I'm planing on building a new deck. I'm pondering weather to use
composite deck material or pressure treated. I'm leaning towards using
the composite because of the low maintenance. Has anyone run into any
problems with the installation or the maintenance after construction
using the composite deck material. I live in Northeastern Pennsylvania,
where the winters can get cold, the summers are hot.




--
cudagtx

"cudagtx" wrote in message
...

I'm planing on building a new deck. I'm pondering weather to use
composite deck material or pressure treated. I'm leaning towards using
the composite because of the low maintenance. Has anyone run into any
problems with the installation or the maintenance after construction
using the composite deck material. I live in Northeastern Pennsylvania,
where the winters can get cold, the summers are hot.
..
Also consider mahogany, ipe, cypress for good looks and low maintenance.
Just a quick coat of Penofin Oil every few years. Pressure treaded is
durable, but it does not have the looks of the other woods.

cudagtx writes:

I'm planing on building a new deck. I'm pondering weather to use
composite deck material or pressure treated. I'm leaning towards using
the composite because of the low maintenance. Has anyone run into any
problems with the installation or the maintenance after construction
using the composite deck material. I live in Northeastern Pennsylvania,
where the winters can get cold, the summers are hot.

I've got composite and love it.
I'm in central NJ.

The composite is easy to work with.
Cut it like wood.
I used stainless steel square drive screws,
they worked well enough.
If I was going to do it again, I might look at those
things you put underneath so there are no visible fasteners.

We use the deck all summer.
It's great knowing that there is no way you are going
to get a splinter from the wood.
It cleans up and looks like new when washed with
a pressure sprayer.

"cudagtx" wrote in message
...

I'm planing on building a new deck. I'm pondering weather to use
composite deck material or pressure treated. I'm leaning towards using
the composite because of the low maintenance. Has anyone run into any
problems with the installation or the maintenance after construction
using the composite deck material. I live in Northeastern Pennsylvania,
where the winters can get cold, the summers are hot.




--
cudagtx

Pressure treat for all the framing , Joist should be a minimum of 16" OC
for composite decking. Another thing to do is cover all the joist with a
strip of 4" felt paper to protect from water. Most dry root is from water
being caught under deck boards. The composite decking is the most bang for
your buck, but shop around there's a lot more out there than just trex.

cudagtx wrote:
I'm planing on building a new deck. I'm pondering weather to use
composite deck material or pressure treated. I'm leaning towards using
the composite because of the low maintenance. Has anyone run into any
problems with the installation or the maintenance after construction
using the composite deck material. I live in Northeastern Pennsylvania,
where the winters can get cold, the summers are hot.

I don't have practical experience but know that pressure treated holds
up.
I'm concerned that newer composite materials will not weather as well.
Plastics usually degrade in the sun. Polyethylene is highly suspectible
and I believe composites use recycled PE. Most of these new products
have not been around long enough to stand the test of time. There are
accelerated weathering tests but I am not sure most manufacturers use
them.
Frank

On Sat, 23 Dec 2006 02:04:07 +0000, cudagtx
wrote:


I'm planing on building a new deck. I'm pondering weather to use
composite deck material or pressure treated. I'm leaning towards using
the composite because of the low maintenance. Has anyone run into any
problems with the installation or the maintenance after construction
using the composite deck material. I live in Northeastern Pennsylvania,
where the winters can get cold, the summers are hot.

I live in Pa.

I wanted to look into the composit decks, only for the decking
material, and I opted out. I still have pressure treated stuff, with
good sealant.

Find someone you can visit, and check out their decks. I found a
friend with one, and didn't like the 'waxy' feeling. It felt
soft/bendy too. So feel around.

later,

tom @ www.MedJobSite.com

Tom The Great wrote:

I live in Pa.

I wanted to look into the composit decks, only for the decking
material, and I opted out. I still have pressure treated stuff, with
good sealant.

I just had a two level deck built by Archdeck (www.archadeck.com) with a
new hot tub installed and we chose to use Trex for the flooring as well
as the handrails. The vertical rails, the latice privacy area and the
fundemental "skeleton" of the deck was all in pressure treated lumber.
So far we love the Trex. We have to wait a few months to stain the rails
and latice, but we understand the maintenance on that part will be minimal.

Finding the keyboard operational
cudagtx entered:

I'm planing on building a new deck. I'm pondering weather to use
composite deck material or pressure treated. I'm leaning towards using
the composite because of the low maintenance. Has anyone run into any
problems with the installation or the maintenance after construction
using the composite deck material. I live in Northeastern
Pennsylvania, where the winters can get cold, the summers are hot.

Go with he composite. I got tired of pressure washing, staininng and
splinters 5 summers ago and out down Trex. Make sure your joists are the
correct distance apart, it's closer then wood.
The color will fade a bit the first summer but stops there. I can't see a
difference between the deck and some stairs that I built the following year.
I have 4 dogs that run across it and occasionaly use it rather then the
grass to relieve themselves, all manner of food and drink have been spilled
on it and it just takes a hose and maybe a brush to clean it up. I push the
snow off it with a shovel and you can't see any scratches.
I know that todays PT is safe but I feel better with the dogs and kids on
the composite.
This is northern NJ.
Bob

--�
--�
Coffee worth staying up for - NY Times
www.moondoggiecoffee.com

I did a Trex deck about 8 yrs ago when it was new technology, and I'm
pleased with the composite. It's a fairly large deck at 800 sq ft. It's
build with a Hawk rail topped with Trex as well, and it still looks pretty
much like new. This is Connecticut, so we have seriously different seasons.

The decking was brown when we laid it, but it quickly turned to a gray, and
has stayed that color. I like the idea of maintenance by garden hose. The
framing is all pressure-treat lumber, as are all the uprights and trim, but
all parts that lay flat are the Trex, and I've had no issues with it. No
bounciness, no excessive heat, nothing. It was bouncy to handle going in,
but once screwed down feels as solid as a rock.

We have a corner on the northwest side where the sun never touches, and it
is subject to mildew, both the decking and the wall. I just spray it with
bleach and soap and it goes away.

We're pleased with the choice.

keith


"cudagtx" wrote in message
...

I'm planing on building a new deck. I'm pondering weather to use
composite deck material or pressure treated. I'm leaning towards using
the composite because of the low maintenance. Has anyone run into any
problems with the installation or the maintenance after construction
using the composite deck material. I live in Northeastern Pennsylvania,
where the winters can get cold, the summers are hot.




--
cudagtx

Sacramento Dave Wrote:
"cudagtx" wrote in message

...-

I'm planing on building a new deck. I'm pondering weather to use
composite deck material or pressure treated. I'm leaning towards
using
the composite because of the low maintenance. Has anyone run into any
problems with the installation or the maintenance after construction
using the composite deck material. I live in Northeastern
Pennsylvania,
where the winters can get cold, the summers are hot.




--
cudagtx-

Pressure treat for all the framing , Joist should be a minimum of 16"
OC
for composite decking. Another thing to do is cover all the joist with
a
strip of 4" felt paper to protect from water. Most dry root is from
water
being caught under deck boards. The composite decking is the most bang
for
your buck, but shop around there's a lot more out there than just trex.




Your reply was helpful.
Thanks




--
cudagtx