DECKING SPANS

To ensured deck is safe and secure, it needs to be designed to withstand loads.  Check your local building departments codes and requirements.  If your deck frame is weak and not up to standard it could cause a collaspe when under loads such as snow, or a group of people for a barbecue.  So plan correctly.  So, what is the best way to determine your structural load for your deck frame?  It is arrived at by combining the type of lumber your frame is built with , the size, and span or distance between the joists, deckboards, or beams.

Pay attention to how high your deck is going to be, and if it will be higher than 8 feet, it may require a heavier load.  It would be good to consult your local building department, since this may require special engineering and reinforcement.

DECK SPANS EXPLAINED

Have enclosed standard tables of deck spacing and wood strengths.         

Warranty and Care

       CARE & CLEANING

    All exterior building materials require cleaning. Periodic cleaning of Trex® Decking & Railing will maintain the beauty of a Trex deck.

    Problem                 Solution

    Dirt and Debris                

        * Clean deck to remove dirt and debris. Soap, hot water and a stiff bristle brush are all that is needed.

    Chalk Markings                

        * All colored chalk lines are permanent except white. We suggest using white chalk or baby powder. Scrubbing the area with hot soapy water with bleach may dislodge some of the chalk.

    Visible Mill Markings              

        * The mill markings on the side of Trex decking boards are required by building codes. With careful installation, most mill markings can be hidden. Visible mill markings can be lightened with acetone.

    Water Spots/Leaf Staining/Wood Tannins                

        * Tannin leaching occurs in Trex and all wood based products naturally. Allow for at least 12 weeks of normal weathering. This process may be hastened through the use of a product containing oxalic or phosphoric acid.

    Pigment Staining                

        * During the weathering process, a small amount of surface pigmentation may wash off of the Trex surface, which may discolor neighboring surfaces. Remove with common rust cleaner.

    Ice and Snow   

        * Calcium chloride or rock salt, available in many home centers, will melt ice on Trex decking. Rinse off when first practical.

    Rust Stains, Ground-In Dirt and Grime             

        * Use a cleaning product containing oxalic or phosphoric acid base to lighten or remove the rust or dirt. Product may need to sit on stain 10-15 minutes.

    Oil and Grease Stains    

        * Scrub in a household-degreasing agent as soon as the stain occurs. Rinse with hot water. For more severe stains call 1-800-BUY-TREX.

    Berries and Wine Stains         

        * Mix bleach into hot water according to the bleach-packaging label. Scrub the stain lightly and rinse thoroughly. The stain may not disappear entirely.

    Ink Stains         

        * Inks may be permanent. However, the stain may be lightened by scrubbing with hot soapy water. Rinse thoroughly.

    Mold

        * Use conventional deck washes or cleaners that contain sodium hypochlorite (bleach) and detergent (refer to Mold Technical Bulletin).

        * Treat with PSC Composite DeckAfterKlean (www.psc-solutions.com) or Anti-Growth (www.anti-growth.com) to delay regrowth.

        * Periodic cleaning of your deck, even if it appears clean, is important to prevent the build-up of pollen/debris that can cause mold.

    Pressure Washer

        * Trex does not recommend the use of a pressure washer. The use of a pressure washer with a greater than 1,500 PSI and/or applied closer than 10" from the deck surface could damage the decking surface and result in a loss of warranty coverage.

    Sanding            

        * Trex does not recommend sanding. Sanding will change the appearance of the surface of Trex material.

Available at thousands of lumberyards nationwide                 X                 X

My name is Mike Danzilio and I love decks, I wrote this article about 5 years ago and revise it every year. After 25 years of and taking down older decks and building new ones, I have observed almost every deck product and method used to construct decks.

           I will rate these decking products using a scale from 1 to 10: 1 being  the lowest and 10 being the highest.  The factors I’ve included are a,The  cost of the decking, railing and trim.  b, The required maintenance. c,The durability.  d, It's warranty. e, The product integrity.  f, The ability to have the entire deck built out of the same material (all the parts that are visible) and g, The overall look of the deck.

As a deck  distributor, builder and retailer, I offer the public the best products at the best price. This concept works because I believe in the products that I sell.  I don’t see any reason to sell a product that has inherent problems just because it costs less.  The minor difference in price in relation to the benefits over time is worth it..   For instance, when we purchase a car, we don’t buy the cheapest thing on 4 wheels.  We look at characteristics such as safety, gas mileage, size, comfort and other amenities.  We also consider that we will only have this vehicle about 4 years.   As an independent plastic lumber retailer, I can sell virtually any decking product that is currently available.  All things considered, I have chosen two products to carry, Trex and Tandeck. We sell Trex because it is the #1 selling decking product on the market today. More Trex is sold than all alternative decking products combined. Trex has great marketing and brand recognition, it is the envy of all decking products. Having said that, I feel that there is a product that offers greater value. The Tandeck Decking System is head and shoulders above the rest.

If you are in the market for a deck or dock, look at all of the alternatives and consider every thing.   If  you plan to own your home for more three years or just want the best looking deck for the best value, Tandeck has the right product for you.  In recent years home owners have come to realize that wood decks will be cheaper than a wood composite or a plastic deck. If you just want a deck and don’t care what it looks like than build a wood deck and let it crack, check and enjoy the splinters. If you desire to have a beautiful deck and don’t what to spend any money on it after it is done, then the Tandeck product will be right for you. The maintenance of the wood deck plus the initial cost will cost more than the difference between the up front cost of the plastic deck.

The next question you  will have is what to buy? One way is to look at the history and the make-up of the product. If you see a product like Correct Deck that has a “new and improved” product every year than you know that they have had problems and they had to change the way that they make it. I have seen products come and go, and one thing that they have in common is that they use wood as a filler. We know that a chain is as strong as its weakest link and the weak link in all wood composites is the wood. Unfortunately some products use Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC), polystyrene (PS), or polypropylene (PP). These plastics have some characteristics that are better than polyethylene (PE), like stiffness, but they are all inferior to PE when we talk colorfastness and stain resistance. We will speak about these individual products separately further on in this paper. Polyethylene, the plastic in Tandeck, is very durable, colorfast and resistant to chemical staining. The price of PE has risen over recent years for a few reasons. The price of oil and natural gas is one, and the most important is that the world has realized that polyethylene  is a better plastic to put outside in the harsh elements. PVC and PS decking look great when they are new, PS decking (EON) looks better than PE decking when it is new, but in one year the PE decking will still look the same and the PVC and PS decking will have lost that nice shine. I would think that you will want your deck to look good in five years and not look good for just a few months.

A six inch piece of most decking looks pretty good, the finished product is what you want to see. At No Maintenance Decking and Trim we have about 1500 square feet of decks set up outside, yes, outside, so you can see what they look like. Every year we go to the Deck Expo, we see beautiful decks done with great carpentry skills, the problem is that if you put these decks outside for 6 months they will look terrible! We welcome everyone to come and look at the set of stairs we have set up at our outside show room and challenge them to show me a better looking decking product.

