#MyTrexStory: A Dream Deck 20 Years in the Making

Let me start off by stating that I have no affiliation with Trex, other than being a happy customer. I am receiving no compensation, and I am not looking for any employment opportunities, as I am 72 years of age and happily retired. Having provided that disclaimer let me discuss my project. 

My project was not new construction but rather a deck replacement. I built the original deck nearly 20 years ago. I live on a hillside so I had to pour new concrete footings of various heights and then re-build the basic framework to fit the deck boards on 18” centres.  

Twenty years ago I intended to use Trex materials, as I had seen other decks built with Trex and was impressed with those results. I went to a local hardware store (to remain anonymous) and enquired into Trex decking material. They advised me that they could obtain the material but indicated that they also had another slightly cheaper brand that weighed less and could be built on 24” centres. They told me it was as good as Trex, so I consented and purchased that material. My bad!

Within five years the beautiful wood-grain pattern had all but disappeared. Between years five and 10, the boards began to warp and bow. It was very disappointing. It was at approximately 15 years that the deck material literally began to decompose.  Not happy!  Just as a side note, the Trex deck that I had originally seen 15 years prior still looked terrific. 

Fast forward 20 years and I could no longer tolerate the old deck and began the process of rebuilding. It is then that I reached out to Trex and could not believe the support that I received in planning and ordering my deck boards and all accessories to complete my project, including fasteners such as hidden deck screws, counter-set deck screws, colour-match deck plugs, router bits, etc. It was a one-stop shop with a very knowledgeable sales and support staff. 

I am not a contractor or builder by trade. I love woodworking and consider myself good with my hands. My wife is my assistant and she, too, is not a contractor or builder. She would rather be shopping at Nordstrom as opposed to working on heavy construction projects with her husband. I often tell her when lifting or moving materials, that it is all about leverage. She’s threatened to put that on my tombstone. 

I only provide this background so that you can see that the project, while time-consuming due to the substructure replacement, was pretty straightforward. The actual installation of the Trex boards was completed in approximately 10 of my days. Those are five to six hours at most, with several breaks in between. 

I could not be happier with the product and I receive many compliments from my friends and neighbours. Thank you Trex for developing a great quality product.