Happy new year, all! I’m planning to add a deck to my house in the spring. Does anyone here have experience with TREX for a deck? I’ve heard both bad and good, so will you folks share your TREX stories with me? Thanks!
Since the OP is looking for shared opinions, I’m moving this from GQ to IMHO.
samclem, Moderator in General Questions
It depends on your lifestyle and expected use of the deck? Trex and other manufactured decking gets very hot in the sun so wouldn’t be preferable if you have a plan to walk around barefoot on it.
If you have kids now go with pressure treated and when it ages out go to Trex.
I’ve seen no notable different experience between TREX and other brands of manufactured product. If your plan if a manufactured wood I’d base it on the look you want and the price not the brand.
So, TREX is not for kids?
d&r
Good Luck!
I have been told (no cite, just told by a friend) that Trex is flammable, so if you are going to have a fire pit or charcoal grill on the deck it might not be a good idea to not use Trex.
lol
Yeah based on health ramifications they should avoid trix too.
We just had a Trex deck installed, so can’t personally speak to the longevity or performance, but it looks very nice. Trex has been in business longer than any other composite deck company. They did have a quality issue some years ago, but made good on replacement costs and haven’t had any problems since to my knowledge. The guy who installed our deck has been doing it for 20 years and recommended Trex over the competitors. The cost differential was a wash, so it was of no benefit to him to recommend it. Composite decking requires far less maintenance than cedar, redwood or other natural materials, needing only a washing from time to time. I would recommend having the installer place the planks slightly farther apart than normal to allow more room for small dirt and debris to fall through.
We had a Trex deck installed three years ago. It’s worn pretty well, but I wouldn’t do it again for a few reasons.
First, it has a few stains from sunscreen spray, oil from the BBQ, etc. They do tend to fade over time, but not completely. Secondly, you can’t power wash it - it ruins the finish. If you need to clean it, you’re stuck with the old broom and hose method. Thirdly (and this may not be an issue where you live), it’s unbelievably slippery in the winter if there’s even a skiff of snow or moisture on it. This has been our big problem with the deck - our garage is detached, and we need to walk across the deck to get from the house to the garage. With two little kids and armfuls of groceries, it can be quite hazardous. Even our dog has wiped out on it a couple of times. You can put down some indoor/outdoor carpet to alleviate the problem, but it’s a pain in the butt. Finally, it gets quite hot on the feet in the summer.
It does look good, and there’s no issue with maintenance, splinters etc. However, the other issues have irritated my husband enough that he’s talked about ripping the whole thing out and starting over again (it cost about $10,000.00 to put in in the first place). Given that the cost was over double other materials, I wouldn’t do it again.
Interesting. I’ve gone out on ours after a rain and been impressed by the fact that it was not at all slippery.
Yeah, it doesn’t seem to be an issue with rain in the summer, only with snow in the winter.
When I was a kid, in the UK, Trex was a brand of lard: blocks of solid white fat.
I doubt if it would have much structural strength, and it is bound to be very slippery. Not good decking material.
I did wonder for a moment if you meant T Rex, but I don’t think that would be very safe either.
I am a representative of Trex and would be happy to answer any questions you may have on our products. We have recently announced the release of an addition to our product line, Trex Transcend. Transcend Decking is engineered with a low sheen, high-traffic technology. It is fade, stain, scratch and mold resistant and backed by our 25-year fade and stain warranty.
Please feel free to visit our website at trex.com to see the full line of products and well as our installation details, or you may contact me directly at 800-BUY-TREX or question@trex.com.
Pat M
Trex Company
Is it true that you can’t pressure wash Trex?
Our sailing club tried composite boards on a test dock section, and they found it slippery when wet. I don’t know what brand it was.
When we did some shopping, we consistently heard one of the brands (don’t recall if Trex was the good one or bad) had a problem with developing mold staining.
I have no experience with Trex, except that I decided to go with something else when I built my deck five years ago.
And since decking companies occasionally adjust their products I’ve got no current knowledge about Trex. But, here’s my experience with synthetic/composite decking:
It looks good and lasts a long time. A friend got a PT deck at the same time I built my syn-deck and his planks are warped and cracking.
They do get hotter than PT (it’s denser) but there isn’t a huge difference.
I haven’t noticed the deck being more slippery than my previous PT deck.
The syn-decking I went with,GeoDeck, is prone to grease spotting. We’ve managed to get all the spot out (we use oil lamps) but it takes elbow grease and finding the right cleaner.
When I was comparison shopping, I saw some photos showing fire damage to syn/composite decking. It seems that artificial decking burns faster than PT. Hollow decking burns faster than solid.
We had no mildew problems for the first two years, and then very noticeable dark streaking in year four. My guess is that it came with anti-mold treatment which gradually wore off. A cleaning with bleach and a bristle broom made it look good again. With the synthetic decks the mold doesn’t eat the decking, but lives on pollen and other organics on the surface. Mold is more noticeable on artificial decking than on PT, but it’s because the artificial decking surface is so uniform.
The reason I went with the GeoDeck was:
–Better span strength that other brands (24", although I used 16")
–I thought it would be cooler because it’s hollow
–It has a “wire brush” finish that l like. Scratches can be invisibly removed with a wire brush, and it looks “woody” without having an embossed faux wood grain.
–At the time it was one of only a few color fast tan brands.
And like Chefguy recommended we spaced out planks further apart than the standard practice. (Our previous deck had gotten clogged with yard debris.) But you have to be careful not to make the gaps so big that a high heel can go through. And there can be a problem with keys, rings and earrings slipping down.
Good luck.
I’ve never seen a T-rex on deck.
But I’ve seen one pitch.
The company I work for put some TREX decking on our new office. I couldn’t speak as to the model/type but it looks like colored particle board, no fake wood grain.
The deck/floor part seems fine. It looks okay and I’ve not noticed that it’s more slippery that other surfaces.
The railing however is terrible. It warped in less than a year and looks pretty shoddy. I’ve seen the same trend in vinyl fencing/decking too.
I am a representative of Trex an would be happy to respond to any questions you may have on our products. Trex does not recommend the use of a power washer and will not warranty claims on products that are damaged while using a power-washer. Every effort should be made to follow the Trex Care and Cleaning
guide to remove any staining prior to using a pressure-washer.
Should you choose to use a pressure-washer, here are
guidelines to follow.
o A pressure-washer with 1500 psi or less must
be used
o A fan spray pattern to protect the Trex® surface.
o The Tip should remain 12” or farther from the decking
surface.
Pat M
Trex Company