DECK BUILDING PRODUCTS;

Wood

Until recently, wood has been the only product used to build a deck.  There are many types of wood and I will try to cover most of them. The first decks that I encountered were originally built out of whatever was left over from the frame of the house, usually Douglas fir or spruce.  These decks were stained or painted every 1 or 2 years and lasted anywhere from 7—15 years depending on the care given and its proximity to the sun.  Replacement decks were built to look better and last longer.  In the early eighties we began to use Pressure Treated wood (wood treated with the chemical Copper Chromium Arsenic, which was banned by the EPA for residential use in January, 2004).   We used it only on the frame and on high-end homes because it’s cost was about three times that of conventional wood.  As the cost came down and  more profiles were introduced, we began using it for the entire deck.  

Pressure Treated Wood

Pressure Treated ACQ (Ammonia-cal Copper Quaternary, CCA’S replacement) is  acceptable if you are looking for “just a deck”.   If you don’t care what the deck looks like, this will be the best deck for the money.  Water will not damage it but if the deck is not stained with a solid body stain, the sun will dry it out until the areas exposed to the sun disintegrates.  If you have a pressure treated deck, you may be able to make it look better by painting, pressure washing, sanding, caulking & staining with a solid body stain. This will have to be done every year, but it will at least look good.  Building the frame out of Pressure Treated is fine, because it is not in the direct sunlight.   ACQ has great strength but only time will tell for the ACQ treatment  process.

Rating 3—If you plan to have the deck more than 3 years,  buy a different product.

Cedar, Mahogany & Redwood

These decks always look great for the first couple of months after they‘re built, but before long they will require some kind of maintenance.  Depending on how you take care of the deck and the frequency of  maintenance  will directly relate to it’s looks and length of life.

Cedar

Cedar is very soft and needs a lot of maintenance but will look good for it’s short 6—10 year life.  This product maybe the most costly per year to own. Rating 3 — Looks good when it’s installed but requires costly, annual maintenance. to extend the life of the deck.  If you have a cedar house, this deck will look great with a clear cedar stain applied every year.

Redwood

These decks look great but will require a lot of maintenance  to keep it looking good. Redwood may have a longer life in a dryer,  western climate.  I recently dismantled a 16-year old Redwood deck.  It was an ugly, dark brown but there was no rot at all!  Yearly staining with a solid body stain would have extended the life of this deck at least another 10+ years.   The owners had vinyl siding applied to their house and opted for a deck that matched the house.

 Rating 5 — If you can find an entire deck package it will look good.  Requires a lot of maintenance

Mahogany/Vertical Grain Fir

Deck grade mahogany from Malaysia and Indonesia  or vertical grain Fir from the United States is harder than Cedar and will last up to 20 years.   For homes that are in the woods or that have a wood motif, this may be a great product for this look. Costly annual maintenance is the down side.

 Rating 5 —Lasts longer than Cedar.

Teak and other Hardwoods

There are many varieties of South American Hardwood.   Teak (Ipe, Ironwood ect....) being the best known for its use with furniture and ship decks.  These decks have a very high upfront cost and require maintenance, they look great and last a very long time.  This decking may be reasonably priced (3 times that of treated). I visited a distributor of alternative decking in Florida, I looked at all of the different products that they had displayed outside. They had a few types of hardwood displayed nicely in the sun, they were there for 2½ years and looked terrible, every product was cracked terribly. This changed my outlook on hardwoods. Remember that it was in the hot Florida sun, but the look was very bad, I was shocked! In the July/August 2005 Deck Builder Magazine  I read an article about a marina in South Carolina they were proudly showing off their dock, it looked great! The further I read they said that they will be treating it with Penofin four times a year. When the dock is new they will spend the money to keep it looking good, but in a few years they will stop and the dock will start to look bad.  The finishing components (rails, fascia & trim) will be very expensive.

Rating 8— Highest cost of all the deck products tested and will need costly maintenance.

In the late eighties, we noticed that Pressure Treated wood wasn’t susceptible to water damage but it would dry out and crack leaving the worst splinters that any bare–footed person could imagine. Pressure Treated wood, due to it’s wet treating process, swelled up in both it’s length and width so it would shrink and crack when it dried.  In my legal contracts with homeowners,  I flatly stated that to keep the deck looking good, a solid body stain would need to be applied.  In ten short years we were back to the maintenance game! In the early nineties, we were introduced to plastics used as decking.  As with any new product, people were interested and I built quite a few decks with a composite called Trex.  Soon after I was asked to be a consultant to a new company on Long Island that sold 100% recycled plastic decking.   I could see that we had two similar yet very different schools of thought:

Wood Composites

 When wood breaks down after a few years, the decking may become rough and flaky. The plastic will stay in place but the wood will disintegrate. Wood is a cellulose material that absorbs water & bacteria.  The bacteria feeds on the cellulose to produce the mold that you see on many of the popular composite deck products.  The wood doesn’t hold the color for very long, so fading is also an issue.   Another issue with wood composites that’s not widely known is that you should not use these wood composites under 18” above the ground unless your deck it is fully ventilated. You will find this written in very small print in the way back of the product information guide. The wood will absorb moisture and puff up like oatmeal and water. Other composite deck products that possess different characteristics, will have their own section later on.

Trex

Far and away, the best selling and most widely known plastic decking product on the market.  The marketing and brand recognition is second to none. They have made slight improvements to the core decking, along with adding a new high end line called Brizilia to their 2 other price point decking line. The Trex railing looks good and has great strength, their Trex Artisan line of railing is a winner that was well thought out and tested before it was introduced in 2005. We must remember that it is what it is. The Trex decking will fade, it will stain, it will mold from the inside out because of the wood in the mix. In some cases you may like the faded color, the Winchester Grey looks good when it is new and after it fades, it still looks good . Here are some of the issues that Trex has   1.  Fades immediately and not evenly.  Areas exposed to the sun will fade at a different rate than those in the shade.  2.  Spills (juice, coffee, barbeque sauce, wine and even pool water) will stain it permanently.   If you have children, you know how easily  that will happen.   Think of a light colored carpet that you can never clean.   3. Trex now has a 25 year warranty. They don’t warranty that it will look good though. 4. Trex is not made to accommodate a hidden fastening system, it must be nailed or screwed through the top of the deck. There are methods to conceal the fastening of the decking but it’s a lot of work. 5. Mold and Mildew is a issue, I have been told that it will come off, cleaners and your time is not free. All in all, Trex has come a long way, some people like buying a well known, well established product, this is fully understandable. I like the new Trex,  but after 25 years in the decking business I think that the 36 cent extra a square foot difference in price as compared to the Tandeck, the Tandeck is well worth paying the extra money. It takes a lot to change my mind, Trex did it! The Artisan Railing is impressive, not only in it’s design but it looks great also! Rating  7— it has come a long way

 Evergrain

This is a very high quality, composite decking.  People love the wood grain. If I was told that I had to pick a wood composite deck for my house, This maybe the one. It is molded not extruded, they must put a coating in the mold before pouring in the mix. I have had some Evergrain on a display deck for a few years and it looks very good

1. It is more stain resistant than other wood composites.

2. Evergrain has a ½ X 11¾ wide skirt board to use as trim.  This is a big plus, the board can be used around the frame as fascia, and for stair  risers also to cover the stair stringers.

3. The wood grain may show wear in high traffic areas after a few years.

4. They along with everyone else has raised their very limited warranty to 25 years.

5. Evergrain must be nailed or screwed through the top of the deck. There are  methods to conceal the fastening of the decking, but it’s a lot of work.

6. The railing system is not visually appealing.

Rating 7—It holds its color and is stain and mold resistant.

