Have you heard of “Trex?”
It’s a composite material that looks like wood, but will never need the maintenance of a wood deck.
Sure, it costs more. But certainly you get what you pay for.
Whether you live in a house with a massive back patio, or a condo with a small terrace, you should consider splurging for Trex. I just did. And I’d like to show you a “before and after” at my condo…
I really should have done this a long, long time ago.
I work in a business where people often spend a lot of money on their properties right before they go to sell, and thus they never enjoy it!
I’ll still be at this condo for a couple years, but I wish I had put in this decking when I moved in four years ago.
I was going to do it last summer, but time went on, and it just got away from me.
So I decided to do it this summer, and I set out to do so in May. And as with just about any home renovation project, I didn’t even start until September…
Trex decking is simply awesome. At the risk of sounding like I get paid for this, check out the product at www.trex.com, and the colours and styles at www.shop.trex.com.
Here’s a look at the colour pallet:
I do believe they have more colours, but you get a sense of the grain in the product that looks like real wood, and how much or how little you can go with.
Just like a slate tile, you can get a bit rougher or a bit smoother.
In any event, I decided to go with a medium-grey, and it’s awesome.
I shot “before” and “after” videos, so here’s a look at the former:
Seriously – you have no clue how ugly those patio stones are until you see them up close.
And they’re rough on your feet, and never get clean.
They’re awful, and I hate them. My life feels empty when I stand on them…
Okay, so let’s take a look at the “after” now:
Tell me I’m crazy, but I think it was worth it.
I think you have to spend the most money on the best features of your home, and this terrace, although we only use it four months out of twelve, needs to be maximized.
There isn’t an improvement in any property I’ve ever owned that I felt as good about as this deck.
Yes. Yes, just in time for winter…
Isn’t that always the way?
A Grant
at 7:14 am
Congrats – looks great! Definitely worth it, as that terrace could truly be considered a “second” living space
Kyle
at 8:52 am
Congratulations David, it looks awesome! When are you inviting us all over for a BBQ?
Just wanted to add that TREX is a great product now, but there were some years were it was absolutely rubbish, they bought cheap materials to try to cut costs and had lots of problems with sagging, mold and fading. They ultimately had to settle a large class action suit:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/briansolomon/2015/02/11/garbage-into-gold-inside-trexs-stunning-turnaround/
Catherine M
at 9:00 am
Your terrace looks fantastic!
I truly feel that Trex is worth the cost since it’s fade, stain, scratch and mold resistant. I recently had a two tiered deck built with Trex ‘Transcend’ and I couldn’t be happier with the results.
Now to see if it will truly stand the test of time as my pool surround.
Julie
at 10:07 am
It looks great!! Enjoy! My only complaint about Trex is that if its in full sun, it gets super hot and you need to wear shoes to walk on it.
Noel
at 11:35 am
I’ve tested Trex decks vs what I used which was Ipe and Trex just feels too plasticky, hollow andc chearp, not to mention it scratches over time. Ipe hardly scratches (it’s as hard as steel and incredibly dense and heavy compared to other wood species). One quick coat of Ipe Oil every spring and it looks like the day I installed it (which I actually did myself) with it’s rich beautiful mahogany looking grain. I would never install anything but Ipe again. However, yes, if you are on a budget go for the cheaper plastic-wood composite like Trex (there’s actually a million different manufacturers of that stuff out there).
condodweller
at 2:50 pm
When I did my research into my options, I found that Ipe is the best for this application for the results I would expect. The problem, from what I read was that it loses its rich colour and turns into grey without maintenance. Does the yearly oiling help maintain the rich red colour? Also, were you able to source it locally? I find a good chunk of the expense is shipping from the US, not to mention the current exchange rate. Is splintering not an issue at all due to its hardness and density? This is the only option I would take over composite but only if I had a guarantee that it will not lose its colour with reasonable maintenance. I think the price is worth it given how beautiful it looks.
