WARRANTY and
CARE of TREX
COMPOSITE DECKING
From
my own experience, Trex has a decent warranty program. Most
of the problems with some boards are a disintegration of the
board itself reducing it to either peeling apart or
reducing it to a sawdust like condition.
In fact, according to a popular trade magazine, Trex
recently in 2008 set aside approximately 45 million dollars
towards it’s present warranty claims.
Mold is another
concern to watch out for too, which as most of us know,
black spots appear on the boards. Composite decking,
is made up of 50% wood fibers which under the right
conditions attracts mold.
To
file a claim go to the Trex home page and follow the
guidelines. Once that is done, Trex will arrange for an
inspection of your deck and claim. An actual representative
of Trex will call you and set up an inspection appointment.
He
or She will diagram your deck, identify the problem and take
digital pictures of the problem. Next this information will
be submitted to Trex for review. Expect the whole process
to take at least 30-60 days before getting an approval to
finally have a scheduled reinstallation of the flawed
boards, done by a licensed contractor through Trex.
Trex
usually prefers to replace the whole deck just in case
other boards in time become warranty issues, and will not
cost you even a penny. The following information deals
with Maintenance issues , plus present problems and
solutions to keep your deck looking it’s best; Trex Company
offers one of the industry's leading warranty coverage for
both residential and commercial decking and railing
products.
Trex warrants that, with normal use and
conditions, (25 year residential warranty) Trex products won't:
* Check
* Splinter
* Rot
* Split
* Suffer structural damage from insects
visit www.trex.com
for full warranty details.
- Trex Fire Rating: Class B Fire Rating
-- Meets ASTIM E84 Class B Fire -resistance rating as
required by California State Fire Marshall
BASIC PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS Listed
CARE & CLEANING
All exterior building materials will require cleaning.
Periodic cleaning of Trex Decking & Railing will maintain
the beauty and appearance of a Trex deck for you to enjoy
through the years to come
·
Debris and Dirt
Your
deck will need periodically cleaning with soap and hot
water. Use a stiff bristle brush
·
Chalk Markings
* All colored chalk lines are permanent except
white. One other idea is to user baby powder. Scrubbing the
area with hot soapy water with bleach may remove some of the
chalk.
·
Mill Markings
with the letters TREX, etc that are Visible
* The mill markings on the side of Trex decking
boards are required by building codes. With careful
installation, most mill markings can be hidden. Visible mill
markings can be lightened with acetone.
·
Water Spots/Leaf
Staining/Wood Tannins
Tannin leaching occurs in Trex and all wood based
products naturally. Allow for at least 12 weeks of normal
weathering. This process may be hastened through the use of
a product containing oxalic or phosphoric acid.
·
Pigment
Staining
During the weathering process, a small amount of
surface pigmentation may wash off of the Trex surface, which
may discolor neighboring surfaces. Remove with common rust
cleaner.
·
Ice and Snow
Calcium chloride or rock salt, available in many
home centers, will melt ice on Trex decking. Then be sure to
rinse off when first practical.
·
Rust Stains, Ground-In Dirt
and Grime
Use a cleaning product containing oxalic or
phosphoric acid base to lighten or remove the rust or dirt.
Product may need to sit on stain 10-15 minutes.
·
Berries and Wine Stains
Mix bleach into hot water according to the
bleach-packaging label. Scrub the stain lightly and rinse
thoroughly. The stain may not disappear entirely.
·
Ink Stains
Ink stains at times become permanent. However, the
stain may be lightened by scrubbing with hot soapy water.
Rinse thoroughly.
·
Mold (the
ugly critter)
* Use conventional deck washes or cleaners that
contain sodium hypochlorite (bleach) and detergent (refer to
Trex’s Mold Technical Bulletin).
* Treat with PSC Composite DeckAfterKlean (www.psc-solutions.com)
or Anti-Growth (www.anti-growth.com) to delay regrowth.
* Periodic cleaning of your deck, even if it appears
clean, is important to prevent the build-up of pollen/debris
that can cause mold.
·
Pressure
Washer NO- NO
Note: Trex does not recommend the use of a pressure
washer. The use of a pressure washer with a greater than
1,500 PSI and/or applied closer than 10" from the deck
surface could damage the decking surface and result in a
loss of warranty coverage.
·
Sanding
Trex does not recommend sanding. Sanding will
change the appearance of the surface of Trex material. I at
one time got a few oil speckles on a Trex deck from staining
redwood rails on Trex decking. They could not totally be
removed with lacquer or paint thinner. I tried sanding it
off, but it left a funny look to the deck. So don’t sand
Trex decking; a personal observation.
© 2005 American Floor
Coverings Inc. All rights reserve
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