Timbertech

They have a complete decking system which includes railing, fascia for skirt board. This product fades faster than any product I have ever seen. Their adds show a beautiful deck, this maybe one of the most beautiful decks that I have ever seen. they have been using this photo for 2 years I would love to see this deck now! I don’t think that they would be so proud to show it.

1. Looks good when it is new.

2. Timbertech has a fair trim and rail system.

3. They along with everyone else has raised their very limited warranty to 25 years. They do not warranty it to look good.

4. They are setting a record for denied warranty claims.

Rating 5 —The fading is the down side.

Veranda

 Veranda are composite decking sold at Home Depot. They introduced a new wood grain finish. It is a good cheep wood composite decking with only one color in stock. If you can’t tell the difference in looks between Veranda and a premium deck board, than by all means, buy it!

1.  They only offer 8’, 12’ and 16’ lengths.

2.  The 15-year warranty bothers me on a product that costs this much.

3.  Veranda must be nailed or screwed thru the top of the deck.  There are methods to conceal the fastening but it’s a lot of work..

4.  The railing system is not very good.

 Rating 5—It costs less than all other wood composites and it doesn’t splinter. Nexwood

This product is out of business, I have been telling people for years that wood, plastic and the outdoors don’t mix. Some companies can’t pay all of the warranty claims. While I was writing the update of this paper, I did a Google search for Nexwood, It was gone.

Rating 0

Cross Timbers Decking

Cross Timbers composite decking is another new player in the composite decking industry.   They have taken all of the popularity of a wood grain finish (similar to Evergrain) and have added a concealed fastening system while using a higher quality of plastic and wood (polypropylene and oak).

1. Popular wood grain look.

2. Concealed fastening system yielding a clean look.

3. Polypropylene is not color fast

4. Matching railing system.

5. Fades almost as fast as Timbertech

Rating 4 Fades and stains too easily.

EON

  Called “ The BEST in Alternative Decking” according to them. This product is made from polystyrene, it’s not a good plastic for outdoor use. This is a great looking product when it is new, their mahogany color decking is beautiful, but in a few months it will look very dull.

1.  Polystyrene is stiffer than polyethylene, but is not color fast like polyethylene, it will fade quickly.

2.   It has a hollow feel when you walk on it.

3.   Very,  expensive.

4.  Stains very easily. On the eon web site they have a laundry list of products not to clean it with. It also mentions that pool chemicals will stain it.

Rating 5 Looks great when it is new, I would think that you might like it to look good for a few years. Correct Deck Correct Deck claims to be a premium,  higher quality, longer lasting decking.  This product makes me shake my head and say why? They change the formula every year and say it will not do that any more. In the April 2005 Deck Builder magazine I read that they put some new additive in it that will keep it from fading and molding. I went to a local specialty decking retailer and bought a few 16’ pieces and screwed it down. In 5 months it was a pale pink with green mold all over it. This is the worst product I have ever seen!. Of course they have a new formula for 2006, it looks terrible.

1.  It has a 25-year warranty.

2.  Concealed fastening system yielding a clean look.

3.  It’s finish is more of an orange peel than a wood grain.

4.  The color is not as consistent as Cross Timbers, it looks as though The wood is not dyed the same color as the plastic.

5. This is the worst product I have ever seen!. Rating, -10 yes minus 10, if you get sucked into buying this product you will buy anything! PVC Decking and Railings Procell Decking Procell Decking is a new decking, it is made from poly vinyl chloride (PVC) and flax which is some type of wheat. I would think that flax being similar to wood will have similar properties.

1. The colors are very pale almost pre-faded.

2. Procell must be nailed or screwed through the top of the deck. There are  methods to conceal the fastening of the decking, but it’s a lot of work.

3. Procell is just decking, nothing else. Their web site calls it a decking system, just decking doesn’t make a decking system.

4. Expensive it maybe 20% more than other premium decking.

5. It’s too new to see what will happen in a few years Rating, 6 if you like to look at screws it’s alright

Oasis Decking

 Oasis Decking is a hollow PVC decking

1, Very Ugly

2, Not very durable, since it is hollow it isn’t very strong. I know an installer that repairs this product, he states that a chair leg will go right through it. To make matters worse, you can’t take one or two pieces of decking off to make a repair, you must start at the end and take them all off to get to the effected pieces off. Rating, 3 its better than wood   100% Plastic Decking Products

Tandeck Decking System

This is the product that I feel is the best you can get. There are a few minor players that make polyethylene products besides Tangent Technologies of Aurora Illinois. Polyethylene (PE) To show that it is so color fast that I have a piece of decking that was made and installed in 1992, we looked at the deck in February 2006, this deck looks so good that we are replacing it just to get that samples to show the world that it hasn’t faded at all. I have a piece of this 13 year old decking is in my office and pieces of it will be at all retailers that carry the product. The Tandeck decking system is so much better than the rest!  Check it out yourself!  You will need to see a completed deck of any of the composite or PVC decking systems and then look at the Tandeck Decking system.  It is obvious—whether you have vinyl siding, brick or stucco.  There is a color and style that fits. For product information see tandeck.com.

1.  Tandeck has seven  non-fading colors. Ultraviolet inhibitors are added to minimize fading which is less than1% over 10 years.

2.  Stain resistant—virtually any stain will come off including permanent marker.

3.  Not Slippery—The wood grain  will grip your shoe or  bare feet.  Great for pools.

4.  Concealed fastening system—no ugly screws on the top of the decking.

5.  Matching rail system—Strong, great looking rails that match the deck color.

6. A 50-year warranty

Rating 9 If there is a better product, I want to see it.

No Maintenance Decks 2006

                Timbertech  is a monolithic composite that is hollow, so its lighter than Trex. It is designed to lock together with adjacent plank to accommodate the fasteners. The composite material occasionally cracks along the interlock. Then you end up with unsecured plank. Many times this is not evident until the occurrence of high winds!

 Timbertech has a new hollow plank that does not interlock but stands alone. It is designed to be nailed or screwed from the top just like wood. But I wouldn't trust any fasteners holding through the 1/2-inch composite.

Louisiana-Pacific has a wood-plastic composite, called WeatherBest.

The wood component is actually a wood flour -- wood so finely ground it becomes a powder.

It's still 50-50 wood to plastic. It was designed to overcome the problems with the other wood-plastic composites. In doing so, they've introduced other problems:

One problem is the dimensionality -- it is only 1-inch thick. That just doesn't give a proper look to residential decks. It looks undersized and, by inference, cheap.

A second problem, but more significant, is that 1-inch thick composite planking will warble in the sun from expansion.

Another is that it's surface is embossed with a wood-grain pattern which was an attempt to make the plank look realistic. To emphasize the wood-grain, the outer surface was made a darker color than the interior. But the surface can be scratched and the scratches become enhanced by this very color difference. However, in the long run, the plank fades to a uniform, gray color.

Comfort, elegance and living space make a deck one of the best home improvement investments you can make. According to the annual Remodeling magazine "Cost vs. Value Report," you'll get back nearly 75 percent of what you pay for a deck if you sell your home within the first year after the deck is built. That investment can vary widely, from around $15 per square foot installed for pressure-treated Southern yellow pine decks to more than $30 per square foot for cedar and redwood. Building it yourself? Depending on materials and the intricacy of your design, figure on about $1.50 to $5 per square foot for the planks and another $4 to $6 per square foot for joists and posts.

