Decking material

Thread Tools

Search this Thread

04-28-13, 03:52 PM

daswede

Member

Thread Starter

Join Date: Jul 2003

Location: massachusetts

Posts: 2,176

Upvotes: 0

Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts

Decking material

I'm contemplating replacing my pressure treated deck floor boards,and am considering these composite,fiberglas,etc.
decks.

Would like some pros ,and cons.

Thanks

Upvote

04-28-13, 05:32 PM

stickshift

Group Moderator

Join Date: Oct 2004

Location: WI/MN

Posts: 19,019

Upvotes: 45

Received 1,230 Upvotes on 1,179 Posts

My in-laws used composite when they built the deck on their lake home. More expensive than wood and it can be a little slippery when wet but it's so much less maintenance than my cedar deck I'll never build one out of wood. Sorry, no experience with fiberglass.

Upvote

04-28-13, 05:53 PM

chandler

Banned. Rule And/Or Policy Violation

Join Date: Dec 2005

Location: USA

Posts: 36,608

Upvotes: 0

Received 9 Upvotes on 8 Posts

Many people opt for the Trex type decking thinking it will last a "lifetime". It will.....the lifetime of the wood supporting it. Once it gets a little age on it or begins to fail, all the decking in the Trex factory won't help. Otherwise, as Mitch says, it can be slippery, but always looks nice.

Upvote

04-28-13, 06:56 PM

Furd

Member

Join Date: Mar 2006

Location: Wet side of Washington state.

Posts: 16,321

Upvotes: 72

Received 38 Upvotes on 30 Posts

I have no idea of what they cost but there are several companies offering decks made from aluminum. Many of them use wood-grain aluminum planking and some use composite wood decking with an aluminum substructure. Do a Google using aluminum deck system for the search term.

Upvote

04-29-13, 04:33 AM

marksr

Forum Topic Moderator

Join Date: Mar 2005

Location: USA - N.E.Tn

Posts: 45,409

Upvotes: 593

Received 785 Upvotes on 688 Posts

I painted a house on a lake yrs ago that had a boat house/deck that used the aluminum decking. It didn't look like aluminum at first glance, it looked more like wood with a stain. I don't know what the cost factor was or how well it held up but it looked like it ought to outlast the rest of the structure.

Upvote

04-29-13, 05:37 AM

daswede

Member

Thread Starter

Join Date: Jul 2003

Location: massachusetts

Posts: 2,176

Upvotes: 0

Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts

Thanks everyone for your replies.

I,to,have reservations about the composite,and aluminum decking being slippery. I guess i"ll check into this some more.

Upvote

04-29-13, 06:01 AM

marksr

Forum Topic Moderator

Join Date: Mar 2005

Location: USA - N.E.Tn

Posts: 45,409

Upvotes: 593

Received 785 Upvotes on 688 Posts

That aluminum decking I saw had a faux grain embedded in it - I assume that helps with traction when wet.

Upvote

Thread Tools

Search this Thread

Show Printable Version

Email this Page

Decks, Patios, Porches, Walkways, Driveways, Stairs, Steps and Docks
Raised stone patio

B

bashwin on Apr 21, 2013

Hello, I am preparing to build a stone patio with a portion of it raised (by 18'). Three concerns below that I am seeking inputs for: I have been researching for the retaining wall around the patio and found some info which had some conflicting results - Some conclude that I can get away with not having to provide a deep concrete base for the wall and some say I need one. I live in Indiana and am concerned about the breathing of the ground through the season causing issues with the wall....my plan was to dig in to about 10 to 15" (4-6" base + 2" levelling sand + 1.5 X the wall brick size) Would appreciate your inputs.... Also, I was planning to use the dirt that I dig out from the non-raised section to fill into the raised section to about 6". The remaining 12" will include the base, levelling sand and the patio pavers. After reading through the sites, I am concerned about filling in with loose dirt. I was going to use the compactor to lay it down and was thinking of just doing multiple passes before I start pouring the base....is this a good idea? May I still have settlement after taking the above steps? The third concern is that we are just getting out of a cold and wet winter. Yard is still wet. Folks have advised me against beginning work when it is wet...should I wait till it dries out completely.....how soon before I can start? Best regards, ABRead More
Decks, Patios, Porches, Walkways, Driveways, Stairs, Steps and Docks
Decking over a concrete slab

G

GranTorino on Apr 23, 2013

I've been researching what the best way to do this is an need some other opinions/options/thoughts. The patio sits 3 3/4" below the the thresholds of the patio doors. House has a slab on grade foundation and the door thresholds are mounted directly to the house slab. The slab is 10'x10'. The exterior wall from the living room starts about 6" right of the door and goes for 6' then soil (so that corner is concrete only). Since 3 3/4" vertical space is all that's available to make the deck surface flush with the door sills, horizantal sleepers were the first thing that came to mind. Even though we don't get a lot of rain here (~40"/yr), the next thought was how do I protect the sleepers from getting soaked and rotting out. I'm stuck with no simple but effective protection other than going with a total plastic sleeper system (Trex,etc.). I'm aware of PT, redwood, cedar, cypress, IPE, etc for sleepers, but the problem is the "protecter" would lie face down on the concrete surface and stay wet for a long time. Thanks! -- GTRead More