Decks
 

Have a pressure treated deck at home here in Pembroke, NH. At least 30 years old. Have used Thompson Water Seal most years. About ready for replacement. splintering
Have a Trex deck up at the lake, at least 15 Years old. Don't treat, just wash each spring. Great shape, not hot on the feet.
Would definitely do the Trex again.

Hope this helps,
Bill

Availability?
 

Last year, we did major dock replacement. Started in May, expected to finish in June but the supplier ran out of the Trex we were using. A little bit trickled in over the summer, but not enough to justify sending a crew and equipment for a day's work and then moving to another location repeatedly. Finally finished in the fall. I don't know if Covid will continue to slow production, but I suggest you buy ALL needed materials up front instead of a little bit at a time as work and budget progress. At the same time, be aware of security if you're not constantly on site, as materials that sit alone tend to disappear.

Trex...
 

...is what I plan to go with here in CT when we replace our 25 year old redwood deck. The redwood could last longer - especially if we could flip it and screw it down again. The odd dimensions of our deck however won't allow that and I've had it with the maintenance. By the way, redwood is amazingly durable but I don't think you can get it anymore in this part of the country.

Think, I'm a research guy like you so after much browsing on the Internet it came down to Trex or Azek. I've pretty much settled on Trex based on:

1. Trex does better in environments with significant seasonal temperature extremes.
2. Trex is more natural looking.
3. Trex is a more environmentally sustainable solution.
4. Trex is somewhat less prone to scratching.
5. Trex is less slippery and more closely resembles wood.

Can't say personally if these items are true or not but if you surf the web, these seem to be common experiences. What I haven't done yet is hire a contractor to build it so I'll listen to what they have to say before making a final call.

Was looking into Azek because of this thread to learn more and came across this picture on their website. Small World. Right here on Governors Island. Small world sometimes. Great contrast between before and after:

Here's on their website:
https://www.timbertech.com/ideas/cool-deck-features/

If you click on the picture that looks like a slip, it brings you to their Instagram link (which is here):
https://www.instagram.com/p/ByusNABHFFM/

We have a 20' Aluminum dock with 2x6 pressure treated top boards lifted with a winch. We extended it another 20' with an aluminum frame docking system with plastic boards that we have to put in and take out every year. In the middle of the summer the plastic is hot as hell!:eek:

I've been told (a lot) to avoid hybrid decking options (wood encased in vinyl) as they'll mold over time. Does anyone have a list of lower end all vinyl options? There's so many brands and levels, it's crazy confusing.

What I guess I'm looking for is some of the less expensive all composite options. Thanks!

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That is good advice. It does mold. I don't think any of it is very cheap right now. Availability is also an issue. Building materials are very hard to get right now. Things that used to be 2 or 3 days are starting to now be weeks out.

I dunno, friends, I've researched and researched, but I keep coming back to the $28 16' Trex boards from Lowe's as a good enough value/savings to justify the "weaknesses"...

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Trex is fine, I've had it on one of my decks for 15 years with no issues. I just spray it down with bleach and water every few years and rinse clean.
You just have to make sure if you're putting it down on an old deck that it was built strong enough to support the extra weight.
When I built my first wooden deck 25 years ago, 12x24, I used 10" tubes for the footings. My son built a 14x16 deck with Trex 5 years ago and the building inspector made him use 16" tubes, which I thought was overkill but that's what he had to use to get the permit.

Trex is great!
 

We had a new 40’ Trex deck installed 2 years ago. The only question that we had was “why did we wait so long to do this?” We are pleased, and we got it at Lowe’s with a 10% military discount, which made it even sweeter.

Because the deck is only a couple feet above ground, it'll be easy to add extra support if necessary. Of course, I won't love the extra expense of PT wood, but if I can get into Trex at that price, it shouldn't be an issue.

Thanks for your thoughts!

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That's where you have to do a cost analysis, is it cheaper to use Trex and add extra support or use the lighter Azek.

Right, but best I can find, Azek is approximately double the price of Trex.

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Is Azek readily available these days in light of the Covid situation? I know some products are currently tough to come by.....

Also how much does Azek cost per board foot?

Does Azek offer a good color selection?

All building materials are hard to get right now. It does have a great color selection.

With some help from iShoot, I think I might actually spend a bit more for Lumberock. I got the samples in, and it looks like it may be worth the increase.

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you are not kidding, had to get a piece of OSB plywood the other day. $43 more than triple the normal price

Just wait. It gets worse every time! We think it's getting a little ridiculous. The mill workers are getting back to work and they should be catching up. I don't understand why anybody even wants to build now! It's crazy!

Looks like my new deck is going to have to wait until fall or next spring.

I would wait unless you are desperate.

I'm going to repave the patio in the front of the house first. Pavers have gone up also, but not nearly as much as lumber.
We actually spend more time in the front of the house than the back because that's where the fire pit is and we can invite neighbors over that walk by, at least we did before Covid.

Apparently because pavers are not selling. Glues and everything are going up. Caulking, it's awful.

I wonder if the price of glue is going up because there is a shortage of horses, or do they not make glue from Horse parts anymore ?

The recent cold weather that hit Texas had major supply implications on the sealants, adhesives, and coatings industries. The Adhesive and Sealant Council (ASC) recently issued a statement that supply chains and inventories could take weeks or even months to recover. The images below show the impact better than anything I could write.

At the risk of getting a bit geeky, the high-level summary is that the base raw material (monomer) producer that supplies latex based chemical (polymer) producers has been operating at reduced levels, therefore creating downstream production shortages.

Unfortunately, (REMOVED NAME) has not been immune. We have received official announcements from multiple suppliers, invoking their Force Majeure clauses (which is a fancy way of saying that they are unable to fulfill supply contracts because of circumstances outside of their control) indicating that our supply of raw materials will be reduced for the next 60 - 120 days. Brands currently impacted include Big Stretch, CleanSeal, Mor-Flexx, Slab, eXact Color, and Conceal.