An array of new decking options can make all that effort and expense last longer and cut down on maintenance during its life. While pressure-treated "green" Southern yellow pine still goes into 80 percent of all decks, there are several alternatives even within the pressure-treated (PT) lumber category. Other choices include exotic hardwoods and a variety of nonwood products, such as engineered vinyl systems and plastic-wood composites. And there are the different shapes, widths, grades and treatments within categories. This guide to the major decking materials includes pros, cons, grades, costs and availability for each, along with some advice to make your investment last.

Pressure-Treated Wood
 

Advantages: Economical and plentiful, pressure-treated wood lasts around 15 years when properly treated with a water repellent every two years. 

Disadvantages: The dominant PT species, Southern yellow pine, checks and splinters as it dries. Left untreated, some PT turns muddy gray (use a semitransparent stain or clear sealer). In addition, PT preservative chemical residue may cause health problems. If you're doing the building, wear a dust mask. And be sure to wash yourself carefully and your clothing separately after working.

Availability: PT is widely available at lumberyards and home centers. Most is sold in 5/4x6 boards and all 2-by dimensions.

Recommendations: Southern yellow pine is treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA), an insecticide-preservative. Use 0.40 (chemical density) CCA for decks and joists and 0.60 for posts. Consider PT that's factory-treated with water repellent; Hickson's Thompsonized PT and Osmose's Armor All PT are two examples. You can also get prestained PT, such as Osmose's Woodshades, which comes in three colors. Two less-toxic alternatives are ACQ Preserve with UltraWood water repellent and Kodiak lumber. Both are preserved without arsenate, and are backed for life against termites, decay and fungi. Quality grades run in descending order. Choose grade No. 1 for railings and benches, and grade No. 2 or BTR for decking. Also check the grade stamp for the letters KDAT (kiln-dried after treatment), which is more dimensionally stable than air-dried wood. And use hot-dipped galvanized, aluminum or stainless-steel (ring-shanked) nails, screws and other fasteners.

Cost: About $10 to $16 per square foot installed. CCA PT decking itself costs around $1.50 to $2 per square foot; add 50 cents per square foot for Kodiak and UltraWood.

Redwood and Cedar
 

Advantages: Redwood and cedar heartwood has glowing color, handsome straight grains and natural resistance to rot and insects. Boards are easy to cut and can be left untreated to weather naturally. Life span is easily more than 20 years. 

Disadvantages: Both are expensive. Redwood sapwood - the newer wood closer to the bark - rots when exposed for sustained periods to moisture. Cedar sapwood breaks down quickly in moist conditions.

Availability: Redwood and cedar are sold in all standard dimensions. Cedar 5/4x6-in. deck boards are easy to find. Redwood can take a few days for special orders.

Recommendations: For redwood, use kiln-dried deck heart or deck common. Clear heart, clear, B heart and B grade redwood are fine for lower budgets. For cedar, clear all heart is the premium choice. Good, lower-cost alternatives include appearance grade and, for dry areas, No. 1 select tight knot (STK). Use hot-dipped galvanized, aluminum or stainless-steel (ring-shanked) nails, screws and other fasteners.

Cost: About $18 to $22 per square foot installed for both woods, not including substructure. Decking itself costs about $5 per square foot; the higher grades of redwood cost much more.

Tropical Hardwood
Advantages: Now more widely available, ipe (E-pay) is a durable teaklike tropical hardwood sold as Ironwood or Pau Lope (pow LOW-pay). Twice as strong as oak, ipe is more durable than redwood and cedar. It has a life expectancy of 40 years or more, and is resistant to insects and decay. Ironwood is backed by a 25-year transferable warranty, while Pau Lope comes with a 20-year limited warranty. All grades are virtually knot-free, and tight grain patterns make this wood impervious to water. Another tropical hardwood option is cambara; it's less durable than ipe but also knot-free.

Disadvantages: Expensive. Requires predrilling for fasteners. Availability: Ipe is available in most standard dimensions, including 5/456 in. for deck tops and 2-by dimensions for handrails, joists and posts. But delivery can take up to three weeks.

Recommendations: Treat it just once with a UV-blocking sealer like Penofin ($30 per gallon) and let it weather. Use stainless-steel screws.

Cost: About $22 per square foot installed, not including substructure. Decking itself costs about $5 per square foot. Cambara decking costs $3 per square foot.

Plastic-Wood Composites
 

Advantages: Virtually indestructible, plastic-wood composites blend 30 to 50 percent recycled plastic with wood fibers for skid resistance and stainability. Composite lumber is low-maintenance, and resists rot, insects and UV rays. It's also splinter-free and easy to work with. Deck screws sink in and disappear. Trex, TimberTech and DuraWood EX come with 10-year warranties, while ChoiceDek and DuraWood PE are backed for 20 years. 

Disadvantages: Some composite lumber has a plastic appearance, and some colors fade over time. During construction, sawdust and shavings must be collected in a drop cloth because they aren't biodegradable. What's more, not all composite lumber can span traditional 16- or 24-in. joist spacing; narrower joist layout may be needed, boosting cost. Some building codes don't allow composite lumber; check with your building department before ordering.

Availability: Trex, approved by most building codes, is sold in most standard dimensions, including 5/4x6 in. and 2-by. ChoiceDek and SmartDeck come in 5/4x6 in. and 2x6 in. TimberTech is 1 1/2x6 and 1 1/2x8 in.

Recommendations: Typical choices are plain deck boards, like Trex and ChoiceDek, and shaped tongue-and-groove deck boards, like TimberTech (which you install) and SmartDeck's DuraWood EX (installed by a certified contractor). SmartDeck also offers a 100 percent plastic product, called DuraWood PE. If you're wiring the deck, consider ChoiceDek and DuraWood; both of these deck-and-rail systems are formed to allow running wires within posts or deck boards. Composite lumber weathers to a light gray and can be painted or stained, though protective sealers aren't required. Use galvanized screws.

Cost: About $20 per square foot installed for DuraWood EX, not including substructure. Most composite lumber by itself costs around $3 per square foot.

Vinyl Deck Systems
Advantages: Installed by you or a contractor, vinyl deck systems typically include deck boards, rails, spindles and fascia. They create a low-maintenance deck that needs no sealers or finishes and is free of splinters and cracks. Planks have good spanning ability and resist UV rays if treated at the factory. Fasteners can be completely hidden once planks are installed. The three major manufacturers of vinyl deck systems—Kroy, DreamDeck and EZ Deck—offer limited lifetime warranties.

Disadvantages: These systems are relatively expensive. Vinyl can fade and get brittle with age unless specially treated at the factory, and all vinyl eventually loses its gloss. Sawdust isn't biodegradable, so it must be collected in a drop cloth.

Availability: Kroy deck planks come 8 in. wide, DreamDeck planks are 5 1/2 in. wide and EZ Deck planks are 4 or 6 in. wide. These systems must often be ordered through distributors.

Recommendations: Choose skid-resistant planks, available in a variety of colors from Kroy, DreamDeck and EZ Deck. Also opt for color-fast, no-fade treatments like the one used by EZ Deck. Planks can be cut to length with a circular saw; plank ends are covered with vinyl caps. Proprietary strip systems are screwed to joists with galvanized or stainless-steel screws, then planks snap into place.

