky than the boards themselves. My wife liked the railing system though, so we will go with that.

I liked the darker brown colors but we will probably go with gray which will match out standing seam roof which is also gray.
 
Trex is decent I don't mind it , I have intalled it a few times. The 12" on center is a good idea to prevent a soft feeling deck. Hidden fasteners look best and allow for problem free expansion and contraction. I recommend a facia or skirt board for looks and to prevent shifting of the decking. I would check to make sure the installation is to manufacturers specs so the fade warranty is honored. Also I find it slippery in snow but it cleans off easy because of that so trade off is minimal, crazy slippery at first but you can push the snow right off, it was fine when wet.
 
There are many tricks for trex and such materials for decking and other outdoor projects. I love it easy maitnence lasts along time, and the slipperiness can be fixed buy a strong clear coating kinda like a thin less aggressive LikeX and will add protection to your deck! It's really the people installing it that determine if the job is done right or wrong. Look at other brands too there maybe something better than Trex out now.
 
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