Best brand for maintenance free decking

gudnoyez

The wife wants a new deck. I'm not getting out of getting one besides, I'm tired of replacing treated lumber boards flipping boards, pressure washing, staining every other year. I was looking at either Azek, or Trex. I understand that Azek is the better choice and highly recommend but a lot more expensive than the price of the Trex brand.

A 20×10 deck new rails and 6 foot swinging gate split twice with 3 footers and skirted bottom instead of lattice and Railing. All maintenance free materials is 10 grand using Azek, and $8,400 hundred using Trex. Does anyone have experience with both brands and if so thoughts on these two brands. Azek is Solid PVC, Trex is composite material with PVC coating both need to hold up to harsh winters and brutal hot humid summers on the sunny side of the house. Any suggestions on these two brands would be appreciated.

gudnoyez

I'm being pressured by the wife and need to make a decision like real soon, if I get the Trex, that might leave me with some extra cash towards a new preamp. I wont pass on the Azek if it's worth the extra coin, been reading good reviews on both brands. Somebody Anybody?

ZLTFUL

A friend of mine in the business uses Trex pretty exclusively. Either way is going to be substantially better than this pressure treated BS I am dealing with. We have a Trex like material settee on the front porch and it looks as good as day one with only an annual blast of the pressure washer when I do the siding.

dolbyd

I have a Trex deck and we are happy with it. It has been in for 5 years and still looks perfect. We have had a couple of bad winters (Utah)and no issues.

teekay0007

ZLTFUL wrote: »

A friend of mine in the business uses Trex pretty exclusively. Either way is going to be substantially better than this pressure treated BS I am dealing with. We have a Trex like material settee on the front porch and it looks as good as day one with only an annual blast of the pressure washer when I do the siding.

Heh, heh.....he said ‘setee’...heh.

lightman1

teekay0007 wrote: »

ZLTFUL wrote: »

A friend of mine in the business uses Trex pretty exclusively. Either way is going to be substantially better than this pressure treated BS I am dealing with. We have a Trex like material settee on the front porch and it looks as good as day one with only an annual blast of the pressure washer when I do the siding.

Heh, heh.....he said ‘setee’...heh.

He's just trying to sound fancy.....

It's a couple of deck chairs duct taped together.

Willow

Is that stuff slippery when wet?

NotaSuv

We had Trex in Mn and it held up very well in very cold winters and hot summers....very easy to maintain...……….

Mikey081057

I had Timbertech when I was back in NJ...

Loved it. it uses a clip system to keep the boards in place. Only needs screws around edges.

Dunno if any of the Azek or Trex systems use it but this looks and performs great.

https://www.timbertech.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjw1f_pBRAEEiwApp0JKMFJf1EOGCoFfkFFwwN4SSZdDKt6rBwRjUl6NAWe1Rjq1sBUMFYlShoCj3EQAvD_BwE

Mikey081057

I see Azek is Timbertech now? or vice versa....

tonyb

I think the main thing you have to be careful on, is that some brands still use a wood board coated with that plastic stuff, so it still rots and warps over time.....but looks good doing it anyway.

Go with a board that is solid plastic without crap in the middle, coated for UV protection too. More expensive, I know, but will last longer than you will.

gudnoyez

Mikey081057 wrote: »

I see Azek is Timbertech now? or vice versa....

Yes Azek and Timbertech are one and Azek is solid PVC If the wife decides she wants the better, I guess the new preamp would be a tough sell if I settled on the lesser. I was told that both brands are ok, but like Tony said the solid PVC also has a 50 year fade warranty, 30 year splits and cracks. Thanks to all who have replied so far I'm leaving the decision on the wife.

tonyb

Maybe ask yourself how long your planning on staying in that house first.. If you plan on moving in the next 10 years, go with the cheaper option.

The thing with those wood boards coated in plastic is....they actually rot faster than just a plain old wood board. They can't breath and dry out like a wood board can. My carpenter friends tell me that those boards sometimes only last 5 years before having to replace some. Then when you do it looks funny because the other boards are sun faded and the one you replace isn't.

polrbehr

Be wary of using decking made with sawdust and soda bottles, especially with 16"OC joists. I've seen decks that look like mini rollercoasters after awhile but maybe they fixed the manufacturing issues by using PVC?
IMO that composite decking should not cost what it does, and one reason why I don't give a damn about those stupid blue pails every other Wednesday...

shawn474

Just make sure you space the joists correctly; if you are using an existing wooden deck you will have to add joists. As I think @polrbehr was referencing above - the spacing for trex and the like are 12-16” due to the fact that when they heat, they become flexible - to the point where you can feel the boards flex underneath you. We had trex and it held up very well. We live in a damp and shady area so I would get the deck brush and cleaner out once a year to clean thoroughly. But it beat sanding and staining......

On a semi related note, the other thing you can use on the composite to clean (and on your siding) is a product called wet ‘n forget. It’s amazing and does not require the use of a pressure washer.

Mikey081057

Solid pvc can get really hot in direct sunlite.... like you will not be able to stand on it hot. Something to consider too.


https://www.deckmagazine.com/design-construction/decking/just-how-hot-does-decking-get-anyway_c

Mikey081057

Go for the lighter color in the sun

TEAforONE

We had a 16x16 deck installed 2 1/2 years ago using Trex. It's one step down from their top of the line materials. No warping. No issues. It still looks like brand new.
Living in Rochester,NY,we get some pretty extreme weather. You would never know by looking at the deck.

mrbiron

Whichever fits your budget.

We install miles of both products each year across our projects. Yes, miles...

I had Azek at my first house. Held up great. Only issues were where my wife used the spray sun screen on one of my children discolored the area to the point where you could see two footprints, permanently, clear as day. In the winter, they were slick as a bass ****.

Our new house has Trex. Scratches show up more on the Trex as it is not a solid PVC all the way through like Azek. Haven’t been here long enough to comment on winter conditions.

Both have hidden fastener and clip system. If my budget allowed, we would have gone for Azeks TOTL, but sorely, momma wanted a custom closet instead.

gudnoyez

Went with Azek brand, guards and rails and gates. I will take the old deck down a week before they come and install the new one. the Wife is getting her new deck, she's actually being nice to me again, maybe if I play my cards right I might sneak in a new preamp in the backdoor while she's out enjoying her deck. Thanks for all the advice everyone.

teekay0007

Giggidy! 😎

chumlie

What pre-amp you looking at ?

gudnoyez

chumlie wrote: »

What pre-amp you looking at ?

https://www.vincent-tac.de/en/product-types/preamplifiers/sa-t7.html

Saving my pennies for this one

Mikey081057

This one is on sale

gudnoyez

Mikey081057 wrote: »

This one is on sale

If only I had the available funds like you Mikey.

Mikey081057

gudnoyez wrote: »

Mikey081057 wrote: »

This one is on sale

If only I had the available funds like you Mikey.

If I had your money I would burn mine....

gudnoyez

Thanks for all the responses went with Azek brand materials on the new Maintenance free deck, I would of rather spent the money on a new pair of SDA L800's but this makes the wife happy, and no more maintenance makes me happy. She already made it off limits to the dogs that's why we fenced it in. I still gave her the ok to get new furniture for it and she is letting me get a new leaf blower as she dont want me to sweep it with a broom. I already convinced her on some outdoor speakers for it.

teekay0007

Nicely done, Steve! Looks great!!

gudnoyez

Thanks Terry

mrbiron

She’s afraid of you sweeping it!?

Azek decking is possibly THE most scratch resistant decking on the market. Even before Ipe.

Nice job on getting a new leaf blower.

Nightfall

Stihl and Red Max make some good leaf blowers.