<p>Anyone have experience with Trex or other wood composite decking materials? I live in a very old victorian with a lovely farmer’s porch. Year after year we have to tear up some of the fur floor boards and replace them. The paint upkeep is horrendous as well because the porch sits very low the ground, faces north and is in the shade. We get a lot of mildew and mold and peeling paint. </p>
<p>As a result we are considering replacing the floor boards with composite but i have some misgivings. Any advice?</p>
<p>I think some of the composites look really good & hold up well.
Our front porch faces south, has five steps up & gets lots of weather.
My H wont go for the composite though even though it would save him a ton of work in the long run.
This is the stuff I was considering.
[Porch</a> Flooring | Tongue and Groove Outdoor Porch Flooring Options | AZEK Porch](<a href=“http://www.azek.com/azek-porch/]Porch”>http://www.azek.com/azek-porch/)</p>
<p>I’d love to have it too - especially since our deck has been in the process of being re-sanded etc. since April and H isn’t moving too fast to get it DONE! </p>
<p>We use stain on our deck that looks like paint - it does still peel after winters and such. I usually scrub the mildew twice a summer with a mixture of water/bleach/soap and a long handled broom/brush. </p>
<p>Part of what my H is doing this summer that’s taking so long is to take the current deck boards (made of treated wood) and flipping them - the bottom is like new since not exposed - we are hoping that doing this and restaining will help the finish to last longer than the more exposed side.</p>
<p>I can’t say enough good things about Trex. We bit the bullet and replaced a deck with Trex about 8 or 9 years ago. It was more expensive, but I am so very glad that we did. It has been completely maintenance free, and it still looks wonderful. </p>
<p>Gone are the days of nailing, repairing, replacement boards, staining, sanding, etc. I would go so far as to say that it has helped my marriage because a points of contention, nagging, and time sinks are gone as far as the deck is concerned.</p>
<p>We live in a high, dry climate and would never use anything but Trex at this point. It is a bit more expensive, but in the long run, totally worth it! No splintering, painting, staining. And it looks great!!</p>
<p>I’ve been doing Trex and other similar composite materials for years and have never gotten any complaints. Porches traditionally had tongue and groove floors sloped slightly away from the building while decks are generally level and rely on spaces between the boards to dry off. If your porch floor is very close to the ground, you may be better off with a deck type floor. It should last even longer than a floor that is not as exposed to the elements.</p>
<p>What do you mean, Mathmom. I should stick with wood? The porch is close to the ground and it does lope slightly down and away from the house. I’m not sure if it was always fur boards but the ones we have are about 3.5" w. The Trex boards are over 5" inches so it will look a little different. I’m also unsure of what the supports look like under the boards and I think that the composites need 12" spacing for the supports because they are more flexible that wood?</p>
<p>No, sorry, what I mean is that the space between boards that is typical for deck floor construction vs porch floor construction might be good. Most composites are fine with 16" on center construction. You only get in trouble if you lay the boards on a diagonal - then you need the 12" spacing. If you have lattice or some other similar skirting around your deck, I wouldn’t worry about the joists rotting from too much moisture, but you’ll know better what it looks like when you pull up the existing floor. If it were me I’d go with some kind of tongue and groove flooring if possible - that’s the authentic Victorian look.</p>
<p>Okay. Thanks, Mathmom. I’ve been seeing a lot online about problems with mold on the Trex. Since that is a big concern considering the location of the porch, I get very nervous when I read about that. We get mold on the wood as it is now but the stuff I’m reading about the Trex and mold sounds nightmarish.</p>
<p>EPTR, lol, I talked about a “fir coat” in our Dressing Young thread, and you have “fur floor boards”. Spellcheckers be damned!</p>
<p>Would a stone deck look weird or would it complement the house’s look and character? There are many stone decking materials available. Here is what we have:
[StoneDeck</a> West Inc. - Gallery](<a href=“stonedeckwest.com”>stonedeckwest.com)
It can be installed in place of boards on the existing joists.</p>
<p>The porch is on the front of the house and it is an old fashioned victorian farmhouse. I don’t think the stone would work, although I would LOVE it in the back!</p>
<p>I see… Agree, stone will not work. Our house is a Craftsman, so the front porch is made of cedar boards (lots of upkeep, but the porch is facing South and is covered, so the pain is minimized), but we replaced the decking material with stone deck in the back - love the fact that I can brush it with soapy water in the spring, hose the soap off, and forget about maintenance until the next spring. :)</p>
<p>I have a Trex deck on the back/side of my house and I LOVE it. This area gets a lot of leaves and shade and I have not had any problem with mold. Only maintenance is to sweep the leaves off!</p>
Spellcheckers be damned!</p>