PT vs Composite Deck

[MikePA]

Looking for opinions on using PT versus composite/man made material for a deck. The up charge for composite/man made is 60% - 70% but the contractors I've talked to both made the same comments.

- Composite/man-made lasts longer with very little maintenance and comes with a 25 year warranty.
- Today's PT is nothing like it used to be (since CCA was banned)
- Today's PT decking checks, twists and warps much more than composite/man-made.

Does anyone have experience with either material?

Is composite (Tamko) worth it?

 

[timswi]

Go with the composit, especially if it's in the sun. I bought the best PT 5/1/4 boards that I could find 4 years ago when i built my deck. the boars are cracking and splintering. I clean and re-stain every year. The deck on my old house using older PT 15 years ago and still looks like new, although it is under roof. The wood today is noting but pure garbage.I'm going to be replacing my floor with Trex or some kind of composite this summer.

Just don't understand the premium for ground up coke bottles and saw dust...Price of progreess I guess.

 

[mustangsallysdad]

Mike, I've had TREX composite decking at our lake home for about 6 years now...I would think that after about 4-5 years the initial premium is made up for in the lack of cost of maintenance...we even have it on the dock at the boathouse where it should show any shortcomings in that environment as it is practically always wet and in the hot summer sun...I've had no problems whatsoever with maintenance, cleaning or anything else for that matter...and when barefoot, no splinters! I would highly recommend it. It is also very resilient and the color goes all the way through the product...yeah, I've dropped a tool or two on it and it is no worse for wear. If you can afford the premium it brings up front, you'll be very happy with it in the long run.

 

[Dmace]

I built a large (12x30) deck on the south side of my house 5 years ago with Portico composite decking and even with the years of sun, NH winters, 2 young kids, and a grill complete with grease and dropped food, it still looks like new. All I do is power-wash it in the Spring then again in the Fall with NO cleaners at all, just high pressure water. It doesn't even look like the gray color has faded much at all. I also used the Tiger Claw deck fasteners so there are no screws showing and it was a little tougher to install but looks tons better.

 

[deepNdirt]

The absolute best decking materials to use is the IPE decking, I have built many decks from this and they last 4-ever if properly maintained with recommended oil stain, although not cheap at $3.00 + ln ft. you can get it in many widths, and it is only 3/4 inch thick but will hold equal to a 2" thick board,..................... I have customers spend 10K on just the decking boards alone, this isn't including the framing material cost, But they enjoy using their decks not having to keep waterproofing pressure washing ect.etc..

Trex is the 2nd best way to go, although it is not entirely maintenance free, there was mention of sun and using of the Trex instead of PT materials, Trex is pre-colored in the composite of materials it's made from and these materials can and will fade under extreme hot sun, I had a customer ask that I replace the trex on his deck because he didn't like that it had turned a Grey/white color,from originally red. I explain to him that the direct hot sun will take a tole on anything he used, I then ask that he let me pressure wash the deck as first option and to try something I have heard about, Using liquid wax to re-seal the composite materials, Not water sealer... but wax,,,, after doing this he was very pleased and decided to leave the Trex down, I told him he should have it lightly pressure washed every other year, this was 3 years ago and have not heard back from him, the deck is now 6 years old,........ and also if you use the clips method then you will not have any visible screws/nails, although the nails from the underside that holds the clips in place will need to be checked from time to time as the frame wood starts to age and shrink the nails tend to loose their bite,

 

[2manyrocks]

We used both PT and composite materials building a public playground a few years ago. The composite stuff takes a bit longer to cut because it's thicker and more dense. Predrilling is needed. Screw heads won't compress and sink down like with PT. I'm not sure how you'd ever really wear it out unless it degrades in sunlight. Dimensionally, it appears to be a bit different iin size than standard lumber.

If it weren't for the cost differential, I doubt you'd see many PT decks. My PT deck needs to be restained only after a few years, and I'm seeing the cracking and so forth others have mentioned. The new PT would be corrosive to fastners, too.

 

[bdeboer]

I built a couple of Trex decks with the GRK composite faster. The head leaves a small hole. It requires a T10 bit to install.


RT Composite Screw - GRK Fasteners - The Industry's Toughest Screws

 

[studor]

I have decks that were old PT,new PT and solid vinyl. While expensive the vinyl is far superior to the PT. Colour is all the way through so no issue that way and does not warp or check or destroy fasteners etc. If under cover, I found the PT stands up very well but if fully exposed to the elements it seems to last about 10 years structurally but less appearance wise (no stain) . I looked at composite systems like Trex but liked the look of the vinyl -- JMHO

 

[polo1665]

The absolute best decking materials to use is the IPE decking, I have built many decks from this and they last 4-ever if properly maintained with recommended oil stain, although not cheap at $3.00 + ln ft.

+1 on the Ipe wood. Our wrap around deck is made of Ipe. It is extremely hard and heavy. A little hard to work with though and like deepndirt said it is a little pricey.

A side question to deepndirt. What brand stain do you recommend?

Sorry for the aside Mike.

