Been out of the game a minute, what are the current recommended brands? Trex? Ultradeck? How much per lin foot are they on average? My cedar deck has had it. Time to give it a little tune up.
2 years ago I re decked with 1x5 deck boards, #1 premium treated- they are brown colored, no green. I use the Camo Tool, so no screw holes are showing on top at all. I'll use a sprayer and spray it down once a season with a gallon of that wood sealer/protector. In 2 years it looks great- no maintenance. Even 10-20 years from now, I'll be WAY ahead on $$, even though this wood I bought- From a Real Lumber yard; NOT a big box store was still expensive. I researched all the products, dug deep on reviews, etc. YMMV
this was a good thread from a few months back... http://forums.13x.com/index.php?threads/deck-building.361856/
Glad it worked for your deck. I used 16ft boards. Don't ' member the cost, while expensive, still under the plastics.
Using a garden/bug sprayer I have. Once a year (they recommend every 2 years actually), I coat it with a Thompson Water seal, or similar produce- clear. Takes little to no time, no prep, etc.
The cons to the plastic decks were that if it's on the N. side of your home, it's going to get mildew/mold growing on it w/in years. Oh, and the MAJOR up front product cost too. You think there is no maintenance to those decks? Read up on it. Sanding the mold off, bleaching it every year, etc. I hope it works for you. Research it some, the class action lawsuits, etc. As I type this, I glance out on to my nice deck I isntalled 2 years ago. How there are NO screw holes anywhere to be seen!- Research the camo tool. NO, I didn't putty then in, there are none on top. 2 words, Camo tool
I didn’t, because I LOVED that natural cedar smell and didn’t want to lose that. My deck has a west exposure and there are no trees/structures in the way so it receives a lot of direct sun. It is consistently the hottest area in my yard, which is nice in the spring and fall but can get a little much in the summer.
I just re-did the decking on my rear deck with the Azek stuff this summer. Mine gets blasted by hottest afternoon sun, so mildew not a problem. I don't want to do once-a-year maintenance on wood even if it only takes an afternoon. My feeling about wood is even if you do the sealers, cold/heat/wet cycles will end up with cracking, warping, and weathering and you'll just prolong the lifespan from 10 years to 15-20 years, but it still won't look good for the last half of it unless you're staining/painting or powerwashing/sanding every couple years (definitely more than an afternoon's work). The Azek was expensive ($4000 for 14'x21') but looks good (I also used hidden fasteners), and has a 50-year warranty on stain/fade. I now hope to do zero maintenance for the rest of my home ownership save for maybe washing it off if it gets too much bird poop or dust/leaves on it. We'll see how it goes -- ask me again in 20 years.