# Trex decking



## tntpainting (Apr 3, 2008)

WHO HAS washed a trex deck ?heyi thought the whole selling pitch was no maintenance, any how,I was painting for a guy and he asked what I thought was wrong with the decking? He asked me what was all the black crap on it ? He told me that they the sales person said that it was impossible for anything ( even mold) to stick to it. It had to be dirt he said well I told him to call the guy back and tell him I said that it's not dirt , and it was in fact a black mold and also tell him I. Saw moss and algae growing in another spot also lmfao , man people will believe anything ,so I have a new p w customer in the spring to. ,I love the fact that these over priced decking boards are becoming so problematic now that they've been out for a few years no so maintenance free if you ask me


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## Epoxy Pro (Oct 7, 2012)

tntpainting said:


> WHO HAS washed a trex deck ?heyi thought the whole selling pitch was no maintenance, any how,I was painting for a guy and he asked what I thought was wrong with the decking? He asked me what was all the black crap on it ? He told me that they the sales person said that it was impossible for anything ( even mold) to stick to it. It had to be dirt he said well I told him to call the guy back and tell him I said that it's not dirt , and it was in fact a black mold and also tell him I. Saw moss and algae growing in another spot also lmfao , man people will believe anything ,so I have a new p w customer in the spring to. ,I love the fact that these over priced decking boards are becoming so problematic now that they've been out for a few years no so maintenance free if you ask me


I have seen some real nasty so called maintenance free composite types of decking, if the sun wont get to it all that wet sits and sits and as we all know mold shows up on them.


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## PressurePros (May 6, 2007)

We do a ton of them. I advise against pressure washing. If you don't kill the mold at the root (locked down in the wood fiber portion of the composite) it will grow back in a few months. In a bucket mix 3 gallons of household bleach and a few squirts of dish liquid. Slop it on and spread it so you have a few millimeters of solution standing on the boards. If the mold is real bad, go back and work it in. Rinse with a garden hose or use a large orifice nozzle to bring your pressure down around 400 psi. 

Let the customer know, that a) his salesman was not versed on the product he was selling (tons of class action lawsuits against Trex, etc for bogus claims and b) he will probably have to have his deck done yearly. Sealing the composite with a waterborne semi-trans helps stay it clean longer and makes future cleanings easier.


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## Stonehampaintdept (Jan 10, 2013)

My favorite solution for mold is Moldex. Its not caustic won't harm plants or grass and proven more effective than bleach. NORMI did a study that bleach isn't effective at killing the root of mold. Can be used anywhere inside or out on any material or substrate. 3 versions. Yellow label is the killer. Red is the deep set in stain remover. Blue is the protectant.


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## PressurePros (May 6, 2007)

Stonehampaintdept said:


> My favorite solution for mold is Moldex. Its not caustic won't harm plants or grass and proven more effective than bleach. NORMI did a study that bleach isn't effective at killing the root of mold. Can be used anywhere inside or out on any material or substrate. 3 versions. Yellow label is the killer. Red is the deep set in stain remover. Blue is the protectant.


Yeah I keep hearing that stuff from people that sell alternate methods/products. Your statement is a misnomer and here is why. Bleach is a powerful oxidizer, fungicide and microbial pesticide. It will positively kill mold. What you mention about root killing is not because the bleach cannot kill it. It is because the roots, spoken about in NORMI and other studies, in wood can be below surface. This issue is solved with the use of a surfactant. I have come back to re-clean hundreds of composite decks cleaned by other well meaning contractors that used "green" products. 

This is what I do. Ten years, day-in and day out times hundreds of customers per year. If mold didn't kill mold, I would be out of business.

Someone may need to update the EPA http://www.epa.gov/kidshometour/products/bleach.htm


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## Brittany M (Jan 14, 2013)

*Trex*



tntpainting said:


> WHO HAS washed a trex deck ?heyi thought the whole selling pitch was no maintenance, any how,I was painting for a guy and he asked what I thought was wrong with the decking? He asked me what was all the black crap on it ? He told me that they the sales person said that it was impossible for anything ( even mold) to stick to it. It had to be dirt he said well I told him to call the guy back and tell him I said that it's not dirt , and it was in fact a black mold and also tell him I. Saw moss and algae growing in another spot also lmfao , man people will believe anything ,so I have a new p w customer in the spring to. ,I love the fact that these over priced decking boards are becoming so problematic now that they've been out for a few years no so maintenance free if you ask me


 
Hello, I am a representative of Trex. Although Trex is low-maintenance, it does still require cleaning, typically semi-annually. You can visit our website to view the Care & Cleaning Guide for specific recommendations based on the product line that is installed: http://www.trex.com/own/care/index.htm

Feel free to contact me with any questions.

