On Sun, 23 Aug 2009 22:40:48 -0700, Kate wrote:

I have a redwood deck just outside my front door. The steps leading up
to it are TREX. The TREX flaked badly, and I got a settlement check.
Today, a friend was going to help me rebuild the steps again, and we
found dry rot.

What happened is that the family I bought this 11 year old home from ran
the dryer vent underneath the deck area. The moisture caused the dry
rot. When I moved here four years ago, I had someone move the vent so
that it vents outside of the deck, into the outside air. For four years
there has not been any new moisture underneath the deck. It is bone dry.

What should have been a two hour job, took four hours. We completely
removed every board as it was all dry rotted. It is nice and clean now.

I am thinking about hiring a concrete company to pour a concrete deck
and steps. Then, I don't have to worry about wood rotting, boards
needing to be treated every summer, and TREX flaking.

My home has vinyl siding.

Can someone tell me if a concrete company can pour a nice deck and steps
after a home has been built. I know it is easy to do in a new home, but
this is not a new home.

I just want to be sure it looks nice as I am quite fussy.

Would you go the concrete route, or stick with TREX?

Many thanks everyone.

Kate


I have not seen a concrete deck, although concrete patio looks good
and practical. I'm sure someone can put in a concrete deck, and
certainly concrete steps are common.

But, there are a few issues with concrete. No matter how good the
contractor, 1 out of 10 concrete mixes will end up cracking and/or
spalting. If successful, your concrete deck should be almost
maintenance free, unlike a wooden deck.

My deck is 18 years old and looks very nice. I have to remove the
algae every 2 years, and re-stain every 5-6 years. I drains quickly
and dries very quickly after a rain. I use decking stain. Wooden
decks are high maintenance, so one that is not too big is best.