John gives his vote for TimberTech.

I just installed a TimberTech XLM deck. It is an all-plastic deck as compared to their other composite decking. 18" joist spacing.

I liked the look of the CorrectDeck CX better - which seemed to be a similar product. But my contractor had a bad experience with CorrectDeck and a local lumber yard stocked the XLM at a good price - so I went with that. Check them both out.

Hi, I live in MN south of the Twin Cities. The contractor that installed my PVC deck does most of his installs with CorrectDeck CX. In my opinion it looked like really solid stuff. If I hadn't already placed my order for the PVC/Vinyl I would have considered it, even though it is more expensive. I haven't seen TimberTech XLM so can't comment on it. I did look at the basic TimberTech stuff at Home Depot and wasn't impressed with the look. A friend of mine had a deck built with the basic TimberTech so we'll see how it holds up compared to my PVC deck.

Its a trade off thing,composite high grade should be kept clean not unlike washing your car and is fairley stable.

Plastic decking will not mold up but its not stable that is it expands/contracts a lot with the weather changes and sometimes has to be grounded for static ell problems and of course it looks like what it is plactic. Drift on over to www.mrdeck.com some really far out plastic work. J.

Hi John,
Thanks for the info on Mr. Decks website. I read about the potential static electricity problem with decks like mine.
"And here's one of the characteristics that people are discovering with PVC planking: they're getting shocked when they reach for the door handle! Hollow PVC acts as a capacitor for static electricity and it doesn't go away!" I didn't encounter this in the 3-4 weeks I got to use my deck last fall. If I do run into this in the Spring do you have any links or info on a good way to ground a deck like mine? I'll re-post pictures of my deck if needed but I don't want to stir up trouble....again. Mr. Deck's other comments about plastic decking are accurate. I like the look of mine and am willing to live with a little squeaking on cool nights.

Thank you for the reference information. I will look at the Correct Deck and the Timbertech XLM. Dgbeherends how long has your Corect Deck been in place? Has it been through a winter or two??? I would consider the composite if I don't have to constantly seal it and scrub it repeatedly. I want to avoid sealing because of the work and the dripping onto the stone patio below. Thanks for the web site. I love the curved staircase but it sure would be a pain to lug my patio furniture up those curved stairs in Spring and Fall.

Hi Dancingqueen,
I apologize if my previous post was misleading. I didn't have CorrectDeck CX installed, I used a PVC/Vinyl product called Quadra. It has the issues that Mr. Deck describes on his website, however I haven't noticed static electricity build up. What I intended to say was that the samples of CorrectDeck CX that my contractor showed me looked very good. If you search this site you can find a link to some pictures and my critique of the decking product I used. I like how my deck looks but the jury is still out on how well it will hold up over a season or two of wear and tear.

One little thing I have done that works>>> Put a finish on composite in the begening The outside stairway at Butler Manor has a Moisture Sheild product called choice on the treads. The mateial was left over from a com job I did its also the low end grade MS makes for the box stores so this was a pretty good test. Two coats of twp 116, doing this makes the weak point of staining up real easy from birds,wine,trees ya know into a strong point the stuff just soaks it up. That stairway has been up for 9 years or so and looks the same as the day it went on.

In contrast the material on the job looks like hammered sh**t the sun has broken down the plastic and the color the texture is gone and there is a little delaming going on. No mold probley because the decks are 30' in the air,one step thru but the girl was 300 lbs and jumping up and down in a rage of some kind.

I have done the same thing with the high grade Moisture Shield that uses junipher or texas cedar same twp pre finish and that stuff looks really good. There are two givens here of course, composite is not markted with a seal clause and most Folks buy it thinking no work is involved. But its like the Contractor who broke me in said " When I came to this Country you could get a free luch with a nickle beer but there is no free lunch any more so you just better get to work" Warren Ove, Great Guy.
John Mon

I also live in MN, St Paul and need to 'fix' a 20 year old cedar deck. After reading all the comments about the other types of deck materials I think I will just replace the boards that have a bad 'seam'. I am really interested in replacing the complete rail system with a metal deckorator rail system and the stone post covers, provided it isn't an arm & a leg. I plan on using an oil stain on the cedar. When I have used a solid stain before I seem to have issues with peeling in a year or two. Any helpful ideas???
Thabk you!

Here is a link that might be useful: Deckorators.com