We used trex when we built about four years ago and it has held up very well.

Do your friends with the Trex (who are happy with it) live in the same area you do? Our lakehouse has composite decking, (though I don't know which brand it is) which was built along with the house in 2007. It didn't look great when we bought the house five years ago; it's very fad and looks scratched (paler random marks ALL over the surface). As far as integrity though, it is not at all compromised in that regard, the way a wood deck would be by now.

I've looked into improving the appearance of it, and have learned two things:

1. Apparently, power washing it will make it look even worse according to multiple sources. I don't like owning a product that cannot be improved through cleaning or maintenance, and which can only be replaced. So I would ask about that.
2. The appearance of composite decking is most tied to the weather in the area it is installed. We are in Texas so we deal with extreme heat and temperatures. Our deck is fully covered with the house roof extended over it, so it is not in full sun like some are, though there is some sun on various parts throughout the day. Nevertheless, it is really, really faded looking. This is why I was asking if your friends live in the same area you do.

My MIL has one but it is several years old. More than 10 years old, but I'm not sure how old. It has held up very well, not faded, etc. I've not noticed scratches. I will say, she does not use it alot (and has not over the years). We probably see it more than she does. One thing stands out though, if I am in certain type shoes (not flip flops, etc.) there have been times I feel like I could slip. I never have, but there has been that feeling, so I am always careful. I'm sure she's not out there in anything other than slippers, sneakers, flip-flops, etc. We are often by there when we have been out, and have on different soled shoes. If that makes sense.

Thanks all!

@mojomom - do you happen to know which type of Trex you installed?

@Bestyears - yes the friends are nearby. I guess it's probably a good thing that it ends up covered with snow at least four months of the year. We have some 20+ year old composite deck at our main house that I imagine is Trex - not sure how many other brands they had back then. It's still functional but looks horrible. We did power wash it and it looked better until the following year but I don't think it's any worse than it was originally but it was pretty bad to start with. It also needs to be replaced but is lower on the priority list since it's not hazardous and we don't use it that much since we spend summer weekends at the lake.

@Tina Marie - the person at the store where I got the samples also mentioned that some types of Trex are slipperier than others but she didn't know which. I'll ask the contractor about that as he's installed a lot of it. I know it's also hot underfoot which isn't the case with our old wood deck. I love going barefoot so I'll have to get used to putting something on my feet before I head out there.

I have trex installed about 20 years ago and have hated it from day one. It immediately got black moldy spots INSIDE the boards that are impossible to remove. There were lawsuits about it well before I bought mine, but I didn’t know. They continued to sell it with the same problems and no warnings. At the time, it was pretty much the only game in town, but today if I had the choice of a different brand I wouldn’t buy Trex, if only because of their disregard for consumer problems with it.

We installed Trex Select 3-4 years ago. I cannot get white bird poo off of the deck. I've scrubbed it on hands and knees, used the jet stream from the hose but alas it appears to be permantely stained. It takes forever to dry. I miss my wood desk even with the maintenance. I think it looks really fake.

We used Trex Transcend on a screened-in porch last year. It's great so far but obviously that's a fairly brief period and different than a deck. I had also heard about scratching with the Select lines which is why I went with Transcend.

We purchased this house with a huge Trex deck. It had pine support trusses that had rotted, but the Trex was like new! Great Horned owls hung out on the gluelam-beams, pooping on the Trex. I'd get out a bucket of water & a scrub brush...it cleaned right up. (I go out and clap my hands at them when they land) The neighbors two doors down did scorched earth....built a whole new Trex deck because the pine supports were rotted. They LOVE the new Trex decking. We just sawed off the old pine supports and installed new pressure treated ones, then cabot stained them. The Trex is looking good! The color is saddle.

I still own one house with a redwood deck. Keeping it up is a total pain. The house I sold had extensive redwood decking....awful maintenance & upkeep.

Actually....several neighbors replaced their deck because of rotted pine supports. They didn't use flashing...poorly done. Everyone HERE loves Trex! All the homes at the home shows use Trex too.

