New Decks...Azek deck questions?

[TMR]

Goor Morning All...been off the forum for a bit...and still have not bought a tractor

Different question today that I think I have seen some discussion on here...I know some of you MUST know much about Azek deck boards...since some always know something about everything?

We are hoping to replace two decks this summer...one a fairly large back deck and one a smaller from entry deck...porch. Nothing too fancy but are important part of our home.

Leaning pretty strongly to the Azek material partly due to some I believe I read here a number of years ago...and partly because the contractor I am using strongly recommends Azek as he has it on his owns 10 year old+ deck and has done a number of other Azek decks.

Thoughts in general?

Also, I have some specific application questions that apply to our use.

1) Snow shoveling...out in the country in Minnesota and we get a lot of annual snow. I shovel the snow from deck when snowfalls are too deep to sweep...which is quite frequent. How does the Azek "handle" regular aluminum snow shoveling? I am sure our current wood material has amount of scratches, etc from the shoveling. Note that both deck were a wood product with a color applied at the mill...seems like some type of "stain" that we have never treated and faded a lot but still retains say 30-40% of original color. IF we were to use wood we would likely use Cedar and let it weather. Worried that the Azek could be damaged by the shoveling?

2) "bowing"? In the local lumber yard they have a display which shows some "bow" in the deck boards between stringers. Not sure if you put the stringers closer together to get better strength? Is this an issue? Front porch get moderate traffic in and out...mostly wife and I (note we are also over 70 now so would like at least 10 years w/o disappointment?

3) Staining? We live on 80 acres in the middle of the woods Our home is surrounded by trees...in some cases actually hanging over the deck. Well I plan on cutting back away from a new deck they will still impact the deck with whatever falls from trees...mostly leaves, branches, bird dropping...maybe a bit of pitch but not much. We also had multiple versions of scat left for us overnight...mostly raccoon with occasional bear contributions. Will an annual or twice a year gentle power washing clean it ALL up??

4. Is ice a particular problem. We often get early and late winter sleet and ice storms. We use salt to melt and shovel to clean off steps and porch. Kind of like the shoveling question with some slat thrown in.

Perhaps cueing Azek owners have some other issues I have not thought of???

All input will be appreciated...alternative likely 2x6 Cedar or maybe 5/4...unstained and allowed to weather.

Thanks...TMR

 

[geblackwell]

I have a small entry porch that has had Azek for about 10 years. No problems and this secured with surface mount Azek screws. It does require that joist spacing of 12". Last summer built a deck for my son and used Timbertech with hidden fasteners. Joist spacing of 16". It gets full sun in the afternoon and appears to be good as well. Only time will tell.

 

[KennyG]

I think I'm the guy you are looking for. We installed Azek about 6 years ago on a very large deck that was previously a cedar deck. The cedar was installed incorrectly (no gaps) and had rotted out. The original framing structure (treated wood) was fine and was reused.

1) I got a good plastic shovel after we installed the Azek and have been using it ever since. The Azek is slick and I just push the snow off. I'm not sure if a metal shovel would damage it but it cleans so easily there is no need for metal tools. A slight downside is that the deck will be more slippery than wood when you have snow or ice on it. (Our annual snowfall is 80+ inches)

2) The deck supports are a standard 16" spacing and there is absolutely no bowing or noticeable deflection. Azek is very rigid.

3) I get a lot of crap from my oak trees as well as the usual dirt, bird droppings, etc. Power washing makes it look like new. I've got a couple of very small spots with some type of staining that I haven't identified or worked very hard to get it off but otherwise it's fine. I usually power wash once in the spring after the oaks blooms are done and once in early fall. My power washer is not a super high pressure unit but I don't worry about the pressure. Azek seems to more resistant to erosion than wood.

4) I don't use ice melt. Ice buildup has never been a problem. However, as I noted, it will be more slippery when there is icing compared to wood.

The only other negatives I found is that, in direct sun, the deck surface heats up more than wood. Not a huge problem but you may dance a little in your bare feet. Also, I think it has faded a small amount in the 6 years because we have a mat we've always kept in front of door and the deck is slightly darker under the mat.

All in all, if I were doing it over I would do exactly the same thing. If I get a chance, I'll post a picture of the deck.

 

[TMR]

Thanks Kenny...I think a plastic shovel sounds like a reasonable step to avoid what metal scraping might do.

