Pressure treated or upgrade to composite? (sales, new house, contractors)

[leavingwash]

I am getting looking at having my deck redone. It will include deck and a screened in porch. Estimates are all based with standard pressure treated wood, I have the option of upgrading to composite decking which of course increases the cost.

Questions:
Is it worth the higher cost to have composite vs wood decking?
Should both the deck and the screened in porch area have the "same"? (or composite for deck only)
PVC trim important or only enhanced visual?

Since the contractors benefit from the higher costs I wanted to get opinions! Don't want to spend money that isn't necessary - but also don't want to spend so much money and then regret not doing the upgrade.

[VRE332]

The deck is still a wood deck (structure wrapped and covered with PVC), and the deck surface is trex. The railings are all PVC, but the railing posts are treated 4x4's with a PVC sleeve. All the beams are covered with sheets of this PVC. I'd say to spend the money up front because of lower maintenance costs. Save time, don't want to be out there power washing.

[NC211]

Last year I converted our wood deck to Trex for a project that ultimately incorporated a hot tub into the deck itself. A couple of comparisons between the two (wood deck was 3 years old).


1) Trex gets hot! If directly in the sun, it will get very hot, too hot to walk on barefoot.
2) Trex can be damaged by sharp objects, like the unprotected feet of your deck furniture being dragged across the top of it.
3) When it gets hot, it can give off a chemical-like odor. Ever smelled hot rubber? It's sort've like that, but not quite as strong.


Those are the negatives. The positives for us were:


1) No more hearing (pop, bang, boom) in the coldest of a winter day. The spacing between the wood panels of the old deck eventually vanished due to expansion/contraction over the short period we had it. In the winter, the moisture would get into the wood, then when really really cold, that moisture would freeze (which expands). The boards were pressing against each other and "popping" loudly.
2) No more summer maintenance (sealant, paint, sanding, ect) needed.
3) No more nail pops to deal with. Trex panels are "locked" into place with little fitment pieces that sit between the boards, not nailed down to the support beams from above like is the case with wood. Therefore, the nail heads wouldn't sneak upwards. Ultimate flat and smooth surface.
4) Super easy to wash off without damaging it. Granted, wouldn't use a needle-setting of a pressure washer on it, but a "fan" setting would do wonders to wash out the grooves of the trex, and not have to worry about damaging the sealant.
5) Just looks better all around. Looks "manicured" and proper. Really turned our deck area around dramatically. It went from an area you access to the back door of the house, to an inviting outdoor space that you wanted to be at all the time. Very attractive and durable.


You can combat the heat factor of the surface with a quick rinse off from the garden hose to cool it down. So, while it does get hot, you can "manage it" very easily.


Only thing I'd say between the two surfaces, where wood is better, is making sure no hard metal objects are on the Trex. You can set stuff there, but don't drag it across the surface, or you'll like deeply scratch it. You can combat that with rubber feet installed to the bottom of your deck chairs though. But, not quite as attractive as without.


All in all, I wish we had just gone with Trex to begin with on that house, instead of the wood. But, budget dictated what we could do at those points in time. If you can swing the cost of Trex this time, I'd definitely pick it over pressure treated wood, hands down, no question about it. Plus, if you ever decide to sell the house in the next 10 years, you're likely not going to have to deal with repairing or dressing up the deck, as it should be just fine at that time.

[FCNova]

Originally Posted by NC211

1) No more hearing (pop, bang, boom) in the coldest of a winter day. The spacing between the wood panels of the old deck eventually vanished due to expansion/contraction over the short period we had it. In the winter, the moisture would get into the wood, then when really really cold, that moisture would freeze (which expands). The boards were pressing against each other and "popping" loudly.

Is that normal or a bad install job? I have a wood deck without that issue and have never known of anyone else having it.

I do agree though, composite is the way to go though for a new deck, if for no other reason than no maintenance. I pressure washed/stained mine one time and it was a ton of work. It's costly if you hire it out every year or two so remember that when you're getting sticker shock from the cost of the composite.

[jmking]

Originally Posted by FCNova

Is that normal or a bad install job? I have a wood deck without that issue and have never known of anyone else having it.

I do agree though, composite is the way to go though for a new deck, if for no other reason than no maintenance. I pressure washed/stained mine one time and it was a ton of work. It's costly if you hire it out every year or two so remember that when you're getting sticker shock from the cost of the composite.

It sounds like very little space was added between the deck boards when installed. I would assume at least .25 should be added between the boards to allow expansion.

[arleigh]

I worked on to marinas that went from wood to trex and were never so happy . no splintering or freezing issues and no splinters .
With pressure treated wood splinters are quite serious , the body does not reject them as it does with natural wood.
Trex are not structural material , however pressure treated wood is no longer structural either due to the piercing of the wood to inject the copper sulfate.
If I were doing a deck, it would be with trex.

[NC211]

Originally Posted by FCNova

Is that normal or a bad install job? I have a wood deck without that issue and have never known of anyone else having it.

I do agree though, composite is the way to go though for a new deck, if for no other reason than no maintenance. I pressure washed/stained mine one time and it was a ton of work. It's costly if you hire it out every year or two so remember that when you're getting sticker shock from the cost of the composite.

I don't think it's normal or a bad install job. I think it was user-error on my part to not seal the deck sooner than I did. I let it sit after install for 2 years before having it stained and sealed. I should've done it the first summer after it was installed (November 2011). It all started to pop and wood started to crack in the second winter. But, I simply couldn't afford to have it sealed prior to when we did. You're right, it is a huge PIA to do yourself, and not cheap to hire out. Composite is definitely worth the extra money, if you ask me and can stomach the cost difference.


New house = patio only

[MedvedActual]

Have had a Trex deck (came with the house) and no complaints. Times 2 on it getting very hot though; as mentioned earlier, there are way to mitigate it. Pressure wash it once a year and it's good; just make sure you don't damage it by having the nozzle too close to the surface.

[leavingwash]

This is great information - I appreciate everyone's experience and feedback. One of the bids I received the sales guy said that the difference between "recouping" the value of composite vs the annual costs to clean/restain etc is about 10 years to make composite "worth it".

I don't want to spend the money and then regret not doing composite, but also don't want to spend the extra if people that have experienced the two have found it not be worth the initial premium. Seems like consensus is that if the budget allows - go with composite at the start.

[MedvedActual]

Originally Posted by leavingwash

This is great information - I appreciate everyone's experience and feedback. One of the bids I received the sales guy said that the difference between "recouping" the value of composite vs the annual costs to clean/restain etc is about 10 years to make composite "worth it".

I don't want to spend the money and then regret not doing composite, but also don't want to spend the extra if people that have experienced the two have found it not be worth the initial premium. Seems like consensus is that if the budget allows - go with composite at the start.

For sure. Not only does it look a lot better but as has already been mentioned requires very little maintenance, i.e., pressure cleaning once a year, and doesn't crack, splinter, etc. A breeze to walk on it barefoot as well, no worries about splinters, nail heads poking out, etc.