Composite Decking Choices

We all have questions concerning decking for our homes. Here's some information to help you decide what's right for your situation and pocketbook. Lots of times it has to do with price, labor costs, installation so you must check 3 companies before deciding and check references!

TREX:

Trex composite decking is made from reclaimed plastic and wood materials. Most of these raw materials come from recovered plastic grocery bags, plastic film, and waste wood fiber. Trex buys approximately 300 million pounds of used polyethylene and an equal amount of hardwood sawdust each year. Both solid planks and tongue-and-groove planks are available. Trex decking is a compression-molded product, sometimes with an added extruded outer shell. The planks are solid material, and are normally finished with end caps or trim boards covering the ends.  Some product lines are attached to underlying structural framing with hidden fasteners, while others are nailed or screwed down through the top face. Trex offers limited warranty of 25 years, which is fairly standard for the composite decking industry. 

TIMBERTECH

TimberTech AZEK is solid molded PVC and feature an extremely realistic wood appearanc & touted as being highly resistant to stains, scratches, splits, mold, and mildew. Railing products include both solid PVC and some composite materials. TimberTech AZEK products are high-quality, premium lines, perhaps the best (and most expensive) of all the composite decking manufacturers, with a limited warranty of 50 years. Additional product lines include TimberTech Pro (with 30-year warranties) and TimberTech Edge (25-year warranties). . Planks can be installed either with hidden fasteners or by driving nails or screws through the faces. End grain is usually covered with matching fascia boards. 

FIBERON

Fiberon, an North Carolina company, makes surface decking, railing components, and fencing products that feature a solid PVC "Permatek" outer shell bonded to a wood composite core. Several "good," "better," "best" product lines are available, each offering various shades of wood tone and gray decking planks. The best lines offer more realistic wood grain textures and are more resistant to fading. All products carry a 25-year limited warranty. Fiberon decking planks are formed by compression molding with a surface capping applied to three or four sides. They can be installed with face-driven fasteners or by a hidden fastening system. Ends are usually covered with matching fascia boards. 

There are other composite decking materials made from bamboo and even wood! To find out more, check out this page at The Spruce.