Do you avoid using ice melt because of the Azek...or just never used a melt?

We have always had pretty good melt off on our porch and perhaps the "extra" sun absorption will assist getting rid of ice and residual snow.

I I forgot to mention my wife feeds the birds and we get left over seed on the deck. I think a twice a year gentle power wash would suffice to keep it quite clean. I am leaning to a moderate color as opposed to light color or dark color...should resist stain a bit.

Thanks...TMR.

I think I'm the guy you are looking for. We installed Azek about 6 years ago on a very large deck that was previously a cedar deck. The cedar was installed incorrectly (no gaps) and had rotted out. The original framing structure (treated wood) was fine and was reused.

1) I got a good plastic shovel after we installed the Azek and have been using it ever since. The Azek is slick and I just push the snow off. I'm not sure if a metal shovel would damage it but it cleans so easily there is no need for metal tools. A slight downside is that the deck will be more slippery than wood when you have snow or ice on it. (Our annual snowfall is 80+ inches)

2) The deck supports are a standard 16" spacing and there is absolutely no bowing or noticeable deflection. Azek is very rigid.

3) I get a lot of crap from my oak trees as well as the usual dirt, bird droppings, etc. Power washing makes it look like new. I've got a couple of very small spots with some type of staining that I haven't identified or worked very hard to get it off but otherwise it's fine. I usually power wash once in the spring after the oaks blooms are done and once in early fall. My power washer is not a super high pressure unit but I don't worry about the pressure. Azek seems to more resistant to erosion than wood.

4) I don't use ice melt. Ice buildup has never been a problem. However, as I noted, it will be more slippery when there is icing compared to wood.

The only other negatives I found is that, in direct sun, the deck surface heats up more than wood. Not a huge problem but you may dance a little in your bare feet. Also, I think it has faded a small amount in the 6 years because we have a mat we've always kept in front of door and the deck is slightly darker under the mat.

All in all, if I were doing it over I would do exactly the same thing. If I get a chance, I'll post a picture of the deck.

 

[TMR]

Thanks GE...I think i will go somewhat ,ore narrow than 16"...particularly on the porch which is smaller in size. TMR

 

[millsan1]

We are redoing our decks right now.

We decided to go with Azek after speaking with several deck contractors and all recommended it. I forget what model we went with, but it was the mid grade stuff.

$9000 for 750 sq ft. HOLY SHAZBOT. That is just materials and fasteners, which made up almost $1000 of that.

 

[millsan1]

Just as an FYI, for all decking, I believe, 16" on center is fine for perpendicular decking. If you want it on a 45, you need 12" on center.

My neighbor just had to completely redo his deck (a lot bigger than mine) after 5 years because every board was bowed, as they were laid 45 degrees on 16" centers.

 

[RNeumann]

It’s been mentioned but it’s worth repeating- most of the synthetic/composite decking will outlast conventional structure. Take the time and expense to use treated structural lumber, properly treated fasteners and hardware and flash rim joists and other joints properly.
It’s sad to be tearing out “lifetime” decks because of poor/failing/rotting structure and or poor workmanship.

 

[RalphVa]

Goor Morning All...been off the forum for a bit...and still have not bought a tractor

Different question today that I think I have seen some discussion on here...I know some of you MUST know much about Azek deck boards...since some always know something about everything?

We are hoping to replace two decks this summer...one a fairly large back deck and one a smaller from entry deck...porch. Nothing too fancy but are important part of our home.

Leaning pretty strongly to the Azek material partly due to some I believe I read here a number of years ago...and partly because the contractor I am using strongly recommends Azek as he has it on his owns 10 year old+ deck and has done a number of other Azek decks.

Thoughts in general?

Also, I have some specific application questions that apply to our use.

1) Snow shoveling...out in the country in Minnesota and we get a lot of annual snow. I shovel the snow from deck when snowfalls are too deep to sweep...which is quite frequent. How does the Azek "handle" regular aluminum snow shoveling? I am sure our current wood material has amount of scratches, etc from the shoveling. Note that both deck were a wood product with a color applied at the mill...seems like some type of "stain" that we have never treated and faded a lot but still retains say 30-40% of original color. IF we were to use wood we would likely use Cedar and let it weather. Worried that the Azek could be damaged by the shoveling?

