Deck Material Suggestions

The decking on my 16’ X 24’ deck and related steps need to be replaced and I’m looking for suggestions on materials and finishes.
The current decking is PT wood and it started rotting bit by bit a couple of years back at only 6 years old. I think most of the short life because I used HD Deck-Over on it and the wood couldn’t “breathe”. A friend has the same issue.
Note that the thickness of the decking is 5/4. I don’t know if I have enough space to go to 2X thickness. Joists are 12” O.C. Railings are vinyl and don’t need replacement.
I will consider using PT wood again but will definitely finish it a different way.
Not sure about cedar since I’ve never installed it before.
I pretty much have ruled out Trex, etc. because the deck is in full sun and plastics get hot as hell and my family likes to run around in bare feet.
Temp-wise, aluminum is best (there are videos out there doing temp comparisons and aluminum stays the coolest). But I’m concerned about the “clinking” noises as it expands and contracts. And it’s the most expensive.
Decisions, decisions!

 

Genovations Decking. There is a distributor in PA.

 

Pressure treated.

 

Doing this right now as we speak I went back to PT wood never going to stain like i did to the old I'm just going to use the water sealer on it every yr. Or I may do this also maybe
this was my deck before I started and this was taken today.

 

My next decking will be the composite material. Susposed to last 25 years. Trex is the brand and is sold at Lowes.

 

I was told to stay away from it. I guess because my joist are 16 on center and a good chance of them warping in just a few yrs idk how true that is but that's alot of money to see go to waste.

 

I did my porch in 3/4 yellow pine. But its covered

 

A buddy has had his maybe 10 or 12 years. It looks like he put it down yesterday. I think he did 12" on center. It even held up from last years hail.

 

Man that's nice ! Fancy Haha

 

I'm digging it.

 

Thank you. Not fancy. I made everything. Had too, couldn't afford much

 

If I was going to do it again I would make some changes. Like I would square off the front soffits instead of running them with the angle of the roof.

 

Trex is fine for 16" center joists for 90 degree install you generally only need 12" centers if doing a 45 degree install, and the end result, lack of maintenance and longevity are worth the cost

 

Ipe would be my choice if I could afford it. I'd stay away from composite. If you do pressure treated again go with Armstrong Clark deck stain, and do not get a solid color stain, go with transparent or semi transparent.

 

Look into Armstrong Clark stain/sealer. You won't be disappointed. Don't buy from the big box stores.

 

I personally prefer PT. It can still twist and crack and split especially if not stained/sealed. How are the joists? If they are fine, run flashing over the tops of them, that will extended their life a lot.

I have redone mine and most of my family’s covered decks with used Trex. I got it from jobs where the owner had it warrantied and replaced with new. I only did the jobs, didnt handle any of the warranty requests so I dont know how well the company deals with issues.

 

pressure treated lumber is fine for joist because it is placed vertically but I prefer cedar.
be sure flash the top of your all your joist as @pickeledpigsfeet suggests.

I would stay away from pt decking if it's not a covered deck .. yes it's treated but it's still an inferior product (hemlock, fir or pine) for an application of full weather.

cedar is the way to go.. softer than redwood & naturally resistant to rot & bugs won't eat it.. just keep up on the stain .. buy clear cedar 1/4 sawn if your budget allows.. tighter grain old growth & no knots

stay away for Trex.. I've seen way to many failures over the years & it is 3 to 4 times the cost of cedar

 

I redid my 16x24 deck with composite boards from Home Depot and composite railing with aluminum baullisters.

 

going to redo my with composite this year

 

Any of the composites are good to go.
Trex will most likely be the most expensive
I order a lot of moisture shield here and folks like it
Grooved edge or square edge cost is the same but with the grooves you have to buy the clips if you want the screws hidden.
The screws are normally sold by the buckets and iirc about 500 to a bucket but I am not sure would have to check.

Also use a deck screw made for composite decking. You should also be able to order them color matched. Again I would have to double check.

Not a fan of deck over. I have heard a few complaints mainly that it peels off after a few years.

Cedar is another great choice and can be left raw or sealed and stained.

 

I feel Trex is overpriced for what it is. I have a few customers with it and it still fades and like mentioned above it gets hot in the sun. Unlike wood when it fades you can recoat, Trex not so much.

 

I used tree several years ago and after 1 summer the color faded badly. Composites are good but I wouldn’t recommend trex. I have heard nothing but good things about Genovations.

 

I pretty much decided that I’m going to use PT decking. What would you use to flash tops of the PT joists?

 

I thought the siding was below deck level?

 

I use this (to cover the joists):

Grace Vycor 4 in. Deck Protector

 

I need to learn to read the WHOLE post

 

That’s what I’m looking at. Expensive as all hell but worth it to extend the life of the deck.
Another question: where the ends of the decking butts together, do you use a double joist? Was thinking about this so the screw holes aren’t too close to the ends of the boards. I also pre-drill those screw holes to prevent splitting.

 

I think PT is your best choice. If installed and maintained properly it will last many many years. We have one covered and one exposed deck with the original PT decking from 23 years ago. The railings have been replaced but not the flooring. I have family that scoffed at the maintenance I put into our decks and went with composite decking. Whatever brands they used have faded and become chalky looking, in addition to sagging in a few spots.

 

No need for double joists if you're pedrilling, also if you use grk deck screws getting a board to split near the end is a real challenge even without pre drilling , they are amazing screws

 

I agree you can do just fine with single joists, even toenail the screws in a bit. Double joists on every joint is much more costly and takes a lot of preplanning.