I looked at it and opted for https://www.dekdrain.com/ instead. As I recall, it was less money and I thought it would be a better system.
Composite decking
- Thread starter hawkeyejr
- Start date
Many composite decks still need the power washing, but it is better than staining. Mine is so shaded that I have to power wash it at least once a year (usually twice) to get the mold discoloration off of it. If I use Mold Armor on it I can sometimes get by with one power washing per year.
but with cedar you have to be careful or you chew up the wood.
We had someone suggest something similar, only using vinal siding instead of metal. Thanks for the input.
Fantastic. Bone dry except for a couple drips when it rains hard at the corners connected to the house.
Anyone else have trouble with composite decks being slippery when wet or in the winter? My Dad's steps are really slick when they are wet. The deck is the UltraDeck composite from Menards. I was wondering if there was any product that could be applied to the steps make them less slick.
Maybe us outcasts from the Locker Room of Warchant are classing up this place.
I guess I've never really noticed that with ours. That said, it really doesn't get any use in the winter.
His deck is attached to the back door. The steps are to the most often used entry into the house. I'm thinking of putting some kind of gritty additive into some satin clear coat and applying it to the steps. I'll try it on a scrap piece first though.
I put some of those on 2 years ago and they worked, but they started peeling off this year so I removed them. I could put some new ones down, but I was looking for a more permanent solution if possible.
Anti skid tape.
I think that's likely true regardless of color.
Wood is more work to maintain, but it's always cooler to the touch.
Not that bad; it's moving all the stuff off the deck that sucks.
Pressure washing takes about 30 minutes.
Staining is a morning job, and goes pretty fast with rollers.
But, compared to Trex, it is more work.
Here's what I do (and I skipped last year, so may take a little longer to wash/prep this time)
- Get a pressure washer deck attachment; has a spinning brush that really cleans quickly and well
- Give it a quick once-over if dirty; if it's new wood, skip this
- Oxiclean-mop the deck; whatever the box mixture concentration says; skip the HomeDepot/Lowes deck cleaners like Olympic that are literally overpriced bleach and are very bad for your wood
- Do a quick pressure clean or just hose off
- If you want, mix up Home Depot deck brightener (oxalic acid - but check the MSDS to make sure they didn't revert back to bleach) and mop that on; Home Depot's deck brighter works well, but you can get this in a powder I think
- Pressure wash the deck clean
- Let dry a day or two
- Roller on some Armstrong-Clark stain. I've used this a few years now, and can go 2 yrs before restaining. If the dog didn't scuff up his OmiGod-I-Gotta-Get-Off-The-Deck-To-Chase-A-Tennis-Ball-or-Squirrel path, it'd be more like 3 yrs.
- If it soaks in fast, add another quick coat; it dries in an hour
Last shipment I ordered from them showed up FedEx, and at the last minute the truck drove off and listed an "exception". They had dropped the bucket on its lid and it leaked, so A-C shipped me a whole new 5 gallon bucket. A week later, FedEx delivered the bagged and taped up damaged bucket, which was mostly just dented and still had nearly all the stain in it.
I have two decks (15x20 and 20x20) and a front porch, and I think they used around 3 or 4 gallons for coverage overall the first time. Later coats take less.
Yes, wood is more work. But I like the wood, particularly barefoot in the summer.
Not a big deal if your deck gets afternoon shade, but if you have afternoon sun, you won't be walking barefoot on Trex, IMO.
The 'moving shit around' takes the longest. Washing the decks and mopping stuff on is literally 15 minutes or so. Staining maybe an hour for each deck, if only doing the foot-surfaces.
Uh, c’mon dude. Of course, do you call an electrician to change lightbulbs in your house.
You won't be walking barefoot after getting a splinter either. Big issue with wood decks over 5 years old.Here's what I do (and I skipped last year, so may take a little longer to wash/prep this time)
- Get a pressure washer deck attachment; has a spinning brush that really cleans quickly and well
https://www.armstrongclarkstain.com/wood-and-decking-stains
- Give it a quick once-over if dirty; if it's new wood, skip this
- Oxiclean-mop the deck; whatever the box mixture concentration says; skip the HomeDepot/Lowes deck cleaners like Olympic that are literally overpriced bleach and are very bad for your wood
- Do a quick pressure clean or just hose off
- If you want, mix up Home Depot deck brightener (oxalic acid - but check the MSDS to make sure they didn't revert back to bleach) and mop that on; Home Depot's deck brighter works well, but you can get this in a powder I think
- Pressure wash the deck clean
- Let dry a day or two
- Roller on some Armstrong-Clark stain. I've used this a few years now, and can go 2 yrs before restaining. If the dog didn't scuff up his OmiGod-I-Gotta-Get-Off-The-Deck-To-Chase-A-Tennis-Ball-or-Squirrel path, it'd be more like 3 yrs.
- If it soaks in fast, add another quick coat; it dries in an hour
Last shipment I ordered from them showed up FedEx, and at the last minute the truck drove off and listed an "exception". They had dropped the bucket on its lid and it leaked, so A-C shipped me a whole new 5 gallon bucket. A week later, FedEx delivered the bagged and taped up damaged bucket, which was mostly just dented and still had nearly all the stain in it.
I have two decks (15x20 and 20x20) and a front porch, and I think they used around 3 or 4 gallons for coverage overall the first time. Later coats take less.
Yes, wood is more work. But I like the wood, particularly barefoot in the summer.
Not a big deal if your deck gets afternoon shade, but if you have afternoon sun, you won't be walking barefoot on Trex, IMO.
The 'moving shit around' takes the longest. Washing the decks and mopping stuff on is literally 15 minutes or so. Staining maybe an hour for each deck, if only doing the foot-surfaces.
I have a light gray deck on the south side of the house - it gets hot but bare feet are ok unless it's 90+ degrees and we don't go on the deck then anyway.
I was just f’ing with you of course. Only poor people like me know about construction. No reason to know about it if you’re wealthy.
I was just talking about this with my uncle the other day. My great grandfather was a carpenter and my grandpa was a farmer. I asked if he thought they would be proud of me for making a nice white collar living or disgusted by how little of handyman skills I have. He said disgusted for sure.