Cost: About $13 per square foot installed for Kroy, $18 for DreamDeck and $22 for EZ Deck, not including substructure. Decking itself costs about $7 to $12 per square foot.

www. choicedek.com

Chemical Specialties
200 E. Woodlawn Rd., Dept. TH798, Charlotte, NC, 28217
800/421-8661
www. chemspec.com

Georgia-Pacific Corp
900 S.W. 5th Ave.
Portland, OR 97204-1255
503/222-5561
www.gapac.com

Greenheart-Durawoods Inc.
665 Rte. 9 N, Box 279
Bayville, NJ 08721
800/783-7220
 

Hickson Inc.
1955 Lake Park Dr., Suite 250
Smyrna, GA 30080
770/801-6600
www.hickson.com

Kodiak Inc.
Box 9158, 416 E. Brooks Rd.
Memphis, TN 38109
800/556-3425
www.kodiakwood.com

Kroy Decks
522 W. 26th St., Box 309
York, NE 68467
800/933-5769
www.kroybp.com

Osmose Wood Preserving
1016 Everee Inn Rd., Box O
Griffin GA 30224-0249
770/228-8434
www.osmose.com

Performance Coatings
360 Lake Mendocino Dr.
Ukiah, CA 95482
800/736-6346
www.penofin.com

SmartDeck
2600 W. Roosevelt Rd.
Chicago, IL 60608
888/733-2546
www.smartdeck.com

Thermal Industries
301 Brushton Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15221
800/245-1540
www.thermalindustries.com

Timber Holdings Ltd.
2400 West
Cornell, Milwaukee, WI 53209
414/445-8989

TimberTech, Crane Plastics
Box 1047
Columbus, OH 43216-1047
800/307-7780
www.timbertech.com

Trex Company
20 S. Cameron St.
Winchester, VA 22601-9917
800/289-8739
www.trex.com

Western Red Cedar Lumber Association
1100-555 Burrard St.
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V7X 1S7
604/684-0266
www.wrcla.org

ZCL Composites Inc
2305 8th St.
Nisku, Alberta, Canada, T9E7Z3
800/990-3099
www.ezdeck.com

Warranty and Care

       CARE & CLEANING

    All exterior building materials require cleaning. Periodic cleaning of Trex® Decking & Railing will maintain the beauty of a Trex deck.

    Problem                 Solution

    Dirt and Debris                

        * Clean deck to remove dirt and debris. Soap, hot water and a stiff bristle brush are all that is needed.

    Chalk Markings                

        * All colored chalk lines are permanent except white. We suggest using white chalk or baby powder. Scrubbing the area with hot soapy water with bleach may dislodge some of the chalk.

    Visible Mill Markings              

        * The mill markings on the side of Trex decking boards are required by building codes. With careful installation, most mill markings can be hidden. Visible mill markings can be lightened with acetone.

    Water Spots/Leaf Staining/Wood Tannins                

        * Tannin leaching occurs in Trex and all wood based products naturally. Allow for at least 12 weeks of normal weathering. This process may be hastened through the use of a product containing oxalic or phosphoric acid.

    Pigment Staining                

        * During the weathering process, a small amount of surface pigmentation may wash off of the Trex surface, which may discolor neighboring surfaces. Remove with common rust cleaner.

    Ice and Snow   

        * Calcium chloride or rock salt, available in many home centers, will melt ice on Trex decking. Rinse off when first practical.

    Rust Stains, Ground-In Dirt and Grime             

        * Use a cleaning product containing oxalic or phosphoric acid base to lighten or remove the rust or dirt. Product may need to sit on stain 10-15 minutes.

    Oil and Grease Stains    

        * Scrub in a household-degreasing agent as soon as the stain occurs. Rinse with hot water. For more severe stains call 1-800-BUY-TREX.

    Berries and Wine Stains         

        * Mix bleach into hot water according to the bleach-packaging label. Scrub the stain lightly and rinse thoroughly. The stain may not disappear entirely.

    Ink Stains         

        * Inks may be permanent. However, the stain may be lightened by scrubbing with hot soapy water. Rinse thoroughly.

    Mold

        * Use conventional deck washes or cleaners that contain sodium hypochlorite (bleach) and detergent (refer to Mold Technical Bulletin).

        * Treat with PSC Composite DeckAfterKlean (www.psc-solutions.com) or Anti-Growth (www.anti-growth.com) to delay regrowth.

        * Periodic cleaning of your deck, even if it appears clean, is important to prevent the build-up of pollen/debris that can cause mold.

    Pressure Washer

        * Trex does not recommend the use of a pressure washer. The use of a pressure washer with a greater than 1,500 PSI and/or applied closer than 10" from the deck surface could damage the decking surface and result in a loss of warranty coverage.

    Sanding            

        * Trex does not recommend sanding. Sanding will change the appearance of the surface of Trex material.

Available at thousands of lumberyards nationwide                 X                 X

My name is Mike Danzilio and I love decks, I wrote this article about 5 years ago and revise it every year. After 25 years of and taking down older decks and building new ones, I have observed almost every deck product and method used to construct decks.

           I will rate these decking products using a scale from 1 to 10: 1 being  the lowest and 10 being the highest.  The factors I’ve included are a,The  cost of the decking, railing and trim.  b, The required maintenance. c,The durability.  d, It's warranty. e, The product integrity.  f, The ability to have the entire deck built out of the same material (all the parts that are visible) and g, The overall look of the deck.

As a deck  distributor, builder and retailer, I offer the public the best products at the best price. This concept works because I believe in the products that I sell.  I don’t see any reason to sell a product that has inherent problems just because it costs less.  The minor difference in price in relation to the benefits over time is worth it..   For instance, when we purchase a car, we don’t buy the cheapest thing on 4 wheels.  We look at characteristics such as safety, gas mileage, size, comfort and other amenities.  We also consider that we will only have this vehicle about 4 years.   As an independent plastic lumber retailer, I can sell virtually any decking product that is currently available.  All things considered, I have chosen two products to carry, Trex and Tandeck. We sell Trex because it is the #1 selling decking product on the market today. More Trex is sold than all alternative decking products combined. Trex has great marketing and brand recognition, it is the envy of all decking products. Having said that, I feel that there is a product that offers greater value. The Tandeck Decking System is head and shoulders above the rest.

If you are in the market for a deck or dock, look at all of the alternatives and consider every thing.   If  you plan to own your home for more three years or just want the best looking deck for the best value, Tandeck has the right product for you.  In recent years home owners have come to realize that wood decks will be cheaper than a wood composite or a plastic deck. If you just want a deck and don’t care what it looks like than build a wood deck and let it crack, check and enjoy the splinters. If you desire to have a beautiful deck and don’t what to spend any money on it after it is done, then the Tandeck product will be right for you. The maintenance of the wood deck plus the initial cost will cost more than the difference between the up front cost of the plastic deck.

The next question you  will have is what to buy? One way is to look at the history and the make-up of the product. If you see a product like Correct Deck that has a “new and improved” product every year than you know that they have had problems and they had to change the way that they make it. I have seen products come and go, and one thing that they have in common is that they use wood as a filler. We know that a chain is as strong as its weakest link and the weak link in all wood composites is the wood. Unfortunately some products use Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC), polystyrene (PS), or polypropylene (PP). These plastics have some characteristics that are better than polyethylene (PE), like stiffness, but they are all inferior to PE when we talk colorfastness and stain resistance. We will speak about these individual products separately further on in this paper. Polyethylene, the plastic in Tandeck, is very durable, colorfast and resistant to chemical staining. The price of PE has risen over recent years for a few reasons. The price of oil and natural gas is one, and the most important is that the world has realized that polyethylene  is a better plastic to put outside in the harsh elements. PVC and PS decking look great when they are new, PS decking (EON) looks better than PE decking when it is new, but in one year the PE decking will still look the same and the PVC and PS decking will have lost that nice shine. I would think that you will want your deck to look good in five years and not look good for just a few months.

