TREX Accents Composite Decking, is the most common brand found in our area. Although I have very little experience with composites, (I’m an old redwood and cedar guy), my son John-also a contractor has used TREX Accents on many projects.
The thing that John’s customers like about this stuff, is that it is reversible-meaning you have a choice of a smooth surface or one that has a simulated wood grain texture. Although most customers prefer the wood grain, some have opted for the smoother side.
Trex Profiles
The Accents brand, comes in several different profiles such as 5/4” x 6”, grooved 5/4” x 6” and the good ol’ standard 2”x 6”, that this old goat is familiar with. All three profiles come in 12′, 16′, and 20′ lengths. They are all available in the following colors; Woodland Brown, Winchester Gray, Saddle and Madeira. (Winchester Grey, is by far the most popular color in our area, with Saddle a close second).
UPDATE!! Brittany, a rep from Trex, just emailed me, saying they now carry a 1×6 deck board that comes either square edged or grooved for the hidden fasteners. I am awaiting further details and will update the information as it develops. (My thanks to Britany)!!
John says, that all the Trex Accent he has installed, has been the 5/4” x 6” decking on 16” centers.
Installation
Installation is a snap, with either surface mounted-colored to match screws, or TREX’s “Hideaway,” Hidden Fastener System, used with their 5/4”x6” grooved decking boards. John states, that he hasn’t had a customer yet, requesting the hidden fastener system. His conclusion, is that it may be the additional cost of the grooved boards and the “Hideaway” fastener’s).
TREX has a host of installation videos available. They cover basic installation techniques, using colored surface screws, the TREX Deck Hideaway Fastener System, (Used with their grooved deck boards), and good videos on TREX Artisan and TREX Designer Series railing systems. (Take me to the videos!)
Weathering
Just like redwood or cedar decking, Trex Accents fades somewhat over time, when exposed to sunlight and rain. Trex states that it takes somewhere between twelve to sixteen weeks, for this to occur, dependent on the type of weather, the material is exposed to.
Trex Accents Weathing Samples
Image Copyright © Trex.com/From Trex Decking and Railing Brochure
If your looking for something that will not fade as much or very little, check out Trex Escapes. It uses cellular PVC technology that will not weather as much as other Trex products, however it will lighten a bit, over a longer period of time.
Cleaning
Although I have read some complaints of staining and mildew problems, John reports that he hasn’t had any negative feedback, over the many years he has been installing Trex. He has installed it on many residential homes in the city, all the way, to cabins up north, in harsh mountain country.
Just like any wood decking, composites require at a minimum, some basic maintenance. Trex recommends “…a composite cleaner or a combination of soap, hot water, and a soft bristle brush at the time of installation, and semi-annually (typically Spring and Fall) after the installation.”
More info, at Trex Cleaning Guide
Railing
Trex has a host of railing options for any deck, which come in many colors, styles and shapes. Some railing options are Trex Traditional-Similar to what I was familiar with on redwood and cedar decks, Trex Designer, and Trex Transcend. You can also find ADA complaint products and railing ideas.
Warranty
Trex comes with a 25 year limited residential warranty, which you can download-Trex Warranty. John notes that this warranty, will not cover the labor to either remove or replace a damaged Trex product. You should read and become familiar with any manufacturer’s warranty before purchase.
Great article! I am a representative of Trex and I just wanted to add that Trex Accents is now available in a 1×6 in both square edge and grooved boards. These still come in 12, 16, and 20 foot lengths. Please let me know if I can offer additional information.
Brittany
Trex
Posted by BrittanyM | May 5, 2010, 9:55 AMBrittany…Fantastic that a rep of Trex found my article, lol! I am certainly open to any and all new information that you have available, regarding any new materials or methods. I will use this info to update the article, thanks so much! the one question I do have on this 1×6, is what is the joist span for use, and is it possible to get some samples of the 1×6 and the other brands?
Posted by Vinman | May 5, 2010, 10:02 AMHello Vinman,
The 1 x 6 boards should span 16″ on center for 100 psf and 12″ on center for 200 psf. If you are interested in samples, you can visit your local Trex dealer or contact me at 1-800-BUY-TREX.
Brittany
Trex
Posted by BrittanyM | May 11, 2010, 1:51 PMDo you know why the Trex Accents Saddle has 2 different colors? I ordered 70 boards, 48 came in a package and had green colored “Trex – Saddle” labels on each board. The other 22 had brown lables, and don’t match in color (very noticable from certain angles). I took a pic and lowes agreed that the color didn’t match. They’ve been trying to find 22 green labels to match but they are having issues locating. I’m now saying that they need to replace the 48 boards with the green label. They have not been able to tell me what the difference is between the two. Is the green label an older version of Trex Accents?
Do you happen to know of this issue, or know the difference between the labels?
