I agree, you should check out Ipe before buying composite decking. Probably
about the same cost, but Ipe really does look great.
"Chris" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Blue <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> > I am going to build a deck and would like to find out which decking
> > material is best for durability and low maintenance. Blue
>
> Check out ipe (pronounced ee-pay) A friend of mine just bought some
> for a project he was working on (outdoor furniture, not a deck). I
> know that this stuff if popular for decks and now I know why. It
> looks great, hard as nails, not too expensive, and is supposed to be
> more durable than treated lumber. Maybe not as durable as Trex, but
> not quite as costly either and IMO Trex looks like crap.
>
> -Chris
>
Here's what I just had done and I'm very happy with how it came out.
I had the decking and rail caps done in trex, the rail system and the
skirting is in cedar and the supports are pressure treated.
This gives me the durability and convenience of trex, but I won't have to
worry about splinters or warping of the decking.
From a look standpoint, it pretty much looks like a cedar deck from the
side and I don't personally have a problem with the look of the trex
decking. But, I think it does look a lot better than an all trex deck
would look.
It still was a lot of work to stain the cedar parts, but I probably won't
have to do it that often since most of the cedar parts won't have standing
water/snow/etc on them.
Also, from a financial standpoint, it was a bit cheaper to do part cedar
rather than all trex.
I wasn't sure how it all would come together when the builder suggest this
hybrid, but I think it gives me exactly what I was looking for.
I'll be happy to send a couple of pictures via email if anyone is
interested.
David
Yes but just think. Pressure washing won't cut them to pieces, no
splinters, no knots/weak spots,. Heck, rinse it off before
entertaining to cool it off. Wood gets awfully hot also.
On 19 Aug 2003 00:58:42 GMT, [email protected] (Gfretwell) wrote:
>This may just ba a sub-tropical observation but the plastics are a lot hotter
>on bare feet.
EON Decking. http://www.eonoutdoor.com/. An all plastic material which
looks great and doesn't turn that "silvery" (read ugly) grey. Easy to
install and they have a railing system which is, IMO, the most work
when it comes to maintenance. No nail heads, no splinters and it gets
no hotter than PT wood in the sun. It's fairly pricey, but I built my
deck out of it and would do it again.
-Bill
Blue <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> I am going to build a deck and would like to find out which decking
> material is best for durability and low maintenance. Blue
On Sat, 16 Aug 2003 18:11:13 -0400, Blue <[email protected]>
wrote:
>I am going to build a deck and would like to find out which decking
>material is best for durability and low maintenance. Blue
Depends on where you are.
In the rainy Pacific Northwest, people sometimes choose Trex
to withstand the dampness. That works but not a whole lot better than
pressure-treated wood. On the other hand, in Montana where it is
extremely dry, people choose Trex to prevent the distortion dryness
causes. In this cast it really performs well. In someplace like
Florida or Arizona, you might not like it because the heat is so great
it makes the material spongy and is hot to walk on.
Also, deck design sometimes makes a difference. If your deck
is so low to the ground that getting air underneath is a problem, Trex
might be a good way to go. If you have lots of free-moving air
underneath, wood might work better.
So there is no easy answer. You have to focus on exactly what
you want it to endure and what kind of maintenance you want to avoid.
Good luck.
Peter
Blue <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> I am going to build a deck and would like to find out which decking
> material is best for durability and low maintenance. Blue
Check out ipe (pronounced ee-pay) A friend of mine just bought some
for a project he was working on (outdoor furniture, not a deck). I
know that this stuff if popular for decks and now I know why. It
looks great, hard as nails, not too expensive, and is supposed to be
more durable than treated lumber. Maybe not as durable as Trex, but
not quite as costly either and IMO Trex looks like crap.
-Chris