DeacWatcher
Ricky Peral
Some thoughts for you.
Trex and all the composites get much hotter than wood in the sun. I mean uncomfortable to walk on in bare feet hot. OTOH, no splinter risk from composite.
Trex is about 3x the cost of premium PT pine.
Manufacturers of composite decking recommend their own fancy, expensive fasteners, instead of nails or screws.
For longer life, use screws, not nails. Wood tends to shrink as it ages and dries, loosening the nails. rarely does it shrink enough to loosen screws. If screws do get loose, a quick turn with a screwdriver will tighten things up again.
And pay the premium for stainless steel screws. You can thank me in five years for not having rust spots on the deck.
Wood can last a long time. BUT you have to do continual maintenance on it. That means cleaning and restaining/resealing the wood every few years. How long between depends upon the sun exposure your deck gets.
Pressure washing, particularly with higher pressure (3000 Psi) systems can destroy decks. Water at that pressure can actually remove wood fibers from your boards, just like sanding would. Better to use the cheaper, lower pressure washers, use a wide angle nozzle and keep the nozzle up high.
How old is the support structure for the deck? What kind of shape is it in? The condition of the underneath support stuff may be a big factor in getting another 20+ years of life out of the deck.
Pay particular attention to the posts holding up the deck where they meet the ground. Are they directly in the ground, encased in concrete in the ground or on plinths on concrete footers? Posts tend to rot near the air/ground interface because molds and fungi get what they need - oxygen from the air and water from the ground. If your posts are in concrete in the ground, don't let dirt, weeds etc. collect on top of the concrete. keep that area clear.
The support structure is the main problem as the support joists (2x8's) are slowly rotting at the top causing the main boards to start to sag and the SS screws which I have now to not engage with the joists. I have 3 concrete columns underneath holding up the deck but the contractor wants to run a support beam all the way across the porch/deck for better and equal support. The quote I have does not specify how much of the Trex like material will be used but he told me it wasn't Trex but a mid range alternative. He is also quoting steps, handrails, and pickets. Basically it is the works but I still think 24K is kind of steep.
I am going to talk with 2 other contractors about quoting wood and composite and see what they have to say.
Thanks for the help guys!