We are already committed to TimberTech, for a deck on a shore property. We are trying to decide the pros and cons of XLM vs Valuplank. Right now at home we have a 7 year old Trex deck, which has no woodgrain, and the appearance is just fine to us. We can't decide if having a woodgrain would make the composite look "fake" to us or not. Anybody have real life experience with either of these?

TT T&G decking goes down pretty fast one screw per joists, the new tropic ipe look alike product have been well recieved. Using the clips with pre grouved earthwood 5/4 material goes down much slower. TimberTech decking cost more for good reason. Ipe goes down about the same speed as 5/4 TT with the clips for me. John

I had replaced an 800 sq foot deck with Trex and Azek as the rails. The contractor had to install extra joists . The local lumber yards sold all material for the same cost. Home Depot carries some of the Trex materials and the hangers. United building supply in eastern Ct sells the products as does the local lumber yards. The contractors get a discount price . When you cut the planks there will be an accumulation of,plastic shavings. I have used the dry vacuum to pick up the debris or I had laid a tarp under the table saw to collect the debris. Contractor thought I was nuts. I hated the shavings blown into my garage and the inground pool. I spent near nine grand in materials for the 800 sq foot deck. This included the joist boards, the railing, the hangers , and other nails. You can use screws instead of the hangers. I have moved recently and replaced three decks and a set of stairs with gossen using screws. The new home did not need the hangers since we do not sit on the decks but are just stepping areas into the home. Be careful screwing near edges of the boards or they will split.

We’re in the same situation and have several friends that have built with TimberTech and it has held up for a solid 8-10 years so far. Legacy collection from TimberTech happened to be our visual favorite after going to an expo... but price point is tough to swallow. We’re working with a wholesale company and they said we could get the same two color combos in a similar FiberOn Symmetry collection and save a decent amount... we just have to decide budget/aesthetics/durability etc. We’ll be investing $5K-$9K in retro fitting an old pressure treated deck I built in 2003 and were done staining and power washing. I’d love to know if you found any significant differences between those two brands that helped sway your decision. Cheers from Ohio!