Trex or Timbertech?

[VWJetta00]

We're having the wood decking/railing that leads to our walkout basement door and are adding a gate, and the person doing the work said he uses Trex and Timbertech. Does anyone have anything positive/negative on either brand to help me make a choice? Color choices seem to be similar. Everything I found online seems to be old and from 2008-2010, before some of their newer lines came out (Timbertech Earth Revolutions, Trex Transcend).

Thanks.

[Mk1Racer]

We're having the wood decking/railing that leads to our walkout basement door and are adding a gate, and the person doing the work said he uses Trex and Timbertech. Does anyone have anything positive/negative on either brand to help me make a choice? Color choices seem to be similar. Everything I found online seems to be old and from 2008-2010, before some of their newer lines came out (Timbertech Earth Revolutions, Trex Transcend).

Thanks.

I sold both products, although we stocked Trex. I personally prefer Azek Deck to either Trex or Timbertech (although Trex has a PVC deck product now too). For both Trex and Timbertech, they will hold a lot of heat if they're in direct sun for most of the day. The darker the color, the more heat they hold. I've heard stories about people going out to sit on their deck in the evening, and feeling the heat radiating off the deck. Also stories about how the deck was so hot, you couldn't walk on it barefoot.

[barry2952]

My deck is 10 years old and looks brand new with just power washing. The best part is hidden fasteners.

http://www.eonoutdoor.com/

[Double-V]

My deck is 10 years old and looks brand new with just power washing. The best part is hidden fasteners.

http://www.eonoutdoor.com/

I've always dug your deck, Barry. It's tricky to make it out in the pictures - are the wires fastened with turnbuckles? Have you had to retension them at all? Does having that style of railing meet code? It's very visually appealing - it has the same properties as glass in terms of visibilty, but without the PITA of having to keep the glass clean.

[barry2952]

Yes, it meets code as there are no open areas over 3". That's all the safety concern is about.

The stainless wires have crimped-on threaded ends. You crimp on one end, pull the wires through the holes and determine the exact length you'll need and then crimp on the other end. Then it's a matter of snugging the wires for the right tension.

Where one end of the wire is fixed to the wall there's only a need for the threaded fitting at one end.



This picture gives you a better idea of how the wires are tightened.

[Bibs]

Nice, Barry.

Ours is Monarch...it has held up well, and looks new with a power wash...it gets really grimy over winter.
Ours faded over the last 4 years, so consider that when you pick your colors. The faded result still looks nice to my eye, but others might not like that, for the $ you spend.

[2slojetta0L]

I used recycled plastic lumber-its a little more expensive than the trex-type composites because its all plastic and lasts forever. When it gets dirty, just hose it and your good -I can claim this because I got white in color and it has no discoloration or stains the six years Ive had it. Here's a pic

[barry2952]

The advantage to the EON product I used is that you don't see any of the fasteners. Each board has a groove in each side that gets a fastener that holds the boards down and spaces them apart the correct distance.

[2slojetta0L]

The advantage to the EON product I used is that you don't see any of the fasteners. Each board has a groove in each side that gets a fastener that holds the boards down and spaces them apart the correct distance.

You can use hidden fasteners with the plastic lumber also but I didn't.

[barry2952]

Here's something else to take into consideration. Our deck is close to the color of Pine. Due to the light color it's highly reflective. Intensely so. You might want to consider the direction the deck faces when choosing a color.

We had no deck for the first 7 years we lived here. The change in the kitchen light level was almost too much to bear, until we got used to it.



How can you tell I just took the picture?

[Mk1Racer]

The advantage to the EON product I used is that you don't see any of the fasteners. Each board has a groove in each side that gets a fastener that holds the boards down and spaces them apart the correct distance.

You can use hidden fasteners with the plastic lumber also but I didn't.

Yep, you can get hidden fastening systems that work w/ any kind of decking. Some work better than others. I've never really been a fan of the biscuit-style systems, especially w/ wood. I've seen it where the wood will shrink and move and pop up.

[DHill]

I'm presently building a deck with Trex PVC-based lumber. I believe it is Trex Escapes Acorn. When you cut it, it smells like cutting PVC pipe.

I generally like working with it though I don't even have all of the decking down yet and I can already see how it responds to temperature. It also flexes more, so if there are any little height differences between your joists it will mimic them. However, it looks really nice and I'm pretty pleased with it.

If I could do it over I would have researched the materials more. I bought it because it was on sale at Lowes and the color was better than what else they had in stock. I've seen now that they have composite materials that blend sawdust from other rot resistant woods for a more natural finish.

Also, this was about 3x more than treated lumber, but I didn't want it looking gray and old in a year.