# Refinish Deck or Trex?



## Janis (May 23, 2010)

ONce again, it's time to sand, clean, stain and seal our deck. IT's pretty big and a ton of work to get done. I am thinking of replacing it with a composite deck.

Have any of you gone this route? What has been your long term experience with the composites? Are they truly maintenance and worry free? Have you had any trouble with mold? WHich brand did you use?

Thanks all...


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## Passepartout (May 23, 2010)

We have one Trex deck that's 10 years old, and one that's 3 years old. No maintenance other than washing with soap and water. Our desert area is not susceptible to mold so ymmv. It would stand up to pressure washing. The stuff is expensive, but you only buy it once. 

For sure, no none is going to mistake it for stained/sealed redwood, but I can live with that.

Jim Ricks


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## Glynda (May 23, 2010)

*Trex*

We have Trex and have a problem.  It's the flooring of a screened in porch.  It was originally a brownish color.  Where the sun hits, it's faded to gray.  Where it doesn't, it's still the brownish color.  Hubby keeps threatening to stain it but I hate to see that happen and don't even know if it is stainable.


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## Liz Wolf-Spada (May 23, 2010)

We have Lowe's version of Trex, pale gray to go with the house. It was expensive, but we are lazy and do nothing to it and it looks good, although if we used soap and water and a brush it would probably look better. It is in direct hot southern sun and I can still walk on it barefoot in the summer.
Liz


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## Michael (May 24, 2010)

*Correct Deck CX*

I used a product that was special ordered from Home Depot called Correct Deck CX.  It is resistent to mold and keeps its color.  Absolutely love it!  Completely maintenance free.   All my research said to stay away from Trex.

- Michael


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## Jennie (May 24, 2010)

Michael, how long have you had it?


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## tlwmkw (May 24, 2010)

We wanted a Trex type product on our screened porch but the builder convinced us to get Mahogany (sp?)- don't know why he pushed that but he did.  Wish we'd gone with the Trex type stuff- the wood looks good but the maintenance is extreme- has to be sealed and sanded and stained otherwise it starts to look yuck.  It is supposed to be "naturally" bug resistant and so far that appears to be true but too much work otherwise.

tlwmkw


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## easyrider (May 24, 2010)

Trex has had problems with shrinking, molding and the top coat u.v. inhibitor. Shaded areas do not look the same color as the unshaded areas after one season. Trek is very slippery when wet or frosted. Most problems are caused by the installers, imo. 

Timber Tech is another good brand of composit deck.


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## johnsontrio (May 24, 2010)

Janis said:


> ONce again, it's time to sand, clean, stain and seal our deck. IT's pretty big and a ton of work to get done. I am thinking of replacing it with a composite deck.
> 
> Have any of you gone this route? What has been your long term experience with the composites? Are they truly maintenance and worry free? Have you had any trouble with mold? WHich brand did you use?
> 
> Thanks all...



We have a redwood colored Trex deck on the back of our home, western exposure, approximately 400 sq. ft., installed when we built our home in 2003.  We love it.  We haven't done one thing to maintain it, not even washed it, but I should.  We don't have a mold problem per se, but there are small areas of what looks like a lichen type growth, just in the areas that are shaded, by the railings, for example.  I'm sure it will come off with a soapy scrub with a brush and I'm going to put that on my list of things to do.

The shading is uneven from sun exposure in some areas but that doesn't bother us.  Our deck doesn't look any less nice than anyone I know's wooden deck.  The deck get hot in the summer with the late afternoon sun, but having grown up in Texas, that doesn't bother me either.  I have never noticed it too hot for bare feet.  We only have a couple weeks a year that gets into the 90s.  The heat from the deck attracts bees so we have a guy that sprays for bees.  Our teak furniture also attracts paper wasps so it's not just the deck causing the bee issues.  Some people have complained that Trex smells like a garbage can when hot, but we have never had that problem and I am the Queen of noticing things like that.

The deck does get slippery on mornings when there is frost  (even the dog slips occasionally) but isn't bad when there is snow.  I have never noticed a problem with rain.  I know that the installation costs of Trex decking was more expensive in the past than a wood deck but I thought prices had come down somewhat.  I know DH and I don't want to powerwash and restain a deck yearly and the winter in Michigan takes a toll on wood decks.  We, like other Tuggers, would rather travel!   We would pick this again in a heartbeat.   We did not look at any other brand when we selected this.  Probably should have but we were so swamped just trying to get our home finished and an acre of landscaping installed that it wasn't a priority.

If I had to do it over again I would have taken the time to insist that the builder do a designer type pattern install and I might have chosen to go with iron railings and spindles or some other material.  Our railings and spindles are Trex also. Looks fine, but not high end like some of the website photos you see.  I have also seen nice looking photos of decks using two different color of Trex.

Good luck with your decision.


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## PigsDad (May 24, 2010)

We have had a trex-like deck (some other brand) for 5 years now, and I have never experienced any of of popular negatives that you hear about: slippery, too hot, fading, etc.  It has been great, and still looks excellent 5 years later.  I wouldn't hesitate to use it again.

