Fayle Loc: Seward, Alaska and Rionegro, Colombia

As a hobbyist wood worker I've been toying with the idea of building a few Adirondack chairs out of Trex. My thought is they would be maintenance free and can be left out in the yard through the winter months.

LXK0930 Loc: Souh Jersey

I had a redwood deck that I replaced with Trex. No problems. Just make sure that the cross beams are close enough together to prevent sagging.
Also, do not screw the boards to the joists. Use the Trex clip system. This permits expansion / contraction. It adds to the cost, but can save headaches in the future.

Enjoy.

PWL46 Loc: Michigan

We had a new deck built 20 years ago and Trax was fairly new. The contractor contacted the Trex company for their best recommendations about installing it. We used the light grey finish and have had no problems. Power wash it every fey years. Probably some light fading but not really noticeable. The only negative comment from the contractor was that he went through a couple of circular saw blades and drill bits.

olemikey Loc: 6 mile creek, Spacecoast Florida

Love the Trex decking, I'd go no wider than 16" centers..... We used the grey color, doesn't seem that bad heat wise in Florida sun.

docerz

Installed redwood 25 years ago. Still looks as good as it did when I installed.
One advantage I've noticed it's not as hot to walk on as my friends Trex.
Personally I enjoy the look of real wood, but that's just me.

tmehrkam Loc: Houston,Tx

Trex is slick. My only problem. I live on a farm a while lot of open space and 20 mpg winds are quite common. Chairs on the porch move with the wind direction.

Other than that it has been great. That in the price it is expensive.

CSand Loc: Fayetteville, Georgia

Don't have it on deck but replaced the slats on my outdoor swing with this product and love it. Use cushions for comfort.

kerry12 Loc: Harrisburg, Pa.

I used it when I built my deck 8 years ago. It still looks good. Used regular tools with it. It works just like wood. I have no warping or shrinkage. I'd say go for it.

radiomantom Loc: Plymouth Indiana

Built my deck 15 yrs. ago using it. Power wash it every spring and good to go. No sign of a issue anywhere.

apacs1 Loc: Lansdale, PA

Replaced a pressure treated deck with a Trex like product at least 15 years ago. Still looks great. Does need some pressure washing to get rid of dirt and algae(deck partially under a tree) each year. Only problem is that it does get hot in prolonged direct sun, but hot much better than warping and splinters. You'll love it.

Marianne M Banks Loc: Anacortes WA

I bought a newer house 15 years ago with Trex decking, (It will be 16 years old) and I love it. It still looks great with almost annual light power washing.
It was built well on 16”.
I’d highly recommend this product.

NewGuy

I used Trex on a 1500 square foot deck, and I view that as a mistake. I got a bad batch of Trex that had to be replaced under warranty. It stains fairly easily and can't be pressure washed (light pressure is okay, but its easily damage by pressure washing).

The one place I might use it would be on a dock or someplace where there was nearly constant water.

n4jee Loc: New Bern, NC

We built our FL retirement home in 2007. Used vinyl siding, PVC railing and fence and, of course, synthetic decking. A little power wash once a year and everything looks like it did in 2007. I can't tell the deck has any wear. Wouldn't have anything else. No Thompsons water seal every year, no cupping or ends lifting.

RichJ207 Loc: Sammamish, WA

[quote=home brewer]I need help from all you experts

We had a 20’x30’ cedar deck and, after many seasons and a number of episodes of hammering the deck nails back down, we tore it down and started over.

We used Azek composite decking on joists at 12” centers as recommended by our contractor.
One key consideration is that joists, as installed in hanger brackets, will not form a perfectly flat plane, which is important when using the more-flexible composite material. The hangers may not all be at the same level and the joists can vary in height. We rented a device to plane the tops of the joists and used it with a 6’ level (straight edge) to ensure there wouldn’t be hills and valleys in the finished deck.
We used Trex brand hidden fasteners between the boards, and all holes that needed to be used for other fasteners on the ends and edges were predrilled. We used Trex brand screws in those spots. Their heads are flush with the top surface of the deck and their color closely matches the decking color.
Small gaps were left between deck boards that are butted up against each other to allow for expansion.
We used a lighter color decking (Azek Autumn Chestnut) and the surface does not get too hot. The surface has a little texture but is quite slick if water has frozen on the surface, even dew.
If you use the thinner, wider board material as a facia you should consider that it will noticably expand and contract. Trex offers a special drill bit that makes the hole in the facia material a bit larger than the screw diameter to allow for some movement and it works well.
The different brands may offer different lengths of material as standard. I have some that are 14’.
Your next step will be railing. I personally installed stainless wire railing. Current building codes require such small gaps between railing parts that wood spindles would have destroyed the view. I did have to prove to the local city building permit folks that the stainless wire railing was properly engineered in order to get it approved.

We would do the combination of composite decking and stainless wire railing again without hesitation.

Cheers!

Effate Loc: El Dorado Hills, Ca.

Agree, I went with 16” centers and 12” where I did 45 degree diagonals. It is very solid. I also sprayed all my cuts and contact points on all my pressure treated girders and joists with copper green. Went with Trex mounting brackets rather than screwing through decking. No regrets, turned out beautiful.