Kyle
at 3:43 pm
It does lose it’s colour and turn grey when left natural. It needs to be washed and oiled if you want it to keep looking that reddish-brown colour. It is also very expensive to buy and to install. It needs to be pre-drilled before screwing otherwise the screw heads break off, due to the material being so hard. Also on IPE decking the sides are eased (slightly rounded off), when you cut the boards to length, it looks nicer if the cut edges are also rounded off (this needs to be done by hand). Combination of these two things adds a lot more time to the labour quote.
Noel
at 4:17 pm
I just lightly sanded the cut edges but had a perpendicular edge piece to picture frame the deck. It was very little work. You are right about predrilling, but once I got into the groove it went very well. One also has to do a small countersink with the drill bit after predrilling so that the top of the head of the screw is flush with the deck. I used special stainless steel screws with a smaller head that was also pre-painted the same colour as the ipe. The other option is countersinking and plugging but that is an unbelievable amount of work as you then have to cut off the plugs with a japanese saw and that takes forever. I hardly see the screw heads.
I would build this deck again in a minute. I can have 50 people on one of them and it’s as sturdy as can be. I have had so many people remark about how beautiful it is. Everyone seems to want one now that I know.
Noel
at 4:00 pm
Yes it maintains its colour totally. I just do a very light power washing and then apply the ipe oil with a brush. I have 2 decks, one 22 x 8 and one 14 x 11 and it takes me about 90 min each once every spring to apply the oil, then I just let it dry for a day or two. It comes out looking exactly like the day I installed it. I bought my Ipe at Advantage Lumber in Buffalo because I wanted actual 1″ thick ipe (nominal 5/4″) and it was not available in Ontario. The 1″ is less prone to cupping if you have very little airspace underneath the deck and since I was building it 8″ over a concrete deck that was originally going to have stone on it I was worried about that. Otherwise 3/4″ actual will do (16″ centers). I rented a budget panel truck and brought it up myself and just paid the HST at the border.
I have not had one single splinter. It’s as hard as rock. The boardwalk in Atlantic City had all ipe boards and not one was replaced in 30 years until Hurricane Sandy washed way the entire thing.
If you do not apply the ipe oil it will go grey like teak. That is not the look I want.
condodweller
at 6:43 pm
Thanks for the info, when the time comes I will take a closer look at it again. When I read that it fades when not maintained I was worried that it would be difficult to keep the colour and I would definitely not want the grey look, but if one per year cleaning/oiling does the trick that’s not too bad. Mine would be going over the stone tiles David has which makes the 1″ thickness point good to know as well.
As you can tell from my other posts I plan for the long term which ultimately will make it a cheaper option over soft wood that has to be replaced every once in a while and the attractive look with the lack of splintering would further enhance the pleasure of ownership.
I have also read about the difficulty working with Ipe due to the density i.e. pre-drilling, need expensive saw blades to cut through it.
Noel
at 10:20 am
You don’t need an expensive saw blade. I bought a 10″ Dewalt Carbide Blade that cost me less than $50 and lasted (and still works) for cutting the wood on both my decks. I bought Trimtite stainless steel screws with brown coloured heads which were the only item that were expensive aside from the ipe. I also bought 10 driver insert bits which are also used to to do the countersink as well as drive the screws and 10 cobalt drill bits for predrilling. I eventually broke 4 of the driver bits and 5 of the cobalt drill bits. A useful tool is the Bowrench for straightening boards that are slightly warped when you install them. I posted where I bought these below. Lee Valley sells the Bowrench now too.
Everything but the ipe, ie the blade, driver & drill bits, Bowrench and 3,500 screws cost me less than $500. That’s for 2 decks, 22 x 8′ and 14 x 11′ and a set of 5 stairs 11′ x 14″ (both run and rise were Ipe). The joist structure underneath was done with pressure treated wood from Home Depot and Simpson Strong-Ties.