A six inch piece of most decking looks pretty good, the finished product is what you want to see. At No Maintenance Decking and Trim we have about 1500 square feet of decks set up outside, yes, outside, so you can see what they look like. Every year we go to the Deck Expo, we see beautiful decks done with great carpentry skills, the problem is that if you put these decks outside for 6 months they will look terrible! We welcome everyone to come and look at the set of stairs we have set up at our outside show room and challenge them to show me a better looking decking product.

DECK BUILDING PRODUCTS;

Wood

Until recently, wood has been the only product used to build a deck.  There are many types of wood and I will try to cover most of them. The first decks that I encountered were originally built out of whatever was left over from the frame of the house, usually Douglas fir or spruce.  These decks were stained or painted every 1 or 2 years and lasted anywhere from 7—15 years depending on the care given and its proximity to the sun.  Replacement decks were built to look better and last longer.  In the early eighties we began to use Pressure Treated wood (wood treated with the chemical Copper Chromium Arsenic, which was banned by the EPA for residential use in January, 2004).   We used it only on the frame and on high-end homes because it’s cost was about three times that of conventional wood.  As the cost came down and  more profiles were introduced, we began using it for the entire deck.  

Pressure Treated Wood

Pressure Treated ACQ (Ammonia-cal Copper Quaternary, CCA’S replacement) is  acceptable if you are looking for “just a deck”.   If you don’t care what the deck looks like, this will be the best deck for the money.  Water will not damage it but if the deck is not stained with a solid body stain, the sun will dry it out until the areas exposed to the sun disintegrates.  If you have a pressure treated deck, you may be able to make it look better by painting, pressure washing, sanding, caulking & staining with a solid body stain. This will have to be done every year, but it will at least look good.  Building the frame out of Pressure Treated is fine, because it is not in the direct sunlight.   ACQ has great strength but only time will tell for the ACQ treatment  process.

Rating 3—If you plan to have the deck more than 3 years,  buy a different product.

Cedar, Mahogany & Redwood

These decks always look great for the first couple of months after they‘re built, but before long they will require some kind of maintenance.  Depending on how you take care of the deck and the frequency of  maintenance  will directly relate to it’s looks and length of life.

Cedar

Cedar is very soft and needs a lot of maintenance but will look good for it’s short 6—10 year life.  This product maybe the most costly per year to own. Rating 3 — Looks good when it’s installed but requires costly, annual maintenance. to extend the life of the deck.  If you have a cedar house, this deck will look great with a clear cedar stain applied every year.

Redwood

These decks look great but will require a lot of maintenance  to keep it looking good. Redwood may have a longer life in a dryer,  western climate.  I recently dismantled a 16-year old Redwood deck.  It was an ugly, dark brown but there was no rot at all!  Yearly staining with a solid body stain would have extended the life of this deck at least another 10+ years.   The owners had vinyl siding applied to their house and opted for a deck that matched the house.

 Rating 5 — If you can find an entire deck package it will look good.  Requires a lot of maintenance

Mahogany/Vertical Grain Fir

Deck grade mahogany from Malaysia and Indonesia  or vertical grain Fir from the United States is harder than Cedar and will last up to 20 years.   For homes that are in the woods or that have a wood motif, this may be a great product for this look. Costly annual maintenance is the down side.

 Rating 5 —Lasts longer than Cedar.

Teak and other Hardwoods

There are many varieties of South American Hardwood.   Teak (Ipe, Ironwood ect....) being the best known for its use with furniture and ship decks.  These decks have a very high upfront cost and require maintenance, they look great and last a very long time.  This decking may be reasonably priced (3 times that of treated). I visited a distributor of alternative decking in Florida, I looked at all of the different products that they had displayed outside. They had a few types of hardwood displayed nicely in the sun, they were there for 2½ years and looked terrible, every product was cracked terribly. This changed my outlook on hardwoods. Remember that it was in the hot Florida sun, but the look was very bad, I was shocked! In the July/August 2005 Deck Builder Magazine  I read an article about a marina in South Carolina they were proudly showing off their dock, it looked great! The further I read they said that they will be treating it with Penofin four times a year. When the dock is new they will spend the money to keep it looking good, but in a few years they will stop and the dock will start to look bad.  The finishing components (rails, fascia & trim) will be very expensive.

Rating 8— Highest cost of all the deck products tested and will need costly maintenance.

In the late eighties, we noticed that Pressure Treated wood wasn’t susceptible to water damage but it would dry out and crack leaving the worst splinters that any bare–footed person could imagine. Pressure Treated wood, due to it’s wet treating process, swelled up in both it’s length and width so it would shrink and crack when it dried.  In my legal contracts with homeowners,  I flatly stated that to keep the deck looking good, a solid body stain would need to be applied.  In ten short years we were back to the maintenance game! In the early nineties, we were introduced to plastics used as decking.  As with any new product, people were interested and I built quite a few decks with a composite called Trex.  Soon after I was asked to be a consultant to a new company on Long Island that sold 100% recycled plastic decking.   I could see that we had two similar yet very different schools of thought:

Wood Composites

 When wood breaks down after a few years, the decking may become rough and flaky. The plastic will stay in place but the wood will disintegrate. Wood is a cellulose material that absorbs water & bacteria.  The bacteria feeds on the cellulose to produce the mold that you see on many of the popular composite deck products.  The wood doesn’t hold the color for very long, so fading is also an issue.   Another issue with wood composites that’s not widely known is that you should not use these wood composites under 18” above the ground unless your deck it is fully ventilated. You will find this written in very small print in the way back of the product information guide. The wood will absorb moisture and puff up like oatmeal and water. Other composite deck products that possess different characteristics, will have their own section later on.

Trex

Far and away, the best selling and most widely known plastic decking product on the market.  The marketing and brand recognition is second to none. They have made slight improvements to the core decking, along with adding a new high end line called Brizilia to their 2 other price point decking line. The Trex railing looks good and has great strength, their Trex Artisan line of railing is a winner that was well thought out and tested before it was introduced in 2005. We must remember that it is what it is. The Trex decking will fade, it will stain, it will mold from the inside out because of the wood in the mix. In some cases you may like the faded color, the Winchester Grey looks good when it is new and after it fades, it still looks good . Here are some of the issues that Trex has   1.  Fades immediately and not evenly.  Areas exposed to the sun will fade at a different rate than those in the shade.  2.  Spills (juice, coffee, barbeque sauce, wine and even pool water) will stain it permanently.   If you have children, you know how easily  that will happen.   Think of a light colored carpet that you can never clean.   3. Trex now has a 25 year warranty. They don’t warranty that it will look good though. 4. Trex is not made to accommodate a hidden fastening system, it must be nailed or screwed through the top of the deck. There are methods to conceal the fastening of the decking but it’s a lot of work. 5. Mold and Mildew is a issue, I have been told that it will come off, cleaners and your time is not free. All in all, Trex has come a long way, some people like buying a well known, well established product, this is fully understandable. I like the new Trex,  but after 25 years in the decking business I think that the 36 cent extra a square foot difference in price as compared to the Tandeck, the Tandeck is well worth paying the extra money. It takes a lot to change my mind, Trex did it! The Artisan Railing is impressive, not only in it’s design but it looks great also! Rating  7— it has come a long way

 Evergrain

This is a very high quality, composite decking.  People love the wood grain. If I was told that I had to pick a wood composite deck for my house, This maybe the one. It is molded not extruded, they must put a coating in the mold before pouring in the mix. I have had some Evergrain on a display deck for a few years and it looks very good

1. It is more stain resistant than other wood composites.

2. Evergrain has a ½ X 11¾ wide skirt board to use as trim.  This is a big plus, the board can be used around the frame as fascia, and for stair  risers also to cover the stair stringers.

