I am just finalizing a contract to have a Lock-Dry deck built. I got samples of it and the Arridek and felt that the Lock-Dry seemed to be a better product (and certainly has more color choices). The Lock-Dry units are thicker aluminum, more secure fit, and are powder coated to a more stringent standard (and it shows!). Both far exceed weight requirements for decking, but the test reports are a bit different so it is not a direct comparison. This will be about a 600SF deck over a walkout basement, so about 11 feet high with steps. The builder has a lot of deck experience and has worked with Arridek. We are doing Trex transcend railing, a Trex faschia, and wooden framing. Would love to have done the aluminum framing but $$$$$$. The framing definitenly different since the boards are at right angles to the house**. One of our beams will be gluelam to carry more weight with fewer beams. Will upload pictures when it is done. We went with the saddle brown. I like the Dakota woodgrain but felt the cost was not worth the difference in price for me. **you can run them parallel to the house but the wall of our house is 57 feet and the deck width will range from 6 to 14 feet.

Hi, we live in Southern California and I found this website VERY helpful including this specific thread. I am sure by now the OP has already decided on the kind/type of decking to use, but for anyone that is also looking at this thread, I wanted to share my experience with having Trex Transcend installed. We had replaced a 20+ yr old Trex deck that was inherited when we bought the house. That deck was still in amazing condition, but it was the framing that had dry rot so we just decided to redo the whole thing. Ultimately it really come down to whether to stick with Trex or go with another type of decking material from ipe wood to Trex competitors. It was really difficult because there are quite a few competing fake products out there and then of course the tried and true 'real' wood. The arduous part for us was getting through the negative posts about Trex products. I am not a contractor so I am only talking about from a home owners point of view. From a big picture point of view, I dont know anyone can really make broad statements about a company's products when they have several product lines, a stock price that is over $30/shr. I just dont think a company could possibly last that long,e specially in the homebuilding industry. Clearly they must be doing something right vs the mess they are probably most known for from over a decade ago. For us deciding on this specific line was not about which was 'better', wood vs fake. It also wasnt about 0 maintenance claims either. I think we would have been fine with any of the products. We chose this because we liked the hidden fastener system and the splinter factor. But really these are minor details and totally subjective. Our contractor was vastly experienced with all the materials we were considering and was neutral about which we chose. Some tips if you are getting this line: - Make sure the contractor knows what they are doing. Trex is very specific about how it is installed. - Dont expect 0 maintenance. This is simply naive. Anything that has to sit out in the elements will be prone to natures way. - Get the hidden fastening system if you like the aesthetics of indoor flooring. Yes you can have that installed on many other systems including wood, but we were most impressed with the Transcend fastener system. - Think about where you live and look at what contractors do and the successes they have with certain materials. Trex or other fake wood products might not be fully realized in your area. At this point I dont think you can wrong with any product, especially the real thing. Just weigh up the options that are best for you and the lifestyle you have as it relates to how you will use the deck. Its possible that you can save a lot more money in the short/long run when weighing up these options. As far as the photo, we went with Spiced Rum and Vintage Lantern picture frame and fascia boards. White Transcends rail system. The deck is ~630 sq ft and the framing was done to spec per manufacturer in terms of spacing etc. In other words, there will be no sagging. I believe they went with 5/8 spacing on the boards. Good luck!

Wondered how your plans are going. No question that removing the rail would be one of the first things I would do. The other would be replace the counters and do something different on the splash -- even if it is paint. Paint and counters are the things to focus on. I think we have a good chorus going on that theme. ;-) I wouldn't hesitate to do something like an armoire (you can find them used cheap and paint any color you want) for a pantry. An unfitted piece doesn't tie you to anything that can't be easily changed -- maybe used in another room down the road. Another option there might be to use the cabinet that is next to the DW, the drawer stack where you could move the DW and create a hutch on that wall, possibly next to or surrounding your fridge. I wouldn't be inclined to do a two tone trim -- they are just too limiting and I think they tire quickly. Another option you have with those cabinets and the vaulted ceiling would be to raise all of the upper cabinets and install an open shelf below. If you wanted to do something like that, you might consider removing the plate rack or figuring how to tie it in/use it without having too much open storage. I can understand moving the DW. That makes perfect sense. I'm not sure why you would want an island here instead off your table and chairs. I may not be envisioning the way this all works together correctly, but I think you would chop up or box up your space and lose more than you would gain. I don't know that you could seat more than 2 or 3 and you can seat 6 now if you pull the table from the window. In fact, start by pulling the table away from the window and rotating it. Even take the chairs away from the kitchen side and see if you really like the way the space functions. The height will be different, but you can get a better feel for the flow and use of the space. You seem concerned about a dark counter, but with floor and cabinets so close to the same wood, you really need some contrast and charcoal to black will tie in your appliances. Get a more contemporary window treatment -- even a simple shade, and with a new paint color, it will really look totally different. I'd talk to everybody I knew who had done counters and talk to fabricators and stone yards. You don't have a lot of counters to deal with and they are pretty straight and simple pieces. You might find a remnant (lats slab in the lot) or even prefab counters in a simple black granite that would look great. I have nothing against laminate, but a quality one may not be cheaper or much less than a great find in granite. Don't cross it off your list if you haven't looked. Good luck -- let us know how it's going.

yes. I like the warm wood tones. the gray sample doesn't really go w/your siding color (at least in the picture) . Post an overall look of the house and where the decking is going. BTW, we did one in this gray (it wasn't Trex, but a similar brand) and edged it w/natural redwood. (we had the redwood previously but it was attacked by termites, hence the composite stuff). I'm also painting the house in creams, blacks, grays this summer when we get the new roof. So this overhang will prob be charcoal or black color.