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Frequently Asked Questions
Product Information
Installation
Care & Cleaning
Technical Information
General Information
Trex Company is the country's largest manufacturer of wood-alternative decking,
railing and fencing products, marketed under the brand name Trex®. The company
was formed in 1996 through the buyout of a division of Mobil Corporation and went
public in 1999. Trex Company is headquartered in Winchester, Virginia, with manufacturing
facilities in Fernley, Nevada and Winchester, Virginia.
Trex composite decking, railing and fencing products are made from a unique combination
of reclaimed wood and recycled polyethylene (plastic grocery bags, dry cleaning
bags, stretch film), giving you the best qualities of both materials. The plastic
shields the wood from moisture and insect damage, so there's no rotting or splintering.
The wood protects the plastic from UV damage and gives your deck a solid, natural
feel. Note: Trex Escapes is made from 100% PVC materials.
Trex composite materials are made from post-consumer and/or post-industrial reclaimed
plastic and scrap wood, which would otherwise end up in landfills. The reclaimed
plastic comes primarily from grocery bags and stretch film, and the scrap wood is
from woodworking manufacturers. Note: Trex Escapes is made from 100% PVC materials.
Trex products offer superior durability and performance that you can't get from
wood. Trex products won’t rot, warp or splinter, and they never require
staining or painting to maintain their great looks. Trex products are incredibly
safe for the whole family – they don’t contain any harmful chemicals and the decking
boards are slip resistant, meeting ADA codes. And last but not least, Trex offers
design flexibility and creative freedom that wood just can’t match. You can bend
and curve Trex to create unique designs, and you can mix and match colors and finishes
for a one-of-a-kind custom look.
Trex Decking, Railing and Fencing products should be disposed with normal construction
debris or household waste. Trex Artisan Series Railing® should NOT be burned
due to its material composition.
Trex products are engineered and manufactured to deliver superior durability, ease
of maintenance and great looks for many years – something wood can’t do. Our unique
formulation and manufacturing process make that possible. While most of the raw
materials used in making Trex are recycled, these materials are carefully processed
to ensure the highest level of quality and performance. And because you’ll never
have to sand, stain or paint it, Trex provides an outstanding value over the life
of your deck or fence. Clean it once a year and you’re done.
Because Trex never rots or warps, painting and staining will never be required.
With pressure-treated wood decks, these costs add up over time. After four years,
the total cost of owning a Trex deck equals the cost of a pressure-treated wood
deck. Over the life of the purchase, Trex offers a far greater value than wood.
Product Information
General Back to top
Because Trex contains natural wood fiber, slight fading will occur with exposure
to sunlight and moisture. Trex decking reaches its
weathered color after 12-16 weeks. This process is completely harmless to
Trex decking and does not affect its durability. The "after weathering" color of
the boards on a Trex deck may be different from the colors shown in the Trex Color
Palette guide. There may also be color variation between boards. This is normal
and gives each Trex deck a distinctive look and character.
The weathering process may be accelerated in dry areas by periodically wetting down
the deck using a garden hose. Areas in heavy shade, or vertical decking members
such as posts and balusters, may take considerably longer to fade.
Winchester Grey starts out in varying shades of grey
and weathers to deep rich grey hues when exposed to sunlight and water.
Madeira is a reddish brown and weathers slightly while
maintaining its reddish brown hue.
Burnished Amber Brasilia® has subtle
variations of tan and rich brown which will slightly lighten while maintaining the
pattern and shadings.
Cayenne Brasilia is a variegated deep red and black
which weathers slightly to warmer hues.
Espresso Brasilia is a variegated deep brown and black which weathers slightly to warmer hues.
Saddle is a deep tan and weathers slightly while maintaining
its rich tones.
Woodland Brown is a dark brown and weathers very slightly.
Acorn Escapes is a rich, medium brown that lightens very little over an extended period of time while maintaining its rich look.
Sahara Escapes is a natural tan color that lightens very little over an extended period of time while maintaining its natural look.
