Building Pool Deck

[matt4x4]

Donya - you sound really excited to use the pool, a lot better than the outlook last year at this time!
At the rate things are moving here, it looks like I'm going to have to re write the AG pool construction Article that Ben so thoughtfully pinned up top since it died with the old forum - more work - oh well, I'll get to it!
I will also be using composite, TREX, I think it's likely the canadian equiv of timber tech since it also comes in the 2 sided panels - I will be doing the hidden screw system from underneath and will probably picture frame it in a darker color then go with a dark brown Aluminum railing on top.

[huskerfan]

I was torn between Timber Tech and Trex, so I tracked down a couple different decks done in each. I ultimately went with TT because of the uniformity of the product: I went to two different lumber yards that stocked Trex, and the thickness of the boards varied from board to board. I also have a couple friends who have Trex decks and they have mildewed on them. One of the Trex decks was in the process of being built and it already had a lot of scratches on it. The vertigrain side of the TT hides scratches from sliding chairs... Trex is quite a bit cheaper, and has a better color assortment though. I've also seen a Trex deck that looked really nice, though, too. It all boils down to personal preference, though. You're the one who has to look at it every day and use it. Your aluminum railing sounds really nice! The composite deck railing is high priced- almost as much as building the deck. You'll be amazed how much more you'll enjoy using your pool!

That was an awesome article you wrote - it will be very helpful for many people if you'd repost it. Again, I'd like to thank you- you were there step by step, night by night when we were putting up our pool. This summer is going to be sooooooooo nice.

[matt4x4]

Hi Donya,
I've researched the decking available here to quite an extent lately, and Trex is still our best choice, I've never seen anyone carry TT around here, so it may not be availanble in Canada. Their mold issues were abundant back in the early 2000's, to the point a class action lawsuit was filed, but this is not supposed to be an issue anymore since they changed the process.
I have a couple of other choices that look identical to trex, but their details in paperwork leave a lot to be desired - as well teh warranty period is half that of trex.
As for the aluminum railing, it is so much nicer than the composite, primarily because it is not as chunky looking, unfortunately, the price starts equal to composite and goes up from there. 1/3 my total cost will be the railing - ouch!
BUT - I'll never have to refinish anything, so all I have to do after building it is build a wet bar on it with a beer fridge, pull up a chair and relax!
Hey! - Maybe I'll rewrite my article then!!!