2) "bowing"? In the local lumber yard they have a display which shows some "bow" in the deck boards between stringers. Not sure if you put the stringers closer together to get better strength? Is this an issue? Front porch get moderate traffic in and out...mostly wife and I (note we are also over 70 now so would like at least 10 years w/o disappointment?

3) Staining? We live on 80 acres in the middle of the woods Our home is surrounded by trees...in some cases actually hanging over the deck. Well I plan on cutting back away from a new deck they will still impact the deck with whatever falls from trees...mostly leaves, branches, bird dropping...maybe a bit of pitch but not much. We also had multiple versions of scat left for us overnight...mostly raccoon with occasional bear contributions. Will an annual or twice a year gentle power washing clean it ALL up??

4. Is ice a particular problem. We often get early and late winter sleet and ice storms. We use salt to melt and shovel to clean off steps and porch. Kind of like the shoveling question with some slat thrown in.

Perhaps cueing Azek owners have some other issues I have not thought of???

All input will be appreciated...alternative likely 2x6 Cedar or maybe 5/4...unstained and allowed to weather.

Thanks...TMR

I think you're wise in looking at Azek in place of treated wood. We replaced the boards on our deck about 7 years ago. Some are needing replacement already. The wood caused significant corrosion to the normal (treated) steel screws. Replaced recently about half of them with stainless.

Ralph

 

[KennyG]

I don't use the ice melt because my wife has a big concern about the dog walking on it and the potential for tracking it into the house. I doubt it would impact the Azek.

 

[KennyG]

A few pictures of the Azek deck after over 6 years. Note the small stained spot. I've got two places like this. I'm not sure where it came from or if some harder work would take it out. Also, the spot under the mat showing the fading. This is in the sunniest spot on the deck.

Also, note the borders on the deck with darker boards. This is something that's easy to do with composite decks. My deck has 5 stairs down off the deck and two levels. I added the borders as a safety feature to cue the level changes.

 

[RobA]

We have a large wrap around porch made with Fiberon decking. Easy maintenance and does not scratch easily. I clear snow with a broom or a push broom. Snow makes it slippery, especially the steps, so I try to sweep them often when it's snowing.

 

[mark02tj]

If you really want to spend some money, take a look at some of the extruded aluminium decking material. It will add another 10-15% to the materials. I ordered some samples from a couple of companies and the stuff actually looks pretty nice. It has a wood grain pattern in the top of it. One of the brands will actually introduce some variation in the color to make it look closer to wood.

Someone here mentioned that the Azek heats up a little more than actual wood decking. I've read that other places and the aluminium deck folks concur. One of the manufacturers has some comparison data on their website showing that the aluminium decking is actually cooler than either wood or composite by quite a bit (15* or so??? I can't remember exactly).

Of course, the aluminium is also more fire resistant if that's a concern for you.

Just throwing another option out there for ya! I'd never actually even thought of aluminium as an option, but ran across a thread somewhere else on here started by Ultrarunner. It went on for several pages with a lot of options.

One other option to possibly consider - Menards sells something called "PaverDeck". It would require reframing your current deck. It's basically a design that uses a metal framework to support a deck that uses pavers instead of traditional decking materials. Kind of cool, but not on my radar right now.

 

[oosik]

My aluminum dock - down at the far end of the little lake - has composite decking. At the time it was called - Trex. The joke, at that time, the boards were composed of old cigarette butts. So - - it was purchased in the spring of 2003 and has been floating down there ever since.

I've never done anything to protect the deck - except wash all the goose poop off. The geese actually use the dock a lot more than I do. Its a perfect place for the young to haul out and sun themselves - safe from all but aerial predators. We use the dock for swimming - later in the summer when/if the water temps warm up enough. Right now if I jumped off the dock - I would do the Jesus act all the way across the lake to the little bay on the opposite shore line. The decking is still just as good as the day the dock was launched into the little lake. The boards are light tan and any staining from whatever is quickly eliminated by the bleaching effect of direct sunshine.

Its down at the far end of the little lake because thats the only place on this side of the lake where you can walk down to the lake. Otherwise - vertical basaltic lava cliffs directly into the water.

