Ended up using Mold Armor E-Z Outdoor Cleaner full strength. Applied with a stiff brush and washed off with the hose. Worked great - but I suspect "soap and water" would have worked OK too!

I am about to make the same decision. Can you explain to me why Timber Tech? I am particularly interested in the scratch resisting qualities of the deck material. From what I have read so far Fiberon uses some second generation technology which improves the mold/mildew resistance and the ability to clean it up.

We are getting ready to replace our 1700 sq ft deck around our geodesic dome in Washington State. I really appreciate all the comments. I have been doing a bunch of research and asking people that build, sell decking, etc. The main concern I hear/see is fading of composite (all brands). We saw some that was sitting in a lumberyard that looked terrible--dark green and black spotted algea(it had been returned after not being used for about a year was the explanation by the worker). I am real suspious now of using composite to have a beautiful deck after even 3 years since the shaded areas could end up being hideous next to the faded ares. One contractor showed us a small composite deck in full sun that was white after about 2 years--it had started out a beautiful wood tone. The fading is an issue with all composite from what I read/hear AND you cannot paint it. You can clean it, but when you read the warrantee, pressure washing voids it on some of the brands so hopefully there is some good product (30 Seconds?) that would make this twice yearly chore easy. I understand that large amounts of money is being spent in advertising--how it lasts a lifetime, is easy to work with, uses recycled material, etc. The real test is time. What will our deck look like in 5 years and will it need replaced again because it looks bad? I have written 3 manufacturers asking for decks that I can look at that have been installed for over 5 years. So far, no response. Unfortunately, a geodesic dome like ours wouldn't look right without the raised deck, but I'm still researching.... I would think that lawsuits are going to need to happen to prevent manufacturers from lying about "cool to the touch", etc. We have had the preserved wood deck for 30 years. It requires staining about every other year (Behr) which seems high maintanence, but it lasted AND looked great.

I agree, the quality of treated has declined greatly over the past few years. The primary change has been a cost-saving move to skipping the KDAT (kiln-dried after treatment) step. This results in wood that twists and shrinks a lot after the deck frame is nailed together. Resulting problems are often blamed on the decking surface. I'm glad you identified the problem before installing the decking. I think you will be glad if you give it a few days to do its thing before planing, sometimes snapping a line and circular saw is quicker, then you will have shim stock for the low spots. This problem can also show up on the fascia trim boards, if the frame shrinks it will make the fascia warp. So if the frame is 'preshrunk' you will be better off. On future decks you can look for the KDAT stamp and avoid some of this extra work. KDAT minimizes shrinking, twisting, and warping. It can also be stained, painted, or sealed immediately. Also, it is lighter and therefore easier to handle, and it does make for better nail holding strength, although the lumber itself is not any stronger. By the way, I think the T'Tech Floorizon can span 24" (but check with them first).