Alternative to composite decking
 

Got a deck on a rental. 14' long covered with 18 2x6's. Top of the wood is checked and split pretty badly. Priced composite decking at Home Depot. About $500. Any other ideas out there? Seems too expensive. I may just turn the 2x6's over which should get me a few years, but if there is a long lasting alternative to high priced composites I'd like to know.

Decks, in general are money pits - that and an unknown, potentially massive insurance liability - neither of which I would want as a landlord. I'd remove it, unless it is an essential part of the unit's entry/exit system. Too many decks can literally go south, if you know what I mean.

What is your time worth? Do you want to stain it every couple of years or what? You have to make sure that you have enough stud to make composite work since it is more flexible than wood. If so, I would go for it since it is maintenance free.

with all due respect, is every decision you make invariably based on money? or do aesthetic and other concerns occasionally intrude? why would you want to deprive a tenant of a nice deck?

to kerry: i would flip the wood and use some cwf every year, from now on.

It's a rental and that is about money. That said, the more attractive the place, the more you can ask. OTOH, you don't want to get carried away and spend money you may not recover for a long time, not in this market.

And on that note, . I'm no carpenter but I don't see how CFW will fix the splits. Also, there is an issue of liability. IF it gave way and I fell thru, you can bet the next person I will send to you is my lawyer.

It's not structurally unsound, just aesthetically displeasing. What's cwf? I've never put anything on it. It was pretty badly checked when I bought the place 12 yrs ago.
I'm all for maintenance free. It's just that composite decking seems outrageously priced. The existing joists are closely spaced enough for composite.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?keyword=cwf&langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

Again, what is your time worth. Do you want to keep having to maintain it or can you sucker the tenant into doing it every other year?

You bought it 12 yrs ago and is was badly checked then? I'd say you got your $$ out of it. Time to spring for replacement.

cwf is a product from the flood corporation. it's a penetrating oil in a latex vehicle.

to aklim: i do believe he was going to flip the 2 x 6's. however, if they're really warped, it might be time to start over.

i guess i'm a purist; synthetic decks seem... unamerican? :D (actually, probably very american, in the worst way.)

I'm not disputing the fact that something should be done to it. The question is what is the best option. Composite decking seems like an overpriced product, that's why I was wondering if someone knew of an equally durable product at a more reasonable price.

what's the price of redwood, cedar or doug fir, in comparison to the fake stuff?

also, is there a long term track record on the composite stuff? and i think it gets really hot in the summer, more so than wood.

I think I used the Veranda product on a house we renovated to sell 5 years back. I did a new deck and stair treads out of it. The had a "redwood" finish and a blonde or gray. I'd say it held up well - but I'm not sure. It looked good when we left.

If you do go with composite - predrill your holes or the composite material will pucker around the screwhead.

Jimmy

the three banner ads at the bottom of the page are now all for ... composite decking. :D

For a rental I'd price out a list of material- PT decking, composite, redwood, Ipe.... and consider the labor cost for replacement, not forgetting the underpinnings as well, as they may need a close look. Keep in mind that the quality of the deck needs to go with the quality of the rental, and a cheaper material will require additional upkeep. Decks kinda suck for life expectancy depending where they are.

Rumber