OT: Deck Materials

[HuskyHawk]

I checked and didn't see a thread. I have a pressure treated deck 12x14 with patios on each side. It's as old as the house (1993). I'm tired of restaining it every year, the stain always chips. We have to shovel snow off of it and that does a number on it. Ideal color would be a driftwood grey. Deck is only about 24" above the ground.

Options:

• Azek or similar all PVC boards. Contractor we initially called and have used before, likes this best. Plenty of colors. I think it tends to get hot, and can be slippery if wet. Not structural material, no more supports will need to be installed. Other thoughts?
• Trex or similar composite. Looks a little better than PVC, but heavy and subject to mold and mildew. Not structural so more supports will be needed.
• Ipe, Tigerwood or other tropical hardwood. Beautiful, but not the grey color we'd prefer. Lasts a long time. Cooler surfaces. Structural material uses existing supports. Very hard to work with and requires specialized tools.

Anybody put in a deck with any of these three? Thoughts?

 

[DaveHuskiesFan]

I have Trex, (Was here when I bought the house), you are correct that it is subject to mold + mildew. I have to power wash the deck every spring. Takes me about 2/3 hours. Other than that there's absolutely no maintenance. It does get hot on very hot days (not as hot as pavement or stone), but those are few and far between in CT.

 

[8893]

We got rid of a pressure-treated deck and put in a TimberTech composite deck in its place around 17 years ago, and added to it around six years ago. There may be more and better options now, but we've been very happy with it. We went with TT at the time because they had the best-looking "natural grain" style, which we liked.

Mold and mildew is a bit of an issue because we are surrounded by massive oak trees. I use CorteClean deck cleaner and it's a PITA, but it works. I can give some tips on that to make it go a little better when you get there.

ETA: It stays pretty cool and is not slippery when wet.

 

[HuskyHawk]

We got rid of a pressure-treated deck and put in a TimberTech composite deck in its place around 17 years ago, and added to it around six years ago. There may be more and better options now, but we've been very happy with it. We went with TT at the time because they had the best-looking "natural grain" style, which we liked.

Mold and mildew is a bit of an issue because we are surrounded by massive oak trees. I use CorteClean deck cleaner and it's a PITA, but it works. I can give some tips on that to make it go a little better when you get there.

ETA: It stays pretty cool and is not slippery when wet.

Yeah, I have that same surrounded by massive oak problem, as my beer pictures tend to
show. I do have a two year old Karcher pressure washer, so I'm all set there.

I think I need to go look at samples somewhere. My emotional self really wants something like Tigerwood, but it is probably not the practical choice.

 

[CL82]

I am thinking about this as well. My deck is about 20 years old. It is time.

I got a quote to rebuild it entirely a couple of week ago for @$25K. That seems too pricey. It is about 18' x 24'.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I am thinking about this as well. My deck is about 20 years old. It is time.

I got a quote to rebuild it entirely a couple of week ago for @$25K. That seems too pricey. It is about 18' x 24'.

How far off the ground? Higher is far more expensive than lower. And lower (like mine) can become a bi-level outdoor space with patio (cheaper) and deck combined. 18x24 is a lot of deck

 

[Palatine]

I have Terx. And never had a problem with mold or mildew. It gets a good bit of sunlight, so maybe that has an effect. In fact it's petty much maintenance free. But I have gotten tired it. It feels like plastic. It isn't beautiful and it doesn't give you the warm feeling of wood.

 

[Baltic]

I checked and didn't see a thread. I have a pressure treated deck 12x14 with patios on each side. It's as old as the house (1993). I'm tired of restaining it every year, the stain always chips. We have to shovel snow off of it and that does a number on it. Ideal color would be a driftwood grey. Deck is only about 24" above the ground.

Options:

• Azek or similar all PVC boards. Contractor we initially called and have used before, likes this best. Plenty of colors. I think it tends to get hot, and can be slippery if wet. Not structural material, no more supports will need to be installed. Other thoughts?
• Trex or similar composite. Looks a little better than PVC, but heavy and subject to mold and mildew. Not structural so more supports will be needed.
• Ipe, Tigerwood or other tropical hardwood. Beautiful, but not the grey color we'd prefer. Lasts a long time. Cooler surfaces. Structural material uses existing supports. Very hard to work with and requires specialized tools.

Anybody put in a deck with any of these three? Thoughts?

 

[CL82]

How far off the ground? Higher is far more expensive than lower. And lower (like mine) can become a bi-level outdoor space with patio (cheaper) and deck combined. 18x24 is a lot of deck

It's about 3' off the ground. There are two sets of door that exit onto it. I am considering making two small landings (say 4x4) with stairs going down on to a patio that would cover roughly the same footprint. Something like this:

Alternatively, I could connect them with a walkway. They are about 10' apart.