Posted by matt | July 31, 2010, 8:09 AMNot off hand, but several ideas…The SKU label has a 12 digit series of letters and numbers on it. The first two letters, tell you the color-for instance SD=Saddle color. The ninth one is a letter and denotes the type-A=Accent. An F in this block would denote the Fire Defense type. I have never seen or used the Fire Defense decking, but I bet it has a different colored label.
The only other thing I can think of, is that you received two different batch’s of the same product, although I can’t imagine why the labels would be different colors.
One note from experience…Since the home centers order materials in bulk, and depending on when you purchased your product, they may have delivered some materials from an older batch and some from a newer batch, which may result in a difference. This is an unfortunate fact with the home centers and lumber yards, as older materials are sold first, then newer materials.
You may have just received your materials at a point where their wasn’t enough of the older batch and they gave you some of the newer batch, but the difference in labels baffles me.
I have a contact at Trex, and will see what I can find out. Please keep me informed and I will do likewise.
Posted by Vinman | July 31, 2010, 8:07 PMMatt,
I talked to the commercial desk at my local Lowe’s here, where I used to do a lot of business. That fella says the labels are not Lowe’s but a Trex label. He was unaware of the difference in color of the labels however and suggested you contact TREX directly.
I sent an email to Trex yesterday, but it will probably be Monday or Tuesday before I hear back.
Posted by Vinman | August 1, 2010, 11:46 AMI’ve got a picture of the two if anyone interested to see (I can e-mail), with the 2 tags in the view.
But I like the fireproof brand of trex idea. All the Lumber Manager at Lowes told me was that the package of 48 (with the green label) are the good ones, and the other 25 or so are the bad ones (brown/red) label. They were told by Trex that the brown labels were not the “real” product and that they’d replace them with the green labled boards (and pay for the replacement). So that’s why I bet the fireproof thought may be correct. Both labels say “Trex Accents – Saddle”.
Thanks for the comments. I will call Trex if I have problems getting the $$ and replacement boards. Let me know if you hear anything from Trex agent. Thanks
Posted by Matt | August 1, 2010, 9:19 PMMatt,
Had an interesting conversation with my son tonight who is a contractor. A year ago, he and his buddy did a Trex deck up north. He said it was similar to your experience, in that about six of the pieces were noticeably different in color, the six pieces being notably lighter in color.
He said they checked the tags on both types and that they had the same information on them. The one thing they did notice was how weathered the tags on the six pieces were, which told them that those had been stored out in the weather and that the majority was new decking that had probably been covered.
John said that the Trex weathers significantly lighter over a period of weeks (12 weeks), and depending on the length of time it was stored outside uncovered, you would have a wide fluctuation in color difference between old decking and newer decking. He said all the tags he has seen are white in color, so any variation probably shows the material has been stored in the elements. (He said their decking showed the color right on the tag)
Posted by Vinman | August 2, 2010, 6:49 PMIn addition to being well-crafted and beautiful, Trex products are also environmentally friendly. Unlike many environmentally friendly products, Trex is still the best bang for your buck, too. The many different accents are just sort of the icing on the cake–but boy do I love icing! The accents are gorgeous.
Posted by Kaley Hardwick | May 11, 2010, 1:37 PMKaley,
Of course, I to concur with your assessment, lol! Although I should say, it’s my son John who has used the Trex Accents for many years. I know there are a lot of other similar products on market, but why change when something has worked so well over the years.
Posted by Vinman | May 11, 2010, 9:33 PMGreat article! I found a video about cleaning stains off composite decking if your interested!
http://bit.ly/9hrFrx
Posted by Jennifer | June 2, 2010, 10:29 AMMy Trex experience has been horrible! We added an 800 sqft deck around our house overlooking the Columbia River in Washington. The first delivery didn’t look very good but the driver said the product fades to the same color after a while. We installed about 400 sqft of Trex and it didn’t look right at all. Our neighbor is a large contractor so we called him for his opinion. He immediately called the lumber yard and had the rep come out the next day. The rep agreed and thought we got a bad batch or something. The lumber yard brought us replacement materials but we had to remove all the boards and stack them back in the driveway (move a few 20 ft boards and you will know why I mentioned that fact – not to mention removing all the screws and the time it takes to cut and place the boards just right).
Anyway, the new material looked much better and the deck was great for the first summer. By the end of the first winter we had flaking and some rot in a few of the boards. We let another year go by and many of the boards have rotted or are flaking apart.
O.K., I can understand having a product fail – it happens. The last straw for me was trying to get the warranty to cover the product. They don’t allow you to return the product to the lumberyard or have someone come look at it. You have to write letters with copies of proof of purchase to Virginia. Then you get e-mails with the runaround and more forms to fill out. Now they say my product is part of a class-action lawsuit and I have to fill out a packet of material to get remedy from the lawsuit. I’ve given up. The amount of time I’ve spent trying to get some boards replaced isn’t worth the hassle – I’m just going to buy replacement boards and will make sure everyone I know stays clear of Trex.