Brittany
Trex


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## ligboozer (Oct 13, 2009)

PressurePros said:


> Yeah I keep hearing that stuff from people that sell alternate methods/products. Your statement is a misnomer and here is why. Bleach is a powerful oxidizer, fungicide and microbial pesticide. It will positively kill mold. What you mention about root killing is not because the bleach cannot kill it. It is because the roots, spoken about in NORMI and other studies, in wood can be below surface. This issue is solved with the use of a surfactant. I have come back to re-clean hundreds of composite decks cleaned by other well meaning contractors that used "green" products.
> 
> This is what I do. Ten years, day-in and day out times hundreds of customers per year. *If mold didn't kill mold*, I would be out of business.
> 
> Someone may need to update the EPA http://www.epa.gov/kidshometour/products/bleach.htm


Long day? :jester:


Time and time again, I am impressed with the cleaning ability of a properly mixed bleach cleaning solution.


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## aaron61 (Apr 29, 2007)

Bleach & Dawn baby


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## mudbone (Dec 26, 2011)

aaron61 said:


> Bleach & Dawn baby


 Bleaching at dusk will do too!:whistling2:


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## Epoxy Pro (Oct 7, 2012)

mudbone said:


> Bleaching at dusk will do too!:whistling2:


I thought it was Dawn :blink:


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## tntpainting (Apr 3, 2008)

Brittany is it supposed to fade too? They really.mislead a lot of people with allthese claims


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## Rbriggs82 (Jul 9, 2012)

tntpainting said:


> Brittany is it supposed to fade too? They really.mislead a lot of people with allthese claims


Oh it fades alright.

Charleston SC Interior and Exterior House Painters


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## Brittany M (Jan 14, 2013)

*Trex*



tntpainting said:


> Brittany is it supposed to fade too? They really.mislead a lot of people with allthese claims


It depends which line of Trex they have. Trex Accents is expected to weather within 12-16 weeks of installation. Here is a link to our site with additional info on weathering: http://www.trex.com/own/natural-weathering/index.htm

We now offer Trex Transcend and Trex Enhance which are designed with a protective shell, making them fade and stain resistant.


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

So Ken - what brands pf composite deckings have you seen (if any) that do hold up relatively well? 

I'd like to switch over from wood to a composite in the near future but am still somewhat leery about the durability of their appearance. I've seen too many that have discolored with age or when something has been set on them for a long time.


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## Builtmany (Dec 5, 2009)

My Timbertech deck was Redwood and faded into a dull pink. With that being said it does not fade well. I have yet to see a nice one that did not fade into something else after 6 months.


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## NCPaint1 (Aug 6, 2009)

Builtmany said:


> My Timbertech deck was Redwood and faded into a dull pink. With that being said it does not fade well. I have yet to see a nice one that did not fade into something else after 6 months.


Not a fan of composites personally. Most fade as Builtmany said. Go full synthetic if you want low maintenance. The composite decks are able to be stained though. Doesn't necessarily make them "maintenance free" but should eliminate board rot and replacement.


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## Roof Cleaning (Jun 29, 2011)

when we see these decks under a roof cleaning we throw a tarp over them if we do not plan on spraying it.

I do have some repeat customers that have the light grey trex decking and it will spot up really bad during the cleaning and we just put another even coat over it and lightly hose the chems off.

I have taken then color from one of these decks with just a garden hose with a sweeper nozzle attached after an aggressive roof mix overspray. We are always very careful around them.

The do look great when they are clean. And they clean up easy and fast.


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## Spike2101 (Aug 30, 2011)

I try to warn our customers about the fading from many of the composites. Trex seems to fade a but quicker than some of the other synthetic decking products. I also recommend a very diluted bleach product. Works pretty well.


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