Question about those cheap composite deck boards from Home Depot

I wasted about $900 last summer on some no name composite decking from a big box store. It was on sale and I thought I was being clever saving money on my patio redo. By September the surface started flaking off and now it looks worse than the old wood deck I tore out. I should have gone with Trex or Fiberon even though it costs double because at least it holds up to the sun here in Arizona. Anyone else get burned by cheap deck materials or know a way to fix this without ripping it all out again?

3 comments

3 Comments

mary_west1d ago

That stain trick is honestly your best bet at this point. I've had to do the same thing with some cheap boards I grabbed in a pinch a few years ago. Make sure you get a stain that's specifically labeled for composites, not just any old deck stain, because the wrong one will peel off faster than the original finish did. Scrub it really well first, like with a stiff bristle brush and some composite deck cleaner, and let it dry fully for a day or two before you roll the stain on. It won't be as good as proper composite that's colored all the way through, but it'll buy you another couple years until you're ready to rip and replace.

miles_hall1d ago

Did you try giving those boards a good clean and then hitting them with a solid deck stain? I had a similar issue with some cheap timbertech planks I grabbed for a rental property. They started looking nasty after one summer. I scrubbed them down with a deck cleaner and a stiff brush, let em dry, then put on two coats of a high quality solid stain meant for composites. It's been two seasons now and they still look decent. Not perfect, but way better than tearing it all out. Might be worth a shot before you spend more money.

oliverhernandez1d ago

I had almost the exact same problem with some off brand boards from Lowe's here in Texas. After fighting with it for a summer I scrubbed everything down with a deck brightener, let it dry two full days, then put two coats of Behr composite stain on it. That was three years ago and it still looks presentable, just gotta reapply the stain every couple years since the color isn't baked into the plastic like the good stuff. The key is getting all that loose surface junk off first or nothing will stick.