#Trex deck pricing per square foot install
#Trex deck pricing per square foot full

#Trex deck pricing per square foot install

In this case, Trex, compared to wood, would offer additional advantages: It would be easier to install on my own because, as with many composites, it offers boards with grooved sides that allow for installation with hidden fasteners getting that seamless look on a wood deck would be a bit more laborious. This would allow me to use the money saved to pay more for whatever materials I chose. With the high price of materials, I decided to tackle the project myself as opposed to hiring a contractor, as originally planned. (Based on current pricing, in 2023, the Trex Enhance decking I used costs about 35 percent more than pressure-treated wood-or $32 per 16-foot board as opposed to $21 per board.)

Before the pandemic, they’d have had to pay nearly twice as much for composite over wood. In fact, it grew so much over the course of the year that people ended up paying only a 10 to 20 percent premium if they opted for Trex instead of pressure-treated pine.

While the cost of all materials was rising, the cost of wood had surged even more. But it’s the opposite for staining: Pressure-treated pine received only average marks for its ability to resist staining because wood is porous. Trex is made with mostly post-consumer plastic mixed with a bit of reclaimed sawdust, and its smooth surface led to poor ratings in our slippage test. Wood has a rougher surface, which, in turn, helps to keep you from slipping. Unfortunately, stain- and slip-resistance are where wood and Trex differ most, according to CR’s tests. Nearly everyone enters and leaves through the back of the house, where the deck would be, and what’s more, I knew we’d have some outdoor furniture and a fire pit on there, so slip-resistance was also a consideration. I also knew that the deck would be heavily trafficked. I grill dinner at least twice a week, even through the winter-and in summer, it’s closer to five. Now, I knew I wasn’t going to put all five grills on there at once, but I’d probably set up my two favorites, the gas and the kamado. With three kids and five grills (I like to use different grills for different tasks), my biggest concern was whether the deck would stain from a spilled Shirley Temple or burger grease. The smaller the gap between supporting joists, the smaller the chance that any decking material will flex or bend. But that could be offset by simply spacing my joists closer together. Wood is a bit firmer, so it gets the better score for resistance to flexing. They earn identical ratings for weathering and resistance to surface damage. There were pricier picks from brands like Fiberon and TimberTech, but while they offer more realistic grain and color patterns, they also cost two to three times more than the basic Trex.ĭigging into CR’s decking ratings, I learned that pressure-treated pine and Trex Enhance have more in common than I anticipated. I would have considered other composite options, but it seemed all but impossible to find enough of any other entry-level composite to finish my project. My only other choice was Trex Enhance Basics, a line of decking most similar to the Trex Enhance you’ll find in our ratings. I’m also handy and fairly good about maintenance, so in addition to staining the wood to maximize its longevity, I knew I’d periodically reseal the deck to keep it protected from the elements and looking its best.

When I’d set out to start my project, those pine boards sold for about half what I would have paid for entry-level Trex decking. Far and away the best-selling decking material in the U.S., it offers the natural beauty of wood at a low cost. Like many homeowners, I was initially drawn to pressure-treated southern yellow pine. Worse, the lumber shortage was so severe that many homeowners and contractors had started buying up much of the composite decking on the market, too-leaving both options quite scarce. I planned my deck to be about 225 square feet, and I really wanted to buy 16-foot deck boards because it would make installation far simpler and help me avoid any visible seams in the surface.īut I still hadn’t been able to decide between wood and Trex, one of the more popular brands of composite decking.

#Trex deck pricing per square foot full

By the spring of 2021, after a full year without steps leading to my back door, I managed to secure enough lumber to build a frame for our deck-required protocol, no matter what kind of decking boards you choose.