Azek and TimberTech

10 years ago

I'm checking back in here again to see if there are any good synthetic products yet. I just keep neglecting to replace my decks because it's so expensive and the materials are so questionable. I never want to have to stain or seal a deck again yet I would still like it to look decent and hold up over time. I have one old deck that's still functional but looks terrible and the other one we just keep replacing one rotting board at a time. DH cleans that one though and it leads to all kinds of collateral damage from bottom of siding to vegetation and so on.

So in reading it sounded like TimberTech is generally considered to be a decent product and possibly Azek. True? Is there anything particularly tricky about installing either of these or can my good GC do the job? Approximately what is the cost of this material compared with others? Price per square foot?

I considered IPE for a while but the price was astronomical and the guy who does a lot of my home projects has never worked with it so I decided not to go down that path. Plus I decided I didn't want the grey wood look and I don't want to clean and seal all the time.

So what say you?

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Comments (9)

dennisgli
10 years ago
So in reading it sounded like TimberTech is generally considered to be a decent product and possibly Azek. True?

Which TimberTech product are you looking at? I've been very happy with XLM on my deck. It's very hard and doesn't scratch or stain. It's PVC so it pretty much does look like plastic - though it has a faux woodgrain finish on one side.

I think Azek is also PVC so it is probably comparable. I also looked at CorrectDeck CX and it looked good - not sure if it is still available.

Is there anything particularly tricky about installing either of these or can my good GC do the job?

I would think just about anybody could do it - I used the same contractor that did my porch, siding, and roof. You do need to do something with the ends of the boards because you can see the "structure" - picture frame or something. They make a matching fascia board for this and that is what I used. I also used the hidden fasteners and grooved boards.

Approximately what is the cost of this material compared with others?

I think I paid $3.XX per board-foot - but that was several years ago. It was more expensive than composite.
millworkman
10 years ago
Probably $3.xx per lineal foot not board-foot. Gapping it properly is the most important thing as well as properly chosen and applied fasteners.
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Thank you for thoughtful suggestions and/or assumptions. I did see samples of all of the products - but, dude, the samples had not been cut or trimmed. I should also state that the problem with the planks and fascia is primarily on the stairs. Our deck is not attached to the house but rather it sits in the woods and is on a rather steep hill. There are 8 steps to the first landing, 6 steps to the second landing and 5 steps to the top level. The stairs are not continuos - but at each level they actually are at the opposite end of the landing so that one is not staring at a large climb. Since the stairs are in the woods the treads or planks were not concealed by the fascia so that sweeping the stairs could be done rather easily. So we have a slight overhang at each step. Of course the fascia has been trimmed to follow the contour of the stringers. All in all it is superb design all around. As I said - the original deck was cedar and the ends were not an issue. I still suggest that TT should point out the fact that the core will not match the shell in their marketing pieces.
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If you now have splinter problems now your deck is not Redwood it does not behave that way. Sounds more like preasure treated sanding will get you a year or so then it will do what preasure treated does exposed to the sun. Same thing with trying to flip the boards over. If its that bad Sure, sand/ paint the thing this might give you a year. Your budget will be wrecked using azek or xml. John Hyatt www.deckmastersllc.com
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Hello, As a decking contractor we have had plenty of experience working with All three brands you have mentioned, however one stands out to us as the best product. TimberTech legacy is by far our most popular decking that we install and is one of our favorite collections to recommend to people. The Color lasts and we have yet to have any issues using it. We would also recommend NOT using Azek as PVC decking does fade and it doesn't feel as sturdy as a capped composite decking when installed. Also if there is any issues with your decking down the line TimberTech does a great job at standing behind there warranty on all of there products!
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I am interested learning the differences between the brands of composite and pvc decking and IPE as well. We first considered IPE but heard that it needed to be oiled every year or two in our Temperate climate whereas the Trex and Azek/TimberTech were pretty much maintenance free. Our contractor told us to look at Trex products or the “TimberTech Pro“ group which is Just one of the three or four different Azek product lines. Azek offers some products made from pvc, others are composite, and some have the fake timber effect, others don’t—there really are quite a few different price points and styles which I found somewhat confusing. I am not sure what exactly makes the difference In prices. For now we picked out the tigerwood from TimberTech in part because it is in stock at the lumberyard. For other styles there was a 3 month wait. We may yet change our minds If we hear convincing reviews.
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dennisgli
10 years ago
yes - lineal - my bad.
millworkman
10 years ago
No worries just want to make certain the op gets the right neighborhood.
3katz4me
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks! I haven't looked at anything specific yet, was just looking to see if there is a brand that seems to be holding up. I'm at the point I don't care if it looks like plastic as long as it's easy to maintain and looks like it's clean and not falling apart. I don't mind power washing once in a while to clean it as long as it can be done with plain water. I will go out and take a closer look at the TimberTech offerings.
millworkman
10 years ago
Two of the best available today.
3katz4me
Original Author
10 years ago
Great - thank-you!
3katz4me
Original Author
10 years ago
I was looking more at the TimberTech products online. Are all their product lines good or just the higher end ones like XLM and/or Earthwood Evolutions? Have these been around awhile and proven or is this something relatively new that seems good but time will tell.

Haven't looked at Azek yet.
brittanym
10 years ago
Hello, I am a representative of Trex. You may want to look at Trex Transcend for your project. I would be happy to answer questions about it and any of our other composite materials.

Brittany
Trex

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