I'm open to any ideas, including doing a masonry landing and steps.

 

[Baltic]

Live down here in North Carolina smile from the ocean. Mold and mildew is something we live with. Have a trex porch and we have solved the mold and mildew problem. Use “30 Second Cleaner” as directed. Spray it on any mold or mildew you discover and you will literally see it disappear within 30 seconds. Best to use as you discover mold growth so the project doesn’t get out of hand. Simply rinse off after use.

 

[Vancat]

Wood is nice but having to stain it sucks. We also have a Trex ramp which is great. No mold/mildew but it's in a sunny place. The wooden deck, however gets it.

 

[uconndennis]

A couple years ago, I built a 600sf deck with Azek decking (Silver Oak) and the Azek Premier Railing ( now TimberTech). I love it.

Mine ranges between 2 and 3 feet off the ground as well.... If all of your PT structure underneath is good and staying the same.. You can easily lay the decking yourself and save a ton of install costs. I did mine with CAMO hidden fasteners. Very easy. I also got better prices at the local lumber yard than big box store...

 

[Hurleyman216]

We have Trex Transcend and have had it for 5-6 years and it’s great. Transcend has a PVC cap layer on top with trex on the interior, so you get the benefits of the stain resistance of PVC and the strength of Trex. Have a family friend who put in Azek around the same time and their deck doesn’t look great now, ours still looks like new. I power wash it 1-2 times per year.

 

[HuskyHawk]

It's about 3' off the ground. There are two sets of door that exit onto it. I am considering making two small landings (say 4x4) with stairs going down on to a patio that would cover roughly the same footprint. Something like this:

View attachment 55188
Alternatively, I could connect them with a walkway. They are about 10' apart.

I'm open to any ideas, including doing a masonry landing and steps.

You won't even need those railings to do that. That's similar to what we did. Larger patio, deck and smaller patio on the other side. The small patio area is where my grill and smoker are. Worth asking if it would be cheaper than a large deck. This picture stinks but gives some idea. I like having multiple semi defined spaces.

 

[CL82]

You won't even need those railings to do that. That's similar to what we did. Larger patio, deck and smaller patio on the other side. The small patio area is where my grill and smoker are. Worth asking if it would be cheaper than a large deck. This picture stinks but gives some idea. I like having multiple semi defined spaces. View attachment 55189

Thanks I will look into it. I got a good quote for the patio from a stone mason who did my front walk. It felt too low so held off. I think I will have another couple of contractors bid it and see.

And Lol, all your pictures really are beer pictures aren't they?

 

[HuskyHawk]

Thanks I will look into it. I got a good quote for the patio from a stone mason who did my front walk. It felt too low so held off. I think I will have another couple of contractors bid it and see.

And Lol, all your pictures really are beer pictures aren't they?

Yeah. I take the pictures for Untappd. Outside when the weather permits. I'm assuming patio is cheaper than deck. Not positive. I like the multi-level aspect of it.

Contractor came by and will bring samples of deck material.

 

[polycom]

The answer is trex, thats it.

 

[CL82]

Yeah. I take the pictures for Untappd. Outside when the weather permits. I'm assuming patio is cheaper than deck. Not positive. I like the multi-level aspect of it.

Contractor came by and will bring samples of deck material.

I am thinking about something like this, just square off the wall and the fire pit rather than leave it round.

I'll see what the nut would be and then decide whether to scale it back or just rebuild the deck. Basically it would have three functional areas, seating, dining and fire pit. We have that now but the fire pit is set away from the house.

 

[huskiesNhoos]

I built my ~400sqft deck last summer and used trex and have been happy. I'm out in Denver so mold/mildew not really an issue. I think someone already mentioned the camoclips which I agree are hands down the best choice. I tried 3 other hidden fasteners and the gap they leave between boards was too large. Just remember that when dealing with composite it's softer material so be careful drilling holes too close to edges and if you do the grooved boards don't tighten too much with fasteners or you could rip through the groove

Somewhat of an aside i also worked as an engineer for a company that has ties in the window/door industries so worked a lot with jeldwen, st gobain etc who do exposure testing on products including composite decking for color fading and I was told that moistureshield had best performance

I went trex because I thought the fake grain pattern looked the best and had better color options...very vain of me. Have also been to one of the major factories that makes that faux grain laminates for doors and the presses they use are really cool...sorry engineering nerd out over...

