The artificial grain has pretty much disappeared and the sunlight has faded the surface so that is looks old. Is there any good way to restore the surface so that is looks more like wood than plastic and that won’t just have to be stripped off after a couple of years?
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Hey David, we’ll contact some decking contractors directly to get your question answered. Would you be able to share a photo of the deck with us? It will help our contractors provide you with a good recommendation?
Fading of the color is pretty normal on the composite stuff. As for the other issues i would personally contact Trex and discuss the problem, you never know!
I have never been much of a TREX fan. Most of the composites are going to fade over the coarse of a few years. If you really want a decking product that will last AZEK is probably your best choice. I also like the Timbertech encapsulated composite but have also heard of people having issues with the cut ends. It will also fade in color but not as bad as traditional composites.
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Before you do anything contact Trex. They have a pretty good warranty. Depending on which style you went with your warranty is at least 25 years. The fading is common but if its severe they may help. As for the wood grain being worn off that should be brought to their attention for sure. That’s NOT common.
As with any type of decking material, it must be maintained. TREX decking states that it must be cleaned 1 -2 times yearly. Many people think thay when they get a TREX type of deck that it is maintenance free, not so. NEVER use a pressure washer on a TREX deck, you will cause damage that can not be fixed. We clean hundreds of these types of decks every year using SoftWash technology. This is an easy jo for the DIY person, or hire a professional company that uses SoftWash technology
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There are many companies that manufacture synthetic or composit type decking today. If you talk to the people selling the product, they will tell you that theirs will not fade. In truth, it will all fade over time. The darker the color the more you will notice it. Also, the darker the color the hotter it gets in the summer heat.
Most companies, including Trex, have a waranty on their products. Depending on how long you have had your deck, you might get some help from Trex. Also, there are several cleaners that you can use that will not damage the decking. You can apply them, let it set for a while and scrub with a soft push broom, then rinse off… That will remove some of the dirt and oxidization and brighten it up a bit.
Best of Luck
Hi Dave
The normal wear on decks will cause the color to fade, depends on sun exposure, snow & ice, foot trafic. As for the wood grain to disappear, best to contact the Trex rep in your area and have them look in to it at no cost to you. All composite decking do fade and look old after few years. If you decide to replace it, look at other brand names, some are more coastly than others.
I searched all over for something that would work. All kinds of paint over products appeared but I didn’t want to ruin the wood grain look I had on the trex. My boards looked great when wet but always dried to a dull faded appearance. This was sun damaged only, NOT badly deteriorated boards. It looked like a white film covering. I wanted it to continue to look like it did when wet.
So I got some oil based wood stain. Not solid stain, a furniture type stain of approximately the same shade. Oil based stain must be wiped off after the stain is absorbed. After the stain was applied, my concern was that it would come off onto cloths. It didn’t seem to but I made sure the surface was water based especially around the hot tub. So I used good old mop and glow and went over the surface a day after it dried thoroughly. Results? Looks like it did when it was installed.
This is literally a $20 solution. Try it on a small area and see if you done get great results. My trex was about 5 years old and had strong sun exposure. I wondered why I couldn’t find this solution anywhere. But I guess if I was the only one who could restore a $15k deck for $20, I wouldn’t want to share that either.
Do you have before and after pictures?
Normally most of their composite decks lose some of their color in the first three months due to exposure to the Sun then after that it’s supposed to stay the same if not you have a problem with the manufacturer most likely you need to look at your warranty and guarantee but it is normal to lose some of the color.
If your deck is shaded that’s mean it’s going to take more time to lose the color if your deck is exposed directly to the Sun it is most likely that you going to lose some of the color in the first three months and then it supposed to stay the same it is very common to have that