Composite Decking questions

[Lee Schierer]

We're thinking about resurfacing our front deck with a composite decking material to replace the treated lumber. Has anyone worked with this material and if so what if any problems did you encounter? Would you use it again? I know my joist spacing will need to be reduced if I use the plastic.

They make several versions of hidden fasteners so there are no visible screw heads or holes. Has anyone used these? We are looking at either Eb-Ty or Tiger Claw type fasteners.

[Chris Pasko]

We're thinking about resurfacing our front deck with a composite decking material to replace the treated lumber. Has anyone worked with this material and if so what if any problems did you encounter? Would you use it again? I know my joist spacing will need to be reduced if I use the plastic.

They make several versions of hidden fasteners so there are no visible screw heads or holes. Has anyone used these? We are looking at either Eb-Ty or Tiger Claw type fasteners.


They have a write up and comparison of manufacturers in the new Fine Home Building mag. Seemed to be a fairly decent write up. HTH's

[Jeff Sudmeier]

I have used the trex flooring. With this material you don't have to use the hidden fasteners. You just bury the head of the screw through the trex and then tap the shavings in the hole with a hammer.

You can still tell where the screws are, but there aren't the holes to catch on your bare feet. I used trex at my parent's house last summer and so far they LOVE it.

[Dave Falkenstein]

I have installed Trex and WeatherBest composite decks. If you install screws from the top, I have found it is far easier to predrill the holes. There are composite decking screws available that will draw the excess material down into the hole as the screw is inserted, but they are hard to install because the decking material is so dense and hard. Perhaps an impact driver would work better - I tried it wil a drill/driver.

As to brackets, I have used DeckMaster on several decks - they are superb. I have had DeckMaster brackets on my own redwood deck for over 5 years - no problems at all. I would recommend steering away from the "unusual" profiles of composite and use Trex or WeatherBest or one of the other rectangular profiles. With the rectangular profiles, you can use the DeckMaster brackets. Here are some resources:

http://www.deckmaster.com/
http://www.weatherbest.lpcorp.com/
http://www.trex.com/

Finally, be certain you like the look of a composite deck. It is much more homogeneous in its appearance, as compared to redwood or other decking woods. Some of the manufacturers, including Trex and WeatherBest, make a composite with a wood grain, and that helps break up the sameness of the material. Try to see a full size deck in the material and color you pick to be certain you are happy with the look.

PS - All of the composites will expand and contract quite a bit more than wood. Those I have installed recommend leaving a 1/16" gap at every butt joint for every 10 degrees between the ambient temperature and the highest temperature for the area. If you do not leave a sufficient gap, the deck will bow.

[Mike Holbrook]

I installed Ert, Choice Deck, composite 5-6 years ago before they had special fasteners for it. The stuff I used was cedar and plastic with a nice grainy surface. I did not like the Trex because it was very slick on the top when wet. I was installing mine around a pool. I did a bunch of experimenting with screws and had lots of problems because the material is so rubber that regular deck screws did not want to countersink.

People will think I am crazy here, but I put mine down with a heavy duty, 15 gauge, Hitachy finishing gun. Regular finishing guns would not countersink in the hard rubbery material. Once I got those thin nails well below the surface of the wood, the material closed over them making it next to impossible for them to work back out. I put thousands and thousands of them in that large deck around the pool. In over 6 years not a one has worked back up at all. I think the nails will pull loose from the joists before they work back up.

The material we used has been a great product to have around the pool. We have suggested it to several other people who have used it on decks and love it too.

[Bill Lewis]

We have Trex on our front porch. The guys that installed it used the under mount fastening, I think it was deckmaster. They also used a finish nailer in a few placed, mostly at the end of a board.

Another crew installed the same decking material on our neighbors porch at about the same time. They installed it with screws from above. In less than a year, their deck created the little volcano's at the screw holes. IMO it doesn't look very good. Our deck on the other hand, stayed smooth and uniform to this day.

One thing to note, Trex and most other composite decking does have wood fiber in it, and consequently it will absorb moisture. I think the volcanos are exacerbated by this. That, and the fact that both porches don't get as much sunlight, ours is on the NE side, and the neighbors is in a wooded area. So Trex may not be as suseptable to puckering around the screw holes if located in a sunnier location such as an uncovered deck.

Another side note, I recall reading in FHB not too long ago about how the wood fiber percentage in composite decking does decrease over time due to the deterioration of the product, thereby losing some strength. Even after knowing this fact, it will not deter me from using a composite decking on our deck when I build it.