Kurt


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## thheath (May 24, 2010)

Everytime I am in Home Depot and I walk by the Trex lumber I cringe at the $12.50 per board price.


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## Blues (May 24, 2010)

Can't answer your question about wood vs composite.  But if you decide to stain and seal your wood, try Cabot's SPF-48.  I swear by it.

We've had our redwood deck for 15 years.  I must have tried 5 different brands over the years, and everything I tried started to look shabby after a year, and really looked like cr*p after 2 years.

After reading reviews, I tried Cabot's 3 years ago.  We're gonna refinish again this year, 36 months later, but that's only because the railings need it.  The surface actually still looks great!  I think this time, we'll do 2 coats on the tops of the rails, and I'll bet we'll actually get 4 years out of it.  I'm sold!

-Bob


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## Michael (May 24, 2010)

*Re: Correct Deck CX*

I'm in the second Summer season for the Correct Deck CX.  Looks as nice now as the day it was installed.

- Michael


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## easyrider (May 24, 2010)

Good luck finding hidden fasteners for Trex anytime soon.


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## hvacrsteve (May 24, 2010)

Janis said:


> ONce again, it's time to sand, clean, stain and seal our deck. IT's pretty big and a ton of work to get done. I am thinking of replacing it with a composite deck.
> 
> Have any of you gone this route? What has been your long term experience with the composites? Are they truly maintenance and worry free? Have you had any trouble with mold? WHich brand did you use?
> 
> Thanks all...



My vote is for IPE.

It is not cheap though, but you only do it once!


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## tlwmkw (May 25, 2010)

Our neighbors have Ipe and the maintenance is the same as for mahogany, which we have- still requires staining and sanding.  Fades and dries out in the sun.  Looks basically the same as mahogany but is denser and heavier.

tlwmkw


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## hvacrsteve (May 25, 2010)

tlwmkw said:


> Our neighbors have Ipe and the maintenance is the same as for mahogany, which we have- still requires staining and sanding.  Fades and dries out in the sun.  Looks basically the same as mahogany but is denser and heavier.
> 
> tlwmkw



Ipe is quite a few steps above any other product, it only requires maintenance if you don't like the natural grey color if it is in the sun.

Study for yourself, I researched fro years and I love the Ipe.
http://www.ipedepot.com/compare.htm


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## Fletcher921 (May 26, 2010)

We love our 8 year old Trex deck.  Yes it faded, but I am happy with the color it faded to.


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## ondeadlin (May 26, 2010)

One big key with any of the composite materials is finding an experienced installer, because there's a bit of a learning curve when it comes to working with the materials. Don't do it yourself.


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## theo (May 26, 2010)

*Trex is not your only choice in deck composites...*



Janis said:


> ONce again, it's time to sand, clean, stain and seal our deck. IT's pretty big and a ton of work to get done. I am thinking of replacing it with a composite deck.
> 
> Have any of you gone this route? What has been your long term experience with the composites? Are they truly maintenance and worry free? Have you had any trouble with mold? WHich brand did you use?



About 5 years ago, I too tired of wood deck maintenance and tore up the pressure treated wood on my deck and replaced it with composite (not Trex, a product which I didn't (still don't) like much). Glad I did it. Following are a few of my own experiences and observations and recommendations:

1. If your current deck is wood, the flooring might (i.e., should) be on joists underneath which are 16" on center (a common benchmark). However, read the fine print of ANY which composite you consider using, since some (many?) of them recommend only 12" maximum on center for the underlying supporting joists, since all composites have far less lateral strength / rigidity than wood. I did not much enjoy the extra carpentry involved, hanging all those additional joists, but I did it anyhow. There may be thicker (or laterally stronger) products on the market now, 5 years later, which can be used 16" o.c. If so, I wish they had been around when I was doing my job 5 years ago...

2. Some composites (Trex foremost among them, in my opinion) can be very slippery when wet, or with any frost on the surface, particularly if it's a smooth finish surface. Whatver you choose, look for a product which has some observable "grip" to it (raised lines or a "fake wood grain" type finish on the top surface).

3. All composites, as far as I know, can (and do) still hold and grow mold, particularly on moisture-susceptible areas which receive no sun. Pressure washing or brushing with a MILD bleach solution and then hosing it off promptly seems to work fine for me. But don't think of composites as a miracle product ---there is still maintenance, just a lot less of it.

4. No color loss over the past 5 years for me, just some very faint surface fading (which actually improves the appearance, as far as I'm concerned).

Hope some of this helps. I used a product called "Correct Deck". I chose it because it's made in Maine and I always support local and regional businesses whenever possible. I'm sure there are other composite products that are just as good (...but I still greatly dislike the Trex product, which imho is truly inferior). 

P.S. I'm no carpenter, but I did the whole job myself and I dare say that a professional could not / would not have done a visibly better job, so I respectfully disagree with the "pros only" input in post #19 above.


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## joestein (May 26, 2010)

We have a HUGE deck made of Southern Yellow Pine - I guess it was pressure treated (previously owners built it).