Pewter Escapes is a deep, rich grey that lightens very little over an extended period of time while maintaining its deep look.
You can find samples at your local dealer, Home Depot, Lowe’s or ask your contractor.
Please contact your local dealer, Home Depot, Lowe’s or your contractor for pricing.
Pricing varies by region.
Ground contact, Benches, Planters, chairs, picnic tables, truck beds, Patio, Porch,
Docks, Boardwalks, Arbors, Landscape Edging
Decking Back to top
Trex passes ADA wet and dry requirements for horizontal walking surfaces.
In an independent study, Trex was comparable in surface temps to pressure treated
boards. Under intense sun, temperatures ranged from 158F for pressure-treated wood
to 158-166F for Trex depending upon the color. Darker colors will be hotter than
the lighter colors with Woodland Brown, Cayenne and Madeira holding the most heat.
Trex Hideaway hidden fasteners use the highest quality stainless steel. Salt water environments, seasonal changes, and extreme cold are no problem for the Trex Hideaway hidden fastener. Snow removal is made easier with the absence of emerging fasteners on the surface. The tabs, of the fastener that hold the deck boards down have more than twice the horizontal surface area than decking screws. Excellent hold down strength is one of the Trex Hideaway hidden fastener's strongest attributes.
No — The fasteners are constructed of high quality Stainless Steel. This material will ensure a long life even in harsh environments.
Any dealer that carries Trex Decking has the ability to sell Trex Hideaway hidden deck fasteners.
Railing Back to top
Yes, both Trex Artisan Series Railing® and Trex Designer Series Railing®
comes in kits.
Artisan Includes:
- 1 top rail and 1 bottom rail (67.5" or 91.5")
- 2 baluster spacers (67.5" or 91.5")
- 14 Balusters (6' kit) or 20 (8' kit)
- 1 extra which is to cut 4" squash blocks from
- 4-0* gaskets (2 top & 2 bottom)
- 4 black mounting brackets
- 8-1-5/8" self drilling screws
- 4 white plastic caps (to cover screws under the bottom rail)
- Posts, caps and skirts are sold separately.
- 8-2 1/2" Wood Screws
Designer Includes:
6' Designer Rail Kits
- One (1) 72" Designer Hand Rail
- One (1) 72" Designer Lower Rail
- One 30.25" Support Baluster (to be cut into 4" support blocks)
- One (1) Designer Rail Accessory Bag (contains four (4) TrexExpress™ Assembly
Brackets and 16 screws)
- One (1) set of Designer Assembly Instructions
- Available in Winchester Grey, Saddle, Madeira, Woodland Brown, Cayenne and Burnished
Amber
30.25" Baluster Kit
- Sixteen (16) 30.25" Balusters (exact length required for 36" rail)
- Available in Winchester Grey, Saddle, Madeira, Woodland Brown, Cayenne and Burnished
Amber
36.25" Baluster Kit
- Sixteen (16) 36.25" Balusters (exact length required for 42" rail)
- Available in Winchester Grey, Saddle, Madeira, Woodland Brown, Cayenne and Burnished
Amber
4x4x48"Post Sleeve
- One (1) 48" Post Sleeve (fits over Pressure Treated 4x4 (not included)
- Outer dimension - 4.5" x 4.5"
- Available in Winchester Grey, Saddle, Madeira, Woodland Brown, Cayenne and Burnished
Amber
4x4x108" Post Sleeve
- One (1) 108" Post Sleeve (fits over Pressure Treated 4x4 (not included)
- Outer dimension - 4.5" x 4.5"
- Available in Winchester Grey, Saddle, Madeira, Woodland Brown, Cayenne and Burnished
Amber
Post Sleeve Cap
- Fits new Trex Hollow Post Sleeve
- Choice of Pyramid or Flat
- Available in Winchester Grey, Saddle, Madeira, Woodland Brown, Cayenne and Burnished
Amber
Post Sleeve Skirt
- Fits new Trex Hollow Post Sleeve
- Available in Winchester Grey, Saddle, Madeira, Woodland Brown, Cayenne and Burnished
Amber
Contact the retail outlet where you purchased your product. They should be able
to order you the missing piece.