 

[tractchores]

Just did a huge deck myself. I really wanted to use aluminum, it's stronger, cooler, fire proof and resists scratching. The product I like was next deck from nexaninc.com , but I couldn't find an installer. The biggest plus was that it is waterproof so the frame will last much longer and if the deck is tall you get dry storage.

I ended up using trex, which had greatly improved since I last looked at it. Now it's plastic over the trex material so it holds color much better, can be power washed and used with ice melt. I was worried about snow load and scratching /sagging/ cracking so didn't use azek. So far it's been great, I snowblow the deck and so far no scratches or other issues. Take a good look at options and remember the most important factor is proper installation

 

[cqaigy2]

For us, the Azek felt cooler then the wood in direct sunlight, but that could have been because the azek is much lighter color then the wood. Zero maintenance so far, push what little snow we get, with a push broom. Our is two sided, wood grain imprint on one side, smoothish on the other.

Another thing i noticed, is the Azek will get ice on it at higher temp then the wood did, i'm guessing it's a better radiator than the wood was, so cools down more at night.

I kept most of the cut off pieces, as they are very durable and don't compress or crush very easily.

 

[millsan1]

A few pictures of the Azek deck after over 6 years. Note the small stained spot. I've got two places like this. I'm not sure where it came from or if some harder work would take it out. Also, the spot under the mat showing the fading. This is in the sunniest spot on the deck.

Also, note the borders on the deck with darker boards. This is something that's easy to do with composite decks. My deck has 5 stairs down off the deck and two levels. I added the borders as a safety feature to cue the level changes.

View attachment 558577 View attachment 558576 View attachment 558578 View attachment 558579

That is really nice looking.

Do you remember where you got the railings from? Those would be an excellent match for my needs.

 

[EddieWalker]

I've never used it or even seen it in person. I have a little experience with a few other brands and wouldn't spend the money on it for myself. Most of my clients who want composite decking end up changing their mind when shown the price difference between that and treated 2x6's. I never use 5/4 treated wood for decking.

Since composite materials have no strength, you need to have your joists closer together. I do mine at 12 inches. In the grand scheme of what materials cost, a few more joists really isn't significant overall cost. What I see done wrong most often is a lack of basic framing and understanding the difference between a joist and a beam, and then not even using beams. Then they under size their lumber by not looking up span tables for how far you can go from post to post. Then they rely on nails or screws to attach beams and joists to the sides of posts. Fasteners are NOT structural, and can never be relied on to support a load. I notch all my posts and then use bolts to hole them in place. All the load is resting on solid wood beneath it.

Since decking has gaps between each board, massive amounts of moisture gets through it to the soil below. Air flow under the deck is critical. You have to have moving air to dry out the soil, and all your lumber under the deck to avoid mold and rot. Biggest mistake you can make is to block off the under side of a deck. In every deck that I've seen this done, the amount of mold under there is overwhelming!!!!!

If you like the look, and understand that you have to be extra careful not to damage it, and the money is available, then go for it. Just be sure that you understand what is needed to frame it up properly and never rely on the contractor to do it right. In my area, the very worse decks are built by guys who do nothing but build decks. They are fast and they charge less then everyone else. They also don't have a clue of what they are doing!!!

 

[Gary Fowler]

Like Eddie mentioned, the difference in cost of synthetic boards vs wood is way more than I wanted to pay. I figured that in 2010, I could replace my complete deck with wood about 4 times for the difference in cost of materials (not counting labor). Now 8 years later, the deck is still just like new. I have restained it twice with Thompsons Water seal. I waited 6 months before putting on the first sealant so the boards had plenty of time for the treating chemicals to dry out. My deck if 40'x12' and I used 10 gallons of waterproofing stain the first time. I used a common garden sprayer to apply it top and bottom with a heavy coat. The second time only took about 4 gallons, I put it on with a roller and only on the top. My deck is covered so only the last 4 feet or so actually gets wet from rain when it blows in from the North. It gets sun morning and evening. It is raised over a concrete slab about 7 feet so no underside moisture is an issue. I don't think I will have to replace this wood in my lifetime.

 

[KennyG]

That is really nice looking.

Do you remember where you got the railings from? Those would be an excellent match for my needs.

I wish I could remember the brand. We went to three different local supply houses and must have considered a dozen differnt styles before choosing this one. They are powder coated steel. The post covers are Azek. We made the post tops out of Azek planks and painted them black.