I have a neighbor/friend who had a Trex deck installed about 2 years ago. I work for a paint company and we make, among other products, wood stains for the log home industry. My years of experience has afforded me a knowledge of wood and chemistry. I cautioned my neighbor about the Trex deck because it did not seem to me that the components it was made of could possibly hold up to the weather as the Trex people seemed to imply. Recycled plastic polyethylene intermixed with wood fiber is not a very weather resistant combination. The wood fiber breaks down rapidly when exposed to UV and is very vunerable to fungus and the plastic is minimally UV resistant. It appears I was right. His deck is stained with mold annd mildew, the plastic is degrading on the surface and a white powdery residue is the by product. How anyone could believe that this combination of raw materials is suitable for a "maintenance-free" deck is beyond me. Didn't this company do their testing before marketing with such bold claims. And the irony is the Trex company is telling my neighbor that painting the deck is a good alternative. So much for maintenance free. As it turns out, my neighbor's Trex deck is is turning out to be more of a maintnance problem than my PT deck. It looks much uglier than my 1996 deck and the cost of the TRex deck was much greater and it is doubtful his Trex deck will last as long. I can't believe the Trex company isn't on the verge of some major legal problems with its product.
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