Posted by Pat | June 2, 2010, 9:07 PMI concur with Pat. The company is dodging its responsibility and sticking the consumer. A plastic extrusion engineer warned me 10 years ago to stay away from Trex material but we liked the way it looked. After 2 full replacements we now say, use anyone but Trex.
Posted by Tom DeBenedetti | August 29, 2010, 4:15 PMI was wondeing if any trex 5/4 could be special ordered for a longer length. My deck is @ 22 feet and I didnt want any seams.
Posted by Dale F. | July 11, 2010, 1:45 PMHi Dale, thanks for your question.
The only lengths available on Trex, are 12′, 16, or 20 foot. There is no special order available for 22 foot lengths. As a side note, some of the 5/4″ decking lengths have to be special ordered. See this link, Installation Guide for Decking and scroll down to Page 4, Specification and Profiles. Under the Description column, it will tell you what style lengths have to be special ordered.
One way to go about longer lengths, is to install some of the decking parallel to your main deck at both edges or even in the center, to make up for the difference. Trex also suggests using a different color on these opposite installed members to enhance the look of the decking. You still have to butt your main boards to these, and it does create more gaps.
If your lucky and your width is less than your length, you can install your decking that way, or possibly install it at an angle, say 45 degree’s.
Following are some links to check out:
Some examples here of using a center board to butt to, and edging boards. Trex Photo Gallery
Trex has some great deck planning ideas and a nifty little deck design tool you might find handy.
Deck Planning 101
http://www.trex.com/deckdesigner/default.aspx
Posted by Vinman | July 12, 2010, 10:00 AMAll of the above is from the past. The west coast customers must use the Fernly Nevada plant and the product coming from there is junk. We have had to file a claim for a second time in 6 years. The product, Accents, begins to break down in about 18 months. By 36 months, it is flacking, holding water, showing mold spots. The surface begins to decompose to dust within the first 18 months. The simulated wood grain surface soon disappears as the surface deteriorates. The company warranty program was very good the first time including partial cost of installing, disposing of rotted boards, new screws. Now they only want to follow the class action suit they lost. It will cost you over twice the cost of material to install. With only a 3 year life it is not worth it. I would strongly suggest anyone look for a better product.
Posted by Tom DeBenedetti | August 29, 2010, 4:11 PMThanks for your input Tom,
As I have said before, it behooves anyone contemplating using a particular brand, whether it be composite decking or other material to do ones homework. Research on the internet is so easy these days, that I can’t imagine anyone, not taking the time to seek out the pro’s and con’s of any kind of material or product you wish to use. The one reason I post these horror stories, is to build a record, pro or con of the product we are discussing. As always, I am interested in images of the damaged product, type of product, region of the country etc. Some learn the hard and expensive way, and it’s nice these folks can pass on their experiences for others to ponder, before making such a huge investment.
Posted by Vinman | September 2, 2010, 9:00 PMI have had nothing but horrible experiences with Trex Deck and their warranty program. What a joke. Our Trex deck is covered with mold and has been since 6 months after installation. All you have to do is search the web to read about the extensive problems this product has had. Their are class action lawsuits related to molding and the warranty program. I would highly reccomend that you do some research before using Trex.
Posted by Randy | February 28, 2011, 8:32 AMTrex was the worst decision we made. First, it requires constant cleaning just to make look half way decent and even then it still looks horrible. It stains easily, it fades quickly, and it develops “mold” spots that cannot be removed (I’ve tried just about ever kind of recommended cleaner). I am certain that it will look so bad in just a few more years (it is 4 years old now) that it will need to be replaced. Trex Decks are simply a waste of money!
Posted by Todd | May 30, 2011, 7:22 AMAnother in a long line of complaints for Trex Composite Decking. Sorry to hear about all your problems. It would be nice for others searching for information, if you could tell us what type, aka Accent, Transcend, etc., when you purchased it, where from, what part of country you live in and even submit some photos. Thanks again for your input, so that others may decide.
Posted by Vinman | May 30, 2011, 10:29 AMIt was for us too.Ours is not even 2 years old and we have had it replaced once already because of mold.And now,we have mold again.Looking for an attorney.
Posted by Mark | August 20, 2011, 10:15 AMI have the Trex Transcend in Tree House color. The 5/4 boards in 16′ length came in about 1/8″ wider than the 5/4 boards in 12′ length, I have had major problems with Trex trying to get them to correct this problem. BTW I got the grooved boards and the hidden fasteners.
Posted by Tom | June 1, 2011, 11:42 AM