I forgot another downside but it’s not brand specific and that is how hot it gets in the sun. You dare not step on it barefoot.

We installed a smallish Trex deck grilling area about nine months ago at my sons townhome. I love it but it hasn't been there long enough to give a longevity review. It cleans up easy enough with dish soap. Like olychick said, full sun areas get hot on bare feet. Partial or no sun areas are fine. It does look like painted or stained wood down due to the grain, it's nice and tidy with no trip hazards or maintenance. I would buy again.

EDITED: I might have told a porky pie by accident. I know Trex was one we were looking at but I just checked the width and color on Home*Depot and think it’s the Fiberon ArmorGuard Nantucket Gray groved edge capped composite that we bought. I’ll let you know once my husband gets back. If I remember correctly we decided to spend a bit more as we hoped it would last son longer. It’s very attractive.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Fiberon-ArmorGuard-15-16-in-x-5-1-4-in-x-12-ft-Nantucket-Gray-Grooved-Edge-Capped-Composite-Decking-Board-BRDVCG-NG-12/202594359#overlay

Yep, we bought the Fiberon AmorGuard. I’m sorry for the mixup🤤 I like this color, doesn’t show dog prints as easy.

We used Azek Porch, it was either oyster or slate gray. We have had it on our MBR deck in Maine since 2014. A year ago we replaced the wrap around porch and front steps. I reallllllly hesitated, on a 1904 house. It looks, wears, and feels great.

Hmm, I walk on it barefoot all the time --- the shaded and unshaded.

My deck is Timbertech Legacy completed in 2015. Still looks great!

Thanks all. I'm going to go with the Trex since that's what my contractor has a lot of experience with and the people I know who have newer Trex have been happy with it. Mtn - I imagine if you have a lighter color it's not nearly as hot as the darker ones. In our case we'll have a medium brown which I think will be hot in the afternoon sun on our southwest facing deck. He came out yesterday to measure and discuss the project. Will probably start end of April and it will only take a week thankfully. Once it finally gets warm we are anxious to use our screen porch and the grill and deck furniture are currently in the porch for the winter. Probably won't get everything cleaned up and in place until after the new deck is done. Only two more decks to go after this one....

First of all, check all of your different hardware stores. We have a couple of different local lumber stores that had HUGE displays. Big decks made out of all the different brands so you could see a good example of how they really look. That's how I ruled out Trex and went for Azek.

Trex looks more fake. The major problem is that for the cheaper ones, the grain pattern repeats in a really obvious looking way (pic below). It looks like "toy" wood. Their more expensive grades look better. There are some colors that look more similar to solid stain, which I think actually look best. If you go for a natural wood look, the darker ones look better (the light-medium ones look really streaky and weird).

I have Azek Vintage Collection and love it. It's never going to totally look like real wood, but I honestly think it's more convincing than any of the other brands. Only one regret: I chose English Walnut and it's kind of dull. I wish I had held out for Mahogany, a deeper, warmer brown. But otherwise I love it. It cleans SO easily and it feels really grippy and safe in the rain.

ONE caveat: my Aunt also got Azek, from their cheapest line. When my sister and I walked on it in Birkenstocks, we built up so much static that we got a shock every time we touched metal. It was REALLY bad. This was in New Mexico, therefore super dry. I'm not sure if it's because I live in Seattle, or because I got a different grade of Azek, but I don't get any static on my own porch.

This is the cheapest Trex, with the obnoxious grain pattern:

This popped up in my Consumer Reports today - deck ratings

https://www.consumerreports.org/products/decking-33145/deck-boards-33144/view2/

I no longer have a subscription to CR so unable to read that report. We've decided on the second level from the top of the Trex line in the lightest color that goes with our siding and adjacent porch floor which is wood. Though the top level tries to look more like wood, to me it just makes it more obvious that it's not. The level we chose makes less of an attempt to make plastic look like wood - more uniform in color - which I actually like better. I know it's not wood so no need to pay more for something trying to look like wood. We're really more about the function/maintenance and less about having a beautiful deck and anything will look 1000 times better than what we have now.