DIYbanter - View Single Post - Trex

gregz

trader_4 wrote:
On Wednesday, February 27, 2019 at 12:03:45 PM UTC-5, Frank wrote:
On 2/27/2019 10:55 AM, wrote:
On Sunday, July 7, 2013 at 7:41:04 AM UTC-4, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On Sun, 7 Jul 2013 00:40:30 -0700 (PDT), Higgs Boson
wrote:

Since I was painting the (wood) back porch, thought I'd paint the
(Trex) side steps to match. (Yes, the Trex is several years old, so
that wasn't a problem).

Terrible idea!

After scrubbing and rinsing the steps and letting them dry, I applied
BM acrylic. Or rather TRIED to apply. Never saw such a miserable
surface. Streaks and iffy coverage. Used a lot of time and a lot of
expensive paint. Second coat helped only a little. Still streaks, etc.

After the fact, went on-line. Trex only approves 2 coverage, both stains.
But other sites don't specifically say don't use paint.

Wish I'd left the Trex alone; it was an unobtrusive pinkish beige-ish color

Was this a unique experience? What, if anything, did I do wrong?

TIA

HB

What you did wrong was painting the Trex. As you found out, only 2
stains are approved for it. No paint is. Only the Trex site is what
matter, not the fact that other sites don't say to paint. Trex is a
man made product with additives in it so it stays good looking for
years with little maintenance. Those same ingredients also make it
impossible to paint.

The only reason I'd use Trex is to avoid painting and staining. Now
replace it with real hardwood and oil it to keep it looking beautiful.
I used Tigerwood and enjoy the beauty every time I step on the deck.

You (finally) went to the proper source for information and still
doubt them. Why?

I used Trex to build a 20' X 16' deck about 8 years old. I have to
clean it at least twice a year because it molds and mildews. Not why I
spend the $$$ for trex. I would never use this product again. Not
only do I have to clean it at least twice a year but it has faded from
saddle brown to a beige from the cleaning solution recommended by Trex.
My deck is not shaded so there is no reason that I can think of why
the Trex I used looks ugly within a few months after it has been
cleaned. Pain in the rear and never would use Trex again, oh did I already say that???

I posted a year and a half ago about getting Trex deck and it still
looks great without the problems you mentioned.

I suspect you got the early Trex product that did have these problems
but now they have apparently been fixed.

When I considered using a man made product instead of wood, a big factor
was lifetime experience. Trex has been around for maybe 20 years now
and had its growing pains but is matured and holding up better.

When if first came out, as a chemist, I was skeptical that a blend of
polyethylene and sawdust would not hold up mainly because of PE being
degraded by UV. I don't know about the initial problem but now it is
faced with PVC which has good light stability. Some dyes and pigments
are degraded by light so hopefully they now only use those that hold up.
There are plenty of additives that could retard the wood molding and
apparently they now use them. Too bad you had to be an early user and
experience these problems. I hope you have a warranty and get upgraded
replacement.

If mildew and similar are the problem, instead of washing it every year,
how about if he sprays it with bleach couple times a year? You could do
that with a garden sprayer in a few minutes. I'd do it just before rain
is forecast, so it later gets washed off.

There is a product that
Kills algae and mold, then you let sun bleach it. Works all summer long.
Mostly for roof but other things too.

Greg