Yes. Always check your local building codes for requirements.
Fencing Back to top
You can build to any height up to 8 ft.
Posts are 8 ft from center to center of post.
Yes. Typically a fencing installer refers to "racking". Our product can be "racked"
therefore; it can be assembled on uneven surfaces.
Please visit our colors page to view the available fencing colors.
Select dealers can build gates. Typically they come in 3ft, 4ft and 6ft sizes.
Trex Fence is stick built, meaning a damaged or defaced section can easily be repaired
by replacing individual pieces.
Yes. Everything is sold separately.
It includes the following:
- 1 post
- 2 bottom rails
- 1 steel insert
- 19 pickets
- 1 top rails
- 4 brackets
- 1 post cap.
Yes. Our dealers use steel brackets that they bolt into the cement and then they
sleeve the bracket with a fence post.
Yes. Our dealers use steel brackets that they bolt into the cement and then they
sleeve the bracket with a fence post.
Soap, hot water and a stiff bristle brush are all that is needed. You can also use
a deck wash. Trex does not recommend pressure washing.
We have done 3rd party testing that has shown an improvement with Trex Seclusions
Privacy Fencing as a sound barrier.
Installation
General Installation Back to top
Trex routs beautifully to give extremely crisp edges. Do not rout balusters or 4x4
profiles. We do not recommend routing Trex Brasilia or Trex Escapes. Routing will change the unique
surface of these products.
Yes a groove can be cut in the side of Trex to accept "biscuit" type hidden fasteners.
Trex boards can also be routed on the edges.
Yes, but the ripped board will not be covered under the Trex Warranty.
We do not recommend sanding. Sanding will change the appearance of the Trex material
surface. Any issues related to the sanding will not be covered under the Trex Warranty.
Decking Installation Back to top
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Res. Deck, Lght Duty Docks |
Commercial Decks |
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Res/Daycare Playground |
Boardwalks & Marinas |
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Decking Loading |
100 PSF |
100 PSF |
200 PSF |
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5/4 Boards |
16" |
16" |
12" |
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2 x 4 |
20" |
20" |
16" |
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2 x 6 Boards |
24" |
24" |
16" |
Trex recommends using Composite Screws. These have two sets of threads, meant to
eliminate mushrooming caused by conventional screws. There are several manufacturers
of this type of screw. For best results, we recommend the following fasteners which
work well and provide an attractive appearance:
Split Stop - Star Drive Titan 3 Composite Screw
Website: www.splitstop.com
Phone: 888-578-3273
Dexxter Composite Screw
Website: www.swansecure.com
Phone: 800-966-2801
FastenMaster TrapEase II Composite Screw
Website: www.fastenmaster.com
Phone: 800-518-3569
Trex offers Trex Hideaway Hidden Fasteners for use with its grooved product line. For non-grooved boards, we have found that hidden fasteners like the FastenMaster IQ Hidden Fastening System works well with Trex. Some clip type systems are also acceptable, such as Tiger Claw TC-3 fasteners. Proper gapping may not be automatically ensured by these fasteners, but must always be maintained. For information on any of these products, please contact the manufacturer as follows:
Tiger Claw - www.deckfastener.com
or 1-800-92-TIGER (92-4437)
Fastenmaster - www.fastenmaster.com
or 1-800-518-3569
- The nails may be too soft
- It may be too cold and the fasteners need to be pre-drilled (If it is below 40 degrees
the material is going to be more dense and inherently harder to nail through)
- The regulator and/or gauge at the compressor could be faulty
- Oiling the gun could also help. If it is an older gun it may be losing some pressure
at the seals.
- 120 PSI should be plenty to shoot and countersink a 2" nail
- As a gun fires nails, the pressure at the compressor drops. Check the pressure in
the tank build up again, if you are firing nails in quick succession.
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