S/O Outdoor spaces - Composite Deck

[raangoli]

In the other thread I mentioned we’re thinking of redoing an existing deck. We have two quotes so far for composite decking and later this week we’ll get one for pavers.

It’s a decent sized deck (16x20) so it’s not going to be cheap but it may just be time for us to get it done since it’s so annoying to deal with sanding and staining yearly.

I’m wondering if anyone here has composite done and how they like it? Any pro/cons? Which brand did you go with?

[RockNVoll]

We have a composite deck and didn't even consider anything else. It's been great so far, but we've only had it for a couple of years so no long-term experience here. We've done zero maintenance aside from hosing it off when needed. After helping to stain my parents' deck, I knew I'd never go with wood. And they only did it every few years!

We have Azek.

[raangoli]

RockNVoll thanks! I’m glad to hear that it’s been zero maintenance for you for the past few years. That’s what we’re looking for!

[InBetweenDays]

We don't have composite, but if want a potential hardwood option you could look at Ipe or Bangkirai. It's expensive so not sure how the pricing compares to composite, but we've had a Bangkirai deck for 11.5 years.

We let it go gray so we've never had to stain or sand it. Most maintenance we've had to do is pressure wash it once (going to do so again but our pressure washer is getting fixed) and occasionally drive screws back in that have started to pop up (it has to be screwed down - can't be nailed).

Happy to take photos if you want to see what it looks like.

ETA: Oops! Just reread and realized you already have multiple quotes so guessing you don't want to start with a new material option. 😊

[raangoli]

InBetweenDays thanks for the other materials suggestions. The composite is pricier already but it’s something to look into. Ideally we would like it done so that we can enjoy it this summer and one contactor seems to think that could be possible so that is a factor for us in deciding.

[mrsukyankee]

We had a composite in our old house and it was so easy - just washed it off once in a while with a power washer and a bit of soap.

[ssmjlm]

Composite definitely. We replaced and expanded the deck in our last house and did composite and did it in this house. In this house we have Azeck since that's what the builder uses. I don't remember the old house brand, it was from home depot.

It's low maintenance and just so much nicer on your feet than wood.

[raangoli]

Thanks for the feedback! Now to reconcile the price with our wallet 😬

[lilac05]

We have an older composite deck. Likely before 2014. This year, we power washed it, then started finding pieces of white plastic that almost look like they’re embedded in the deck. It’s VERY strange. Google suggests that it’s a defect in the decking that happened with earlier versions, and it’s just degrading over time. Until this discovery, I would have 100% suggested it, but now I’d need to do more research first. Is the new stuff better, or has it just not been around long enough yet to start to fall apart? I don’t know. Of course the manufacturers would suggest that it’s improved! But if the deck lasts less than 10 years, then it wouldn’t be worth the cost and the horrible environmental impact for us.

[L]

We have a composite deck on our house in Denver and our cabin in the Mountains. Both are over 10yrs old. The one at home gets beat by the sun, the one at our cabin has piles of snow for 9mo out of the year. At most it requires a power washing. I far prefer it to wood deck which we’ve had.

[icedcoffee]

We tore out our old wood deck last year and replaced with Trex. It was not cheap but we love it. No maintenance and it looks awesome. It does get really hot but we get a lot of sun. We just wear shoes.

When we priced it out we found there was not really any difference in price between trex and other off brands so we just went with Trex.

You won’t regret it. I am so happy we went composite.

[nicolewi]

We have Azek and we like it, although I did think the pricing was insane. I was like, what is this, gold? Ours is about 5 years old and still looks great. I heard some kind of radio show once about which composite decking material to choose, and I don't remember the details, but it was something like if your deck will be close to the ground, one product was better. If it was raised or more dry, another was better. You may want to look into whether Trex vs Azek vs whatever else is out there is best for your situation. They are actually made differently.

[raangoli]

nicolewi that’s interesting about the different types based on how far from the ground it is. I’ll definitely look into that!