3. The wood grain may show wear in high traffic areas after a few years.

4. They along with everyone else has raised their very limited warranty to 25 years.

5. Evergrain must be nailed or screwed through the top of the deck. There are  methods to conceal the fastening of the decking, but it’s a lot of work.

6. The railing system is not visually appealing.

Rating 7—It holds its color and is stain and mold resistant.

Timbertech

They have a complete decking system which includes railing, fascia for skirt board. This product fades faster than any product I have ever seen. Their adds show a beautiful deck, this maybe one of the most beautiful decks that I have ever seen. they have been using this photo for 2 years I would love to see this deck now! I don’t think that they would be so proud to show it.

1. Looks good when it is new.

2. Timbertech has a fair trim and rail system.

3. They along with everyone else has raised their very limited warranty to 25 years. They do not warranty it to look good.

4. They are setting a record for denied warranty claims.

Rating 5 —The fading is the down side.

Veranda

 Veranda are composite decking sold at Home Depot. They introduced a new wood grain finish. It is a good cheep wood composite decking with only one color in stock. If you can’t tell the difference in looks between Veranda and a premium deck board, than by all means, buy it!

1.  They only offer 8’, 12’ and 16’ lengths.

2.  The 15-year warranty bothers me on a product that costs this much.

3.  Veranda must be nailed or screwed thru the top of the deck.  There are methods to conceal the fastening but it’s a lot of work..

4.  The railing system is not very good.

 Rating 5—It costs less than all other wood composites and it doesn’t splinter. Nexwood

This product is out of business, I have been telling people for years that wood, plastic and the outdoors don’t mix. Some companies can’t pay all of the warranty claims. While I was writing the update of this paper, I did a Google search for Nexwood, It was gone.

Rating 0

Cross Timbers Decking

Cross Timbers composite decking is another new player in the composite decking industry.   They have taken all of the popularity of a wood grain finish (similar to Evergrain) and have added a concealed fastening system while using a higher quality of plastic and wood (polypropylene and oak).

1. Popular wood grain look.

2. Concealed fastening system yielding a clean look.

3. Polypropylene is not color fast

4. Matching railing system.

5. Fades almost as fast as Timbertech

Rating 4 Fades and stains too easily.

EON

  Called “ The BEST in Alternative Decking” according to them. This product is made from polystyrene, it’s not a good plastic for outdoor use. This is a great looking product when it is new, their mahogany color decking is beautiful, but in a few months it will look very dull.

1.  Polystyrene is stiffer than polyethylene, but is not color fast like polyethylene, it will fade quickly.

2.   It has a hollow feel when you walk on it.

3.   Very,  expensive.

4.  Stains very easily. On the eon web site they have a laundry list of products not to clean it with. It also mentions that pool chemicals will stain it.

Rating 5 Looks great when it is new, I would think that you might like it to look good for a few years. Correct Deck Correct Deck claims to be a premium,  higher quality, longer lasting decking.  This product makes me shake my head and say why? They change the formula every year and say it will not do that any more. In the April 2005 Deck Builder magazine I read that they put some new additive in it that will keep it from fading and molding. I went to a local specialty decking retailer and bought a few 16’ pieces and screwed it down. In 5 months it was a pale pink with green mold all over it. This is the worst product I have ever seen!. Of course they have a new formula for 2006, it looks terrible.

1.  It has a 25-year warranty.

2.  Concealed fastening system yielding a clean look.

3.  It’s finish is more of an orange peel than a wood grain.

4.  The color is not as consistent as Cross Timbers, it looks as though The wood is not dyed the same color as the plastic.

5. This is the worst product I have ever seen!. Rating, -10 yes minus 10, if you get sucked into buying this product you will buy anything! PVC Decking and Railings Procell Decking Procell Decking is a new decking, it is made from poly vinyl chloride (PVC) and flax which is some type of wheat. I would think that flax being similar to wood will have similar properties.

1. The colors are very pale almost pre-faded.

2. Procell must be nailed or screwed through the top of the deck. There are  methods to conceal the fastening of the decking, but it’s a lot of work.

3. Procell is just decking, nothing else. Their web site calls it a decking system, just decking doesn’t make a decking system.

4. Expensive it maybe 20% more than other premium decking.

5. It’s too new to see what will happen in a few years Rating, 6 if you like to look at screws it’s alright

Oasis Decking

 Oasis Decking is a hollow PVC decking

1, Very Ugly

2, Not very durable, since it is hollow it isn’t very strong. I know an installer that repairs this product, he states that a chair leg will go right through it. To make matters worse, you can’t take one or two pieces of decking off to make a repair, you must start at the end and take them all off to get to the effected pieces off. Rating, 3 its better than wood   100% Plastic Decking Products

Tandeck Decking System

This is the product that I feel is the best you can get. There are a few minor players that make polyethylene products besides Tangent Technologies of Aurora Illinois. Polyethylene (PE) To show that it is so color fast that I have a piece of decking that was made and installed in 1992, we looked at the deck in February 2006, this deck looks so good that we are replacing it just to get that samples to show the world that it hasn’t faded at all. I have a piece of this 13 year old decking is in my office and pieces of it will be at all retailers that carry the product. The Tandeck decking system is so much better than the rest!  Check it out yourself!  You will need to see a completed deck of any of the composite or PVC decking systems and then look at the Tandeck Decking system.  It is obvious—whether you have vinyl siding, brick or stucco.  There is a color and style that fits. For product information see tandeck.com.

1.  Tandeck has seven  non-fading colors. Ultraviolet inhibitors are added to minimize fading which is less than1% over 10 years.

2.  Stain resistant—virtually any stain will come off including permanent marker.

3.  Not Slippery—The wood grain  will grip your shoe or  bare feet.  Great for pools.

4.  Concealed fastening system—no ugly screws on the top of the decking.

5.  Matching rail system—Strong, great looking rails that match the deck color.

6. A 50-year warranty

Rating 9 If there is a better product, I want to see it.

No Maintenance Decks 2006

                Timbertech  is a monolithic composite that is hollow, so its lighter than Trex. It is designed to lock together with adjacent plank to accommodate the fasteners. The composite material occasionally cracks along the interlock. Then you end up with unsecured plank. Many times this is not evident until the occurrence of high winds!

 Timbertech has a new hollow plank that does not interlock but stands alone. It is designed to be nailed or screwed from the top just like wood. But I wouldn't trust any fasteners holding through the 1/2-inch composite.

