Composite Decking Advice

Hi All,

You all give such great advice on vacation info. so I thought I ask this ?. We did a semi-inground pool and now want to put composite decking around the entire pool plus a platform. Any suggestions on what decking brand to consider? There seems to be quite a few--Aztec, Evergrain, TimberTech etc.
We would like to get one that has an fastner system as well. I prefer not to see the nail holes. Any suggestions out there? Thanks very much. P.S. how about a rail system as well to go around. When we were pricing one out it was as much as the decking.

My brother does this for a living. He prefers Evergrain. I don't know the specifics, but he says he's had good luck with it.

WRT fasteners, they're ridiculously expensive. If you don't want to see screw heads, then consider one of the angled (toenailed) screw jig options. A couple to look at are Kreg and Camo. I just played with the Camo jig last night. Seems very secure and doesn't tear out the decking if used properly. If you want to learn more about these systems, go to Amazon and search "Kreg deck" and "Camo deck".

We have Trex. It still looks like the day it was installed 12 years ago. Zero, zip, nada, no maintenance what so ever. Can you tell I like it? Our installations (a rear deck and front porch done at different times) DO show the screw holes, but just barely. They sort-of 'heal' over the countersunk holes. There may be a hole-less fastener system out now that I am not aware of.

These things are not inexpensive, but since it's an expense you only face once, over time it's pretty cheap.

Jim

We install Timber Tech with hidden fasteners. When installed this way the decking looks like you see in the brochures. The deck under structure often times needs to be modified to make the composit deck work.

I like custom made steel railings that are powder coated or walls that match the house.


Bill

My $0.02 worth...

ljlong15 said:

Any suggestions on what decking brand to consider? <snip> We would like to get one that has an fastner system as well.

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I have built two decks using a Maine company composite product called "Correct Deck". Both decks are now seven or eight years old and the product still look great. Several colors available; I've only used "cedar".
A plastic spacer / fastener system secures boards onto underlying joists; the boards are grooved on both side surfaces to link up with the "tongue" of the fasteners. The fastener screws (only one screw required per fastener) are not visible, are very easily installed and help to achieve perfectly uniform spacing. The Correct Deck surface (unlike Trex, for just one comparative example) has a nice faux wood grain texture; since most composites are a bit slippery when wet, surface texture is highly relevant (and particularly so around a pool).

I don't know if the Correct Deck composite is better than others, but it's certainly every bit as good as any other product I've seen. I also don't know if the product is even distributed or available nationally. I admit that choose it over any and all others in part simply to support a "local" (i.e., Maine) company / economy.

P.S. It's worth noting that many (maybe even most, for all I know) of the cheaper, flimsier composites require 12" o.c. joist spacing. Since customary joist spacing is usually 16" o.c. for most wood decks, if you are replacing wood decking with composite boards, additional joists may (i.e., will) be required in order to avoid any "bowing" of the horizonal surfaces between joists.

Aztec has a fastener that is covered by a small plug. Once the plug is pressed in over the fastener you can never tell there is anything there.

I have TimberTech on a small deck. About five years later I wanted to extend the deck and found they had slightly changed the profile. I removed the old, replaced it there with the new and put the old in the extension which was less visable. I like the Camo fastener. I do have to clean it at least once a year because of our southern mildew. What you want for the rails is wide open, there are lots.

Living in Canada, the options are different, but I just purchased mine yesterday(to be installed throughout June). I bought Amarillo by Rhino decking with the hidden fastner system. The Amarillo has a fade factor of almost nil, which is a big difference compared to some of the cheap alternatives. The fastners came to about $.50 each and I was told I would need about 300 for a 16X20 deck. The composite decking came to about $2.69 per linear foot, which was considerably less than Timbertech (ballpark $4.50 ln/ft). If cost was not an option, Timbertech would probably been my choice, but I have a couple more trips to plan with the price difference between the two!

Deck/options

I thought I'd ask away. I've been told that the "fake" wood retains the heat from the sun and it is almost impossible to walk on it on a hot sunny day, barefoot that is. How about being slippery? TIA

Just a litle something to add.
Use only a plastic edged snow shovel on CD. You don't want to scar it !

I was told that the composite decking that has an open core (the cheapest type that Menards sells) will have structural issues after awhle. Solid core was better.

It sounds like you're using better quality products so this likely won't apply to you.

We have Lowe's brand in gray on our front deck, full southern sun and I can always walk on it barefoot.
Liz

MRSFUSSY said:

I thought I'd ask away. I've been told that the "fake" wood retains the heat from the sun and it is almost impossible to walk on it on a hot sunny day, barefoot that is. How about being slippery? TIA

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This is true. A large part of the composit is plastic. When the deck gets frosted it becomes very slick, especially for ladies in heels. The deck can absorb heat making it uncomfortable to walk on barefooted.

Other complaints besides cost are the decking can stain when food or wine isn't cleaned off soon enough. As the deck ages the small fibers can cause slivers to bare feet. The decks do fade over time. Dogs can damage the deck by just being dogs.

The 5/4 type of decking requires a 16 inch on center joist spacing instead of 24 inch on center. This means that the old deck under structure will often times need more support or will need to be totally rebuilt.


Bill

We have the light gray deck composite from Lowe's and in Southern California all day southern exposure it never gets to hot to walk on barefoot. Much better than wood. I deliberately went with a light color for that reason.
Liz

Trex Deck here. Trex Accents to be specific

My Bride was able to do a two-tone geometric thing in light and dark brown (Saddle and Woodland Brown) thanks to the colors available at the time. We also did hidden fasteners. Because of the design, we had to add a few extra supports but what's the cost of an extra couple of stringers compared to the final project...next to nothing.

My best advice...get some graph paper and play with the design. We spent at least a month changing things before we started. Added benches and planters...very good idea. and the whole contrasting colors really makes it work.

Just be aware that Composites cost more than treated lumber. And unless you want to expose your treated lumber framing, you'll have to buy fascia boards...that was a suprise for me but I'm glad we did it.

MRSFUSSY said:

I thought I'd ask away. I've been told that the "fake" wood retains the heat from the sun and it is almost impossible to walk on it on a hot sunny day, barefoot that is. How about being slippery? TIA

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We've had ours for ~7 years on full southern exposure, it is a dark redwood color, and I have never had it too hot to walk on in bare feet. Ours has a simulated grain stamped on it and I think that helps for grip when it is wet or has snow on it. I have never had a problem with it being more slippery than the cement pad at the bottom of the deck.

Kurt

PigsDad said:

We've had ours for ~7 years on full southern exposure, it is a dark redwood color, and I have never had it too hot to walk on in bare feet. Ours has a simulated grain stamped on it and I think that helps for grip when it is wet or has snow on it. I have never had a problem with it being more slippery than the cement pad at the bottom of the deck.

Kurt

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Our experience is the same as yours. We have installed Timber Tech around the swimming pool and have no problem with it burning the bottom of a foot. It does get hot where we live but not as hot as the southern USA.

Many of the objections to these products that I hear are because of price.


Bill