This is my first posting on this forum and my opinion does not come from first-hand experience, BUT I have been researching the internet for about one month on this very subject. We are in the process of renovating our (small, uncovered) front porch and the architect gave us a sample of Tendura T&G to consider as well as the name Trex. HE then backed off on his recommendation after more research. I have viewed THIS Forum for answers and another forum for contractors called JLConline. There are many negative opinions about composite materials in porch and decking projects. One contractor complained that the composite material actually expanded 2" after the project completion due to weather, and another contractor admits it takes a special craftsman to know HOW to intall this product. Composite material , apparently still fades over time, (in some cases unevenly) and most postings agree that maintenance is still required.

We have an uncovered harsh western exposure to our front large stoop (small porch) area and we are just now changing our minds back to cedar T&G. even though it is the showpiece area of our home - the front door. I'm afraid southern pine T&G or other more fine hard wood prducts would not last the harsh weather which is why we really wanted Trex or Tendura, but after research... it's back to cedar.

Proper installation is critical for us including pitch away from the house. I'd rather go with what the craftsmen feel most comfortable installing ...AND I have to depend on the general contractor to choose these guys. Our job (unfortunaltely) is too small to warrant top notch craftsman, even though we are willing to "pay".. Still I doubt there are many top notch craftsmen who feel comfortable using composite. Feel free to prove me wrong.

I read another posting that says that the wood particles in these composite materials are usually the poorest quallity wood pieces (leftovers if you will) and this actually leaves the possiblity of breakdown .. I welcome anyone else who is reading this to confirm or reject my reasearch on the subject. There is quite a lot written about this in the archives of this forum and JCLonline.

Thank you

Hey Kathy, I go out on service calls with Folks that have used man made material for decks and a few porches every few days,say 5 every 90 days, pvc product has the highest failure rate on the 180 is TimberTech,trex is very close to pvc.

I am thinking we have to define Failure,,,With a choice deck project I did 6 years ago on a Condo bid the material has completly failed people are cracking it into just from walking on it this Project is 10' off the ground some of it is 30' in full sun with no more than a 16''joist span.Now that is Failure.

Failure can also include how it looks and if the material was advertised to be no or low maintenanace.Black mold will cause total failure as well but not for a while.

Tendura is an orphan composite in a lot of ways, its Failure is always blamed on the Contractor, a short read of the insulation instrustions and the high skill Contractor will move away from biding any thing built with it.

I am at the point now and have been for a while,,, this area of composite material is a gamble,a serch on this site will show pictures of the new trex material they keep selling because they advertise in a big way
even on this site and employment of some high grade lawyers.

I do outdoor areas for a living, If the man made material was doing well down the road I would defently be using it in a big way as a lot of my local Contractors do. I of course have come in contact with ipe.

Kathy,I also am intersted in the bottom line,like you I am involved in several forms conected with the deck business. The Skill of the Carpenter is important, money is also important. To some if the product has good info and the sales rep makes the man a good deal he is going to go for it I understand that.

I am not intrested at this point in the negative slams that go on over here or geting involved in them. I know what I have seen.

I am intersted in positive feed back from Folks who have a 6/7 year old man made project and how its holding up for them.

Side Note>>> That choice condo project had a lot
of left over material nothing was in a mult. I used some of this decking on my upstairs stair way with the Butler Manor wrap around second story deck all the treads were done with them I put two coats of twp 116 on them. I have none of the failure issues the condo has. Why is this?? I really dont know. Could be the direct sunlight on the flip side I have a big time trouble tree with all sorts of sap and bird presents, Could be I dont have near the trafic the condo hasMabey if the man made stuff gets regular finish it will hold up, but then that negates the reason for buying it in the first place, but then it is easier to just wash off composite and put a coat of finish on and it wont splinter up, but then some composite wont take finish all that well, but then some composite says it has new uv protection and wont stain up at all.

With me I dont have to worry about it,when I go out on a bid I take TT product and ipe with me all the Wallet has to do is look at the two,most of the time they go with ipe.But then Man that TimberTech grouved ipe look alike is some fine looking stuff I dont like the clips they should be stainless and the grouve will colect all the dirt/leaves/ and its really high $ like all composite is now days, higher than ipe installing ipe to me is just as easy as puting TT with the clips, But then............ John

John,
Thank you for responding. I've been reading some of your other comments on this forum. Seems like you are a regular here, and so is another guy named "Ken".

I will look into TT but would you do me the honor of just defining IPE with a basic description of this product? Is it a natural hard wood from Brazil? Can I get it at a Big Box dealer? Does it come T&G? Would my GC know about it in the Chicagoland area? I'm a little rushed to make a decision on this.

Kathy

Yup its a natural hard wood from Brazil,the Box stores do not sell it, one really good place to get it>> EastTeak Lumber 800 338 5636 the George can deffently get ipe to you in ChicagolandGeorge can also mill ipe to T&G, I put down a fair amount of T&G decking sometimes under a proch sometimes completly exposed to the weather. Usually a GC will not know about this material but the poster with the purple heart deck had a builder that put it down with little understanding of the wood and did pretty good.

I have been installing ipe for 10 years or so,we have it down to production at this point pretty darn fast but many DIY folks pick it up quickly. The idea is not to fight it or get mad and start puting it down with a nail gun. Work with the wood not against it. J

We have a large (30' x 35' surrounding a pool) deck with Trex deck boards. It is built on pressure-treated lumber on 12" centers and is approx. 12 years old. Trex requires extra support and I believe they spec. 12" centers for deck joists. The deck has needed a yearly scrub-down with bleach to clean off stains and mould. The decking also fades almost immediately, so be sure to test a sample in the sun for a couple of weeks to confirm color. The problem we have this year is that the pressure-treated lumber behind the stair risers is rotting. Water is getting trapped between the Trex and the PT. Be sure the decking is spaced to drain, and design the support system to eliminate trapped moisture. Other than that, the Trex feels great on bare-feet, has great traction when wet and the Trex itself has not failed in 12 years.

I have 7 year old Trex on my boat dock, Around 1,000 sq ft. A big investment but well worth it. The old Trex never looked awesome but it certainly does last. I've pressure washed once & it cleans up like new. I Expect it will go another 20 years easy and it does feel great under your feet. This stuff really is about as maintenance free as it gets. Can you imagine refinishing 1000sq every few years, not to mention the splinters. Most of the new docks are using composits or poured concrete.

Again (while I am looking around for new porch advice), I must comment that we have Trex that is more than 7 years old. Besides the fading, it looks new as opposed to the pressure-treated wood we used for all the railing. Since my husband does as little maintenance (he'd rather fish) as possible, it was worth it to me. If you are someone who would be bothered by the fact that it doesn't look like real wood and you either don't mind doing the maintenance (I will leave my husband for you in a heartbeat if you are!) or are will to pay someone else to do it, then go with the wood.

Looking for insight on the DuxxBak decking. I don’t know if it’s pvc or what material. My contractor raves over it -with a watertight surface for my second floor deck. VERY expensive.