I did all this all by myself with no help.
http://www.trimscrew.com/TRIM-SCREW.htm
http://www.trimscrew.com/Power-Tools.htm
http://www.advantagelumber.com/
Sherry
at 1:25 pm
Sorry I’m rolling my eyes at the Ipe comment -so pretentious. Good for you, dude, with your big budget and contextually-inappropriate tropical wood. David, cool deck! Wow, that’s an amazing amount of space you have. Beautiful. I think it looks lovely, though personally I wouldn’t do it (it’s not environmentally sound as it’ll end up in the landfill one day and it’s plastic) plus I do appreciate things that are the thing they are meant to be and so I have two decks (including a new roof top one) in cedar (not pressure treated – I don’t know what “pressure treated cedar” is?). And, they’re fine, but they do fade. I don’t worry about it, that’s what aging wood looks like and I like the silvering. But that’s probably just me – I have wondered where this Canadian obsession with deck maintenance comes from. It doesn’t really exist in other places.
Noel
at 4:12 pm
Rolls your eyes all you want. Quality and durability is not pretentious. Comments like yours are though!
I paid the same to install it myself as it would have cost someone else to have put in cedar or Trex. So, no big budget required. I guess you hire someone to do everything. How bourgeois! The wood was sustainably harvested. As for ‘contextually inappropriate topical wood’ I take it you only have poplar, maple and cedar in and around your home and shun all mahogany or other similar tropical wood? As for Trex, a substantial part of it is composed of oil products pumped from deep within the ground – hardly ‘contextually appropriate’.
Anyway, I think you need to take a pill and understand what you are talking about before you spew off about things you know nothing about.
crazyegg
at 2:06 pm
Hi All,
Looks very nice indeed.
However, composites means lower maintenance and not no maintenance. It helps if you have a lot of shade and will improve the lifespan.
I used too used to have the Canadian obsession with deck maintenance: sanding, priming, painting every 2 years. Not any more. Too much time and money wasted and no time spent actually enjoying the deck.
My solution: Went to Home Depot and bought an $80 outdoor “cut to order” rug. Looks great and safe for kids. Replace every 2-3 years if needed. Relax. Enjoy.
Regards,
ed…
condodweller
at 2:39 pm
You are crazy! Other than that it looks good. I love the natural looks of real wood, but I hate the fade and splinters. For practical reasons, I would most likely go with the composite as well. I love the fact it will look the same way in 100 years and needs next to 0 maintenance. Are you able to exchange each piece should you get a gouge or a burn mark courtesy of a smoker above? With the gaps and exposed screws I think you should.
The only thing I would do differently is that I would not mix and match wood with composite but that’s a personal preference.
Cool Koshur
at 8:33 pm
I put in a new desk TREX Transcend couple of years after lot of research. They have few models TRANSCEND is top of their line. I am very happy with it so far. I agree with some of comments that they were very poor few years in between and they have recovered pretty well. It is literally no maintenance. Great looks. I also tend to agree that it gets hot when mercury hits mid 30s. It does cost ~2.5x than your pressure treated lumber. I personally think over the course of time it pays for it.
For Patios, I personally prefer Patterned Concrete over stone. It has super curb appeal. I have earth tone color and u can never tell it is concrete
lui
at 12:43 pm
David you still have issues with people throwing crap down on your large patio,if so a person smoking and throwing hot butts down could really do some comestic damage to those flooring.
Boris
at 9:01 am
Trex is garbage. It has some of the worst ratings among any composite decking product. There are countless consumer review sites like this:
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/homeowners/trex_composite_decking.html
In addition, as someone mentioned, in gets VERY hot in the summer. Modern pressure treated decking is miles ahead of where it was just 5 years ago. Check out MicroPro Sienna – beautiful looking treated decking, lasts as long or longer than Trex.
Pauline
at 9:02 pm
Is this something most condos will allow eg “not allowed to put anything on the surface of the balcony/terrace”)?
chiruu k
at 10:18 am
its a good blog about .//stratongroup.com/wpc-decking-cladding-louvers-pergola.html”>composite decking
Susan
at 10:00 pm
Hi I saw this from googling trex Toronto terrace. I have a terrace about the same size and was wondering if I could ask how much your contractor plus materials cost. Also did they have to put wood planks below to nail the tree decking too. Please send me an email. It would be so helpful
Gunn
at 12:01 am
Looks amazing!
Killer color combo!