Louisiana-Pacific has a wood-plastic composite, called WeatherBest.

The wood component is actually a wood flour -- wood so finely ground it becomes a powder.

It's still 50-50 wood to plastic. It was designed to overcome the problems with the other wood-plastic composites. In doing so, they've introduced other problems:

One problem is the dimensionality -- it is only 1-inch thick. That just doesn't give a proper look to residential decks. It looks undersized and, by inference, cheap.

A second problem, but more significant, is that 1-inch thick composite planking will warble in the sun from expansion.

Another is that it's surface is embossed with a wood-grain pattern which was an attempt to make the plank look realistic. To emphasize the wood-grain, the outer surface was made a darker color than the interior. But the surface can be scratched and the scratches become enhanced by this very color difference. However, in the long run, the plank fades to a uniform, gray color.

 Spas & Hot Tubs

Question: "What special considerations should I make for a hot tub or spa?"

Answer:  Water weighs 62 lbs per cubic foot, so if you plan on setting your spa on top of your deck, when it's full of water and people, it's the equivalent of an elephant on your deck.  It needs proper support.  You will definitely want to hire the services of an architect, engineer, or deck design firm to help you with the additional support requirements for a spa.  Your local Plan Review should also be able to help.  (Your taxes pay their salaries remember.  They can help you by working out some calculations to properly support your spa.)  On the other hand, you may want to rest your hot tub on a concrete pad and build the deck around it.  Here's where things also get tricky because you must insure that the deck is properly supported.  And don't make the mistake of sinking the spa flush with the top of the deck.  That first step into the spa may be so much lower than the deck surface that folks fall into the spa!  (Which may be funny until it's your wife.)

Cut Outs

Question: "How about cutting out the deck to go around things like trees?"

Answer:  It looks great.  Just make sure that you take into account such things as how much the tree will grow and how much it will sway in a typical high wind.  Don't frame and deck too closely.  Leave slightly less than 4" on all sides.  You will want to make a kind of collar that fits around the tree and "floats" on the deck.  Such a collar can prevent someone from stepping into the gap while allowing the tree to sway.  Also a bench around the tree (planter box?) is a possibility.  Check with a local Building Inspector or your Plan Review to determine if their are safety issues they will want addressed.

Railings

Question: "What special considerations should I be aware of for my deck's handrail?"

Answer:  Check with your local Plan Review to determine at what elevation from the ground your deck actually is required to have a handrail.  Typically it's 30", but localities may differ.  But even if you are not required to have a handrail, if you choose to install one, it must meet code requirements.  That means the openings must be only so large (code changes periodically, but as of this writing most localities typically require that a 4" diameter sphere cannot pass through it) and the main support posts (usually 4x4s) cannot be too far apart (5' is typically the max).  The handrail must be of sufficient strength to sustain both lateral and vertical forces specified by code.  Here again you will need an architect, engineer, deck designer, or local Plan Reviewer to help you with what handrail designs meet or exceed code requirements.

Stairs

Question:  "What do I need to know about designing stairs?"

Answer:  If your deck will be high (say 6' or higher), you will want to consider installing an intermediate landing for safety and aesthetic reasons.  Step and stair construction is very carefully regulated by code requirements, so you will want to work closely with your local Plan Review in order to build to their specifications.  As of this writing, code typically calls for stairs to be no less than 36" wide (from inside of handrail to inside of handrail), have a banister (grab rail) down at least one side, have riser and treads limited in dimensions, a 1/2" to 1" stair nosing, risers enclosed, 2x12 stair carriages appropriately spaced (18" in some localities).  Again, work with an architect, engineer, deck designer or your local Plan Review to obtain a detail drawing of a typical set of stairs.  As with all of your deck, you will want to build stairs to meet or exceed code requirements.

Basic Components

Question: "What are the basic components of a typical deck?"

A Deck frame consists of 4x4 wood verticle  support posts on buried concrete footings.

Answer:  A deck is normally composed of vertical support posts that rest on buried concrete footings.  Code typically limits how far apart these support posts can be spaced.  Each post supports beams (girders) that normally run parallel to the house.  Again, code dictates how far apart beams can be from each other otherwise you will over span your floor joists.  The beams support floor joists that normally run perpendicular to the beams.  Normally floor joists are spaced 16" OC (on center meaning center to center) but may need to be spaced closer under certain circumstances (ex- if using certain composite decking diagonally).  Sometimes floor joists can be spaced further apart.  Joists distribute the weight of the deck boards above which are run either perpendicular to the floor joists or on a 45 degree angle.  The last deck component is the railing which is normally 36" to 42" high.  Code will dictate the materials, design and spacing for railings and for all components of a deck.  Always submit all Building Plans to your local Plan Review before building.

Building Materials

Question: "What kinds of deck building materials are commonly acceptable?"

Answer:  There are more and more materials being used today, but take into consideration whether or not the materials are resistant to decay and insects (CCA pressure treated wood is as also is cedar and redwood... but not as much).  What are the effects of water, sun, heat and cold?  Some composites and plastics do better than wood in this area... but some composites "creep" with heat (meaning the deck boards actually sag between the joists).  Some plastics are very user unfriendly to install whereas many composites cut, nail, and screw like wood.  Wood (any kind of wood) left exposed to the elements will turn gray unless you apply an excellent sealer.   But sealers are expensive and must be periodically re-applied.  There are no easy answers... but there is a simple answer:  Do your homework.  Read, study and talk to the experts.

Costs to Contract

Question: "If I contract a deck out, how much should I expect to pay?"

Answer:  Naturally the prices will vary, but a fair price range currently is from $18-$25 per square foot for a turnkey standard pressure treated deck.  Turnkey means they provide labor, materials, building permit and you don't lift a finger.   You can find deck companies that will charge less currently, but be careful.  Sometimes a home improvement company falls into the trap of thinking that they can lower their prices to where they get a lot of business... but wind up so busy and making so little on each deck that they become frustrated and go out of business... leaving you to deal with any future problems.

Getting Started

Question:  "OK, but how do I get started?"

Answer:  You will want to make a sketch on 1/4" graph paper.  Splurge and buy a pad of the 11x17 paper.  Draw your house wall to scale (overhead view... like a blueprint).  Draw in the windows and doors to scale (accurately placed on the drawing).  Include such things as a heat pump, chimney, bay window, hose bibb, dryer vent... anything that may impact the deck (including trees or even a septic system).  Include an elevation measurement from the ground to 4" below the door threshold.  If you know where you will want your stairs to go, make an effort to determine how high it will be from the ground at that point to 4" below the door threshold.  A line level and length of string works great for this measurement and costs very little.  (That information will be needed to calculate the number of stairs)  If your lot lines are close, include them on this drawing so you can prevent the deck from encroaching into your local zoning setbacks.  Now that you have your critical house and terrain information drawn to scale, go for it!  Based upon the information you provided in the above, start drawing your dream deck!  I'll bet your next question will be "what materials do I need to get started?"

·         Alan and Sharon Sain integrated a deck into their landscaping for outdoor entertaining, dining and relaxing (figure A). Since they wanted to preserve as many of the large trees on the property as possible, Alan and Sharon were faced with a very physical obstacle when planning their deck -- specifically a very tall tree. Their solution: build the deck around the tree (figure B), as well as a trellis above with the tree growing right up through it.

Figure A

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