Im going to be doing a deck by the water. I’m not interested in using ptreated material for the decking. Its going to be for myself and want the decking to be as maitenence free as possible. I’ve yet to use the composite/ recycled decking materials. What have people used in the past, how has it held up, & did you use a fastening system or simply nail or screw the material? any input will be appreciated
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Lefty,
I have approx. 1000 sq. ft. of Trex brand composite decking in my yard. It's been there almost a year and so far so good. It is impervious to moisture, insects (including termites), won't rot, chip, peel, splinter, warp, twist or crack. It will change color, e.g., mine started as tan and now is a silvery gray. It is expensive but when you take into account all the problems it solves over wood I thing it's well worth it. One of the beauties of composite decking is that you don't need a structure to keep it off of the ground. Here is one way to do it: 1) Dig the dirt down sufficiently so that there is enough room for pea gravel, runners, and the deck itself. 2) Tamp the dirt down with one of those gas powered thumpers. The soil need not be level because you will level it out with pea gravel. 3) Put down a layer of pea gravel (1" is probably sufficient and more won't hurt). 4) Adjust the amount of pea gravel such that it is level and that when you lay down the runners and the deck boards the height will be correct. 5) Lay down the runners, which you make by ripping the deck boards to a width of 2-3". Follow the manufacturers recommedations for runner spacing. Don't make the runners too long becuase they will expand slightly the first time they get wet and if one or both ends try to push against imoveable objects they will buckle. 6) Lay down the deck boards. Follow the manufacturers recommendations for spacing between boards. Again, don't make the boards too long becuase they will expand slightly the first time they get wet and if one or both ends try to push against imoveable objects they will buckle. If the gravel touches the underside of the deck boards remove some. It is only neccessary to support the deck boards at the runners. In fact, everything will dry faster if the boards DON'T touch the gravel in between runners. 7) Attach the boards to the runners using deck screws of your choice. I have #8 X 2.5". Another beaty of composite decking is that you don't need to drill pilot holes. Also: some brands of screws won't create "mushrooms" around the screw head, which means you'll be able to see the heads. I personally prefer that the decking "mushrooms" around the heads because then the material covers the heads and they are less noticealbe. You can also use "trim head" screws, which will supposedly be even less noticeable. The steps I described are for Trex brand. There are at least 3 other brands available so follow the recommendations for whatever brand you choose. I honesly believe that composite decking is one of best ideas since sliced bread and If I had it to do over again I would still use it. Good Luck! Did you know: Trex is made of sawdust and recycled grocery bags and food service plastic film.