Every 2 or 3 years we have it power washed and stained (costs me $300) and it seems to do OK, except for the area around the sunken hot tub which always seems to have moisture.

When it finally goes, I will put in a paver patio instead of a wood deck!  I can't imagine what the rest of the hot tub will look like once we take away the deck.

Joe


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## Janis (May 26, 2010)

Thanks for all of the advice.  Once we priced it out, we just couldn't justify spending the money on the composite until the deck fully dies. The difference was $1100 to sand, stain & seal - or $10,000 to replace with composite. Ouch.


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## joestein (May 27, 2010)

$1100 seems VERY high.  We have a HUGE deck over 1500sq ft with multiple levels and built in benches.  We pay $300 to have it pressure washed and waterproofed.  I don't think sanding is necessary.

Joe


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## Janis (May 27, 2010)

i thought it was expensive, too - but I got a couple of bids. Maybe it's all the railings and spindles that make the price so high. I think it's about 500 square feet and it's off the 2nd story of the house..


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## Brittany M (Jun 8, 2010)

*[Commercial poste deleted]*

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## Glynda (Jun 8, 2010)

*Stain Trex?*



Brittany M said:


> Hi johnsontrio,
> I am a representative of Trex and I just wanted to add some suggestions for cleaning your deck.  A semi-annual cleaning is recommended, usually in the Spring and Fall.  Hosing off may be all that is needed to remove lose dirt and debris. For basic cleaning use soap, hot water, and a soft bristle brush.  Dish or laundry soap can be used.  Use 1/4 cup soap to 1 gallon hot water.  A commercial deck wash can be used in place of the above.  Olympic Premium Deck Cleaner and Expert Chemical Composite Deck Cleaner & Enhancer (www.expertchemicalinc.com) have been found to be effective in cleaning Trex Decks.  Non-chlorine based alternative UltraMean can be used but will require scrubbing with a soft brush immediately after application.  Eco-Friendly Deck Wash (No Bleach): Corte-Clean Composite Deck Cleaner - www.corteclean.com.  Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.
> 
> Brittany
> Trex




I'd like to know if Trex can be stained as that we have areas that have faded that receive sunlight while the other areas remain the original color.


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## shar (Jun 10, 2010)

Interesting conversation

We have a new home which was built in 2006. Our front steps and two front porches on 1st and 2nd floor  and a deck on the back were built with the trex type material by the builder. We screened in the original  back deck and added another outside deck. According to the builder this is not Trex, but I do not remember the name of it.

The previous house had this same back deck configuration but was built with pressure treated wood and stained.  We had to  pressure clean  and stain almost every year when using a clear coat stain. Then my husband read  in Consumer Reports to use Cabot's in a dark stain  and that would last three years. CR said clear or light needed to be done every year.  CR was correct about the dark stain lasting much longer but it made the deck hotter.

When moving to this house we were happy that we would not have to do the work that was necessary on the last deck.  We hose off a few times each summer. We live on the water and it is very humid here in the summer. Decks are not hot in the summer and we have not found them slippery. Deck has not changed color and the flooring under the screened porch and front porches are the same color as that exposed to the sun all day. 

Noticed last summer that there are some light black spots on front steps and back deck where it is open but not on the screened porch.  Just recently we were told that this is mold, but it can be removed with a cleaner. Have not tried it yet.  This is actually opposite to what has been stated in other posts. These spots are only showing up where there is no cover.  Does anyone else have any idea if this could be something else other than mold? Our current house is located on the waterfront and wondering if that makes any difference.

We love this deck material so it is much more maintenance free and less hot than previous deck material.

Shar


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## Brittany M (Jun 22, 2010)

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## DonM (May 4, 2011)

*Any Updates ???*

Does anyone have any updates to this thread?

I am now in the market for redoing my deck, and I was wondering if there is anything new since this older thread first appeared.

thanks

don


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## Michael (May 4, 2011)

*Correct Deck CX Update*

Love, love, love my Correct Deck CX.  Third year and looks like it was put down yesterday.  Keeps its color with no fading.


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## DonM (May 5, 2011)

Michael said:


> Love, love, love my Correct Deck CX.  Third year and looks like it was put down yesterday.  Keeps its color with no fading.



I think GAF bought them out:

http://www.gaf.com/decking/Duralife-Siesta-Deck/duralife-siesta-deck.aspx


Is it very slippery when wet ? How hot does it get in the sun?

thanks
don


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## Michael (May 5, 2011)

*Now owned by GAF.*

Yes, that is the product.  From my experience, it does not get real slippery when wet and does not get real hot in the sun (but I live in Minnesota so the answer may be different depending on where you live).  I used the hidden fastener system and it looks terrific.  Easy to install.


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## 1950bing (May 5, 2011)

Check out Camo fastening system.


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## Talent312 (May 5, 2011)

I am building a 24'x16' deck with benches out of pressure-treated pine.
I considered using a composite, but also choked on the price.

My DW and I are not likely to outlast the wood, so our heirs can deal with it.


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