Mark

 

[rus_geek]

...Predrilling is needed. Screw heads won't compress and sink down like with PT. ...

I used composite decking on a northwest facing porch that almost never sees sun, so it would be a moss factory if I used real wood. Anyway, they make special screws for the composite decking that will pull into the material, so you don't have to pre-drill the holes.

The PT decking I put on the south side of the house, under a roof, has been trouble. One twelve foot board shrunk THREE INCHES and split the screws out of the joist. When the PT breaks down to the point of needing to be replaced (two-four years?) I'll go redwood or composite.

-rus-

 

[MikePA]

Thanks for all the feedback. Looks like the 'new PT' is a bad choice.

Any opinions about the 'plastic' (Trex) versus composite, (Tamko)?

 

[mustangsallysdad]

Thanks for all the feedback. Looks like the 'new PT' is a bad choice.

Any opinions about the 'plastic' (Trex) versus composite, (Tamko)?

I have the Trex as earlier posted...absolutely love it! No experience with the Tamko.

 

[deepNdirt]

+1 on the Ipe wood. Our wrap around deck is made of Ipe. It is extremely hard and heavy. A little hard to work with though and like deepndirt said it is a little pricey.

A side question to deepndirt. What brand stain do you recommend?

Sorry for the aside Mike.

Mark

Mark, actually I don't do the staining/sealing myself, I do recommend after I install to let the would dry and shrink for 10-15 days and then have them sealed, For the most folks they like to simply use a semi Transparent sealer so's to let the natural color show through, it is for sure some beautiful wood,
its called in Brazil ( Cambara decking ) but I call it Brazilian hardwood, IPE
there is a product called Messmers UV plus stain in a variety of colors I'm sure you can find what your looking for here, but just as IPE the stain is pricey as well
Here is the link to their website,
Messmers Deck Oil for Ipe Page for Ipe Decking

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I've been on some of the new composite decks that were so hot you couldn't stand to be on them. I know someone else that put it down, then removed it and used PT2x6 instead. I have PT 5/4, but it is splintering bad, so I'm interested in how this goes, as I want to replace my PT with something, just not sure what.

 

[2manyrocks]

I think the old time carpenters would say that the only deck that is really going to last is one that is covered with a roof and properly framed to shed water quickly. Eons ago before PT, there were numerous outdoor porches around here that had gray painted wood floors, and there would be a rotten board or two around somewhere.

 

[deepNdirt]

I think the old time carpenters would say that the only deck that is really going to last is one that is covered with a roof and properly framed to shed water quickly. Eons ago before PT, there were numerous outdoor porches around here that had gray painted wood floors, and there would be a rotten board or two around somewhere.

Back then they used Oak, walnut, Cypress,to mention a few but these lumber were plentyfull back Eons ago, not so today, lot of these woods are being used for furniture instead, where can be made more money from,

 

[dave1949]

I did a small back porch with a roof over it using "CorrectDeck" which is an extruded plastic. It was very durable and has a good surface texture.

Two negatives:
Our dogs would lay on it, naturally, and the oil from their coats and paws gets into the texture wrinkles and only pressure washing will remove it well.

The T10 torx drivers - when driving the fastener, there is an art to knowing when to stop driving. Too soon and the head will be above the surface of the deck just enough to be aggravating. Once you stop driving, it is really about impossible to restart to go a bit deeper. The torx bits I could buy were all on the soft side, they wear and twist out easily. Get a handful if you use this method

I also had a PT deck on the that house, it was always needing care, plus I would shovel it clear of snow once or twice per winter if the load got really heavy. That's where a roofed deck would be a big advantage. PT decks are hard to keep looking "like new".

I would choose a plastic or composite over PT wood. Wood decks take lots of care and maintenance. They can quickly start looking pretty shabby unless you keep after them. Better yet, I would have a stone paver patio which will last forever, doesn't need staining or shoveling, never splits, warps or cracks
Dave

 

[txdon]

I have used PT wood and composite. Composite is easy to work and very durable, and I would have use it again, but I found something better.
Ceramic.
This however would require a slab.

 

[polo1665]

Mark, actually I don't do the staining/sealing myself, I do recommend after I install to let the would dry and shrink for 10-15 days and then have them sealed, For the most folks they like to simply use a semi Transparent sealer so's to let the natural color show through, it is for sure some beautiful wood,
its called in Brazil ( Cambara decking ) but I call it Brazilian hardwood, IPE
there is a product called Messmers UV plus stain in a variety of colors I'm sure you can find what your looking for here, but just as IPE the stain is pricey as well
Here is the link to their website,
Messmers Deck Oil for Ipe Page for Ipe Decking

Thanks for the response. "Messmers UV Plus" is what I used. Nice to hear it recommended by an installer.

Mark

 

[polo1665]

I have used PT wood and composite. Composite is easy to work and very durable, and I would have use it again, but I found something better.
Ceramic.
This however would require a slab.

txdon, that ceramic really looks nice. Any idea how well it would hold up in the northern freeze/thaw conditions?

Mark