Replacing Wood Decking With Composite

[Paul S.]

Hello BP community. I have a SFR in North Carolina with a deck on the back of the home that is need of some serious repair. I built this deck myself with treated wood from HD. The deck is approximately 19'X20' (16" on center joist spacing) with a hot tub in the middle of it. (Deck was built around the hot tub) I initially used wood because I liked the look and that is what I could afford at the time. Over the years I have had to make a few small repairs due to a few soft boards here and there. The deck also gets (got) stained every year.Well it is time to replace the entire decking surface and I am considering using composite decking materials. I was wondering what the communities' opinions are about composite decking versus wood decking.

I do realize that the price will probably be around double ($15 sq. ft. wood) compared to ($30-$35 sq. ft.) for composite but most of the warranties (limited) are 25 years against rot, termites, or insect damage. Additionally composite costs a bit more to install and has the potential to get hot due to receiving a lot of sunshine.

I have also seen numerous websites with horror stories about composite decks failing and companies no longer in business to honor the warranty. If I chose the composite I will likely chose one of the more popular brands such as Trex or Azek. Even these more popular companies have had some serious issues and although these are “low” maintenance they must still be maintained and cared for, something the tenant will not do.

So, I was wondering what opinions were floating around out there and if anyone had good or bad experiences.