Well, today was a monumental day. Last night I loaded up the last remaining pieces of my Trex deck into my truck. Let me tell you something, that stuff is heavy! I had no idea mold weighed so much. My pickup truck was completely weighted down by all the posts and railings for the deck. This morning, despite the heavy downpour that was blanketing most of Wisconsin, my day was bright and full of promise! I was headed to the dump to finally rid myself of Trex product once and for all.
I took a picture of my truck fully loaded at the dump. You know, a little memento of all the great times my Trex deck and I shared together. Like that time I got down on my hands and knees and scrubbed mold vigirously for a half hour with a bleach and soap solution per the Trex sales reps recommendations. Or the time that I spent four hours cleaning the entire deck off with Expert Chemical Cleaner which got my deck clean (temporarily) but ended up killing all my grass around the deck.
Ahh, yes, good times indeed. But as we all know, everything good must come to an end. Which brings me to my next picture. It took about 10 minutes of unloading all the Trex product into a dumpster at my local landfill.
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I so badly wanted to say "burn in hell" to my dear four-year-old Trex deck, but you may or may not know that Trex does not burn very easily. Believe me, I tried.My next parting line was going to be "rot in hell". Unfortunately, this composite is comprised mainly of recycled milk jugs and other plastic material that will not decompose in our lifetime (or our children's children's lifetimes for that matter).
So in the end I bid a very simple "if I ever see you again in my lifetime it will be too soon, Trex."
While the Trex may be off my property, it will NEVER be off my mind. Not a discussion about decks or decking material will go by without me sharing my story of Trex decking, the persistent mold, and the poor customer service provided by that company.
With so many other positive products out on the market there really isn't a reason that I can think of for selecting this product.
Cheers to moving forward and some Trex-free living!
You can see all the spots on the railing!! No wonder you wanted it gone. How attractive that must have been to look at!!
ReplyDeleteYes, it was a very lovely petri dish right outside my sun room. So not only did my low-maintenance Trex deck require a lot of work, but when that work was done it wasn't anything work looking at.
ReplyDeleteI would not recommend this product to anyone.
I bought my house in 2010 and it had an existing bi-level original trex deck which the seller had installed in approximately 2003/4. I did notice that the trex had black and green spots, and just figured it was dirty since the seller appeared to be somewhat of a negligent slob. Last year I had it powerwashed professionally, and it looked good, so I thought the "dirt" problem was fixed. However, as I know know from doing research, it was mold, not dirt, and like everyone else reports, the mold has returned even worse than it was. it is the original first generation ugly cardboard color looking trex. Now it is decorated with disgusting big black mold spots everywhere. My issue is that since I did not purchase the trex, nor was I the one to have the deck installed, I have no receipts or prrof of purchases or anthing I might need to get in on one of these class action suits or to fight with the Trex company. The only thing I would be able to produce is pictures. Looks like I'm stuck with this moldy crap since I cannot afford to have the deck ripped out and replaced without any type of compensation. Looks like I'm dead in the water with no proof of purchase...any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteI have two suggestions for you in regards to your Trex deck. The first is to clean it, and clean it often. The best cleaning product I found was Expert Chemical Composite Deck Cleaner: http://www.expertchemicalinc.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=11
ReplyDeleteWhen I called Trex to complain about their product they sent me a complimentary cleaning kit. I priced this out and it comes to about $200 an application. I was cleaning my deck about six times a decking season so annual costs to keep my deck visibly mold free were going to run me in the neighborhood of $1200. Your deck might be more/less expensive based upon size. My deck was roughly 15x15 with stairs and rails.
The other suggestion (the route that I eventually took) is to simply replace your deck. I couldn't afford to drop $1200/yr to clean my deck. I also certainly wasn't going to live with the mold. Try explaining that to your guests!
You are in an unfortunate situation with your Trex deck. I'd recommend you share your experiences with anyone you know looking to build a new deck or replace an existing. Trex doesn't seem to care about it's customers in regards to the persistent mold issue. They have made that abundantly clear.
Thanks a lot for sharing us about this update. Hope you will not get tired on making posts as informative as this.
ReplyDeleteTreks Deck Kansas City
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