 

[HuskyHawk]

I built my ~400sqft deck last summer and used trex and have been happy. I'm out in Denver so mold/mildew not really an issue. I think someone already mentioned the camoclips which I agree are hands down the best choice. I tried 3 other hidden fasteners and the gap they leave between boards was too large. Just remember that when dealing with composite it's softer material so be careful drilling holes too close to edges and if you do the grooved boards don't tighten too much with fasteners or you could rip through the groove

Somewhat of an aside i also worked as an engineer for a company that has ties in the window/door industries so worked a lot with jeldwen, st gobain etc who do exposure testing on products including composite decking for color fading and I was told that moistureshield had best performance

I went trex because I thought the fake grain pattern looked the best and had better color options...very vain of me. Have also been to one of the major factories that makes that faux grain laminates for doors and the presses they use are really cool...sorry engineering nerd out over...

That's ballpark where I think I am now. I actually want tropical hardwood. Like Tigerwood (see picture below). But the house is blue, the patio pavers grey and this is mismatched.

Trex or other composite looks better than all PVC. Somewhat cheaper too.

All PVC like Azek doesn't have the mold/mildew issues, which will be a problem for me. I have moss all over the place, lots of shade, rain etc.

 

[Excalibur]

Look into Wolf Decking composite. Better than Trex, doesn't get as hot in the sun, more realistic looking.

 

[huskiesNhoos]

That's ballpark where I think I am now. I actually want tropical hardwood. Like Tigerwood (see picture below). But the house is blue, the patio pavers grey and this is mismatched.

Trex or other composite looks better than all PVC. Somewhat cheaper too.

All PVC like Azek doesn't have the mold/mildew issues, which will be a problem for me. I have moss all over the place, lots of shade, rain etc.

I dunno, I kinda like that juxtaposed to your house. It would really stand out and with all the tropical hardwoods you'll get some color change over time...or you could just paint your house! You can also try and tie the color back into the house and pavers a bit by being creative with the color(s) of the skirt, railing, bench, etc. Also, railings are stupid expensive if doing composite material vs 2x lumber. For reference I would have spent ~$2500-3000 just for the railing if I did composite vs just ~$500 by using lumber and staining and think it looks better anyways (pic for reference...and humble brag). If you haven't done the planning stuff yet I highly recommend using Lowe's deck builder software. Great resource to picture everything and get a ballpark on materials cost

I do agree though, the tropical hardwoods look fantastic. The hardwoods don't have to dry out as much either once they're delivered so you can get after it right away.

 

[8893]

I dunno, I kinda like that juxtaposed to your house. It would really stand out and with all the tropical hardwoods you'll get some color change over time...or you could just paint your house! You can also try and tie the color back into the house and pavers a bit by being creative with the color(s) of the skirt, railing, bench, etc. Also, railings are stupid expensive if doing composite material vs 2x lumber. For reference I would have spent ~$2500-3000 just for the railing if I did composite vs just ~$500 by using lumber and staining and think it looks better anyways (pic for reference...and humble brag). If you haven't done the planning stuff yet I highly recommend using Lowe's deck builder software. Great resource to picture everything and get a ballpark on materials cost

I do agree though, the tropical hardwoods look fantastic. The hardwoods don't have to dry out as much either once they're delivered so you can get after it right away.

Nice. I didn't like the look (or price) of the composite railings, so we did pressure treated railings with composite decking on top. I like the way you did it better.

 

[cohenzone]

Yeah, I have that same surrounded by massive oak problem, as my beer pictures tend to
show. I do have a two year old Karcher pressure washer, so I'm all set there.

I think I need to go look at samples somewhere. My emotional self really wants something like Tigerwood, but it is probably not the practical choice.

View attachment 55187

Funny, but the house we finally sold 4 years ago when we downsized had a very similar backyard. Deer were a problem. Is that a deeer fence I think I see? Do you use beer to kill them?


We actually removed a deck and did a major addition and installed a paver patio next to the addition. I’m not sure what the material was, some sort of wood that required restaining every year. The non heat absorbing decks are great. Often used by people with adjacent pools so bare feet aren’t burned off. I’m not sure about maintenance or relative cost.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Funny, but the house we finally sold 4 years ago when we downsized had a very similar backyard. Deer were a problem. Is that a deeer fence I think I see? Do you use beer to kill them?


We actually removed a deck and did a major addition and installed a paver patio next to the addition. I’m not sure what the material was, some sort of wood that required restaining every year. The non heat absorbing decks are great. Often used by people with adjacent pools so bare feet aren’t burned off. I’m not sure about maintenance or relative cost.

Not a deer fence. Have not seen any deer. We get foxes, a woodchuck, wild turkeys and there are coyotes and fishers in the area. The fence went up because my daughter was about 8 months old when we moved here. So the next spring we fenced the backyard. It meant my wife could just let the toddlers (others in the neighborhood too) just have free run. Squirrels are my nemesis, but no fence helps with that.