8 Reasons Designers Like Building with Trex

We recently caught up with James DeSantis, the exterior designer behind Manscapers New York, to hear more about why he loves using Trex for his clients' projects and his own home. Let's dive into it.

1. Reliable Material

"I love working with Trex because it's a very durable material, it's very beautiful. One of the main things for me is the cleanliness of the product and it's minimal maintenance. It's perfect for my lifestyle because who wants to be cleaning their deck all the time? I mean, let's be real."

2. Minimal Maintenance

"One of the biggest deterrents for almost all of my clients when choosing wood material, especially teak or ipe, is that they have to maintain it every single year. With Trex it's as low maintenance as possible to keep the color which is really important. I can show them a piece of Trex decking in person, say this is what it looks like, and when it gets delivered the next week, it's going to look exactly the same. Then with the fade and stain warranty hopefully it's going to stay as true to its colors as it can with enough maintenance over possibly the next 50 years."

3. Design Flexibility

"I'm not a big fan of knots in wood either, and I know the specific product I chose is knotless. It's very seamless. I'm always thinking about material and waste, how it needs to be cut, how much we're gonna get out of it. With Trex, you don't have to think about that. You're not cutting around giant knots and holes in the wood and trying to find the best lines in design.

It's already there, and it's streamlined. The ease of me not having to pick out every single piece of wood when my guys are on site and installing it for me is amazing. I know the product is uniform. It's going to look beautiful. When working with a composite material, you just don't have to worry about handpicking every piece. With Trex, you don't have to worry about that at all."

4. Eco-friendly

"I love that Trex is made from 95% recycled and reclaimed material because, as a designer, especially in Southern California, the clientele is concerned with what is going into their products. So, if you have the choice to pick a material that is eco-friendly and can be used, then we always gear towards that direction. With Trex, it's just one more thing that checks the box for us and why we like to use it."

5. Confidence in the Trex Brand

"When you say composite decking, you say Trex. Like, especially in the industry, everybody knows what you're talking about. And I think that name recognition and the brand cachet it has makes me comfortable always selling it to clients. To me, Trex means quality. It means durability. It is the product.

I don't suggest anything else to clients because they know that word. It's a household name.

6. Products for Every Build and Budget

"Having a line with a variety of price points is always a good selling point to clients. You know, I can show a client the inspiration, and we do this all the time. It's like, this is the sun and the moon. And then this is where we pair it down, you know. But knowing that there are more budget-friendly options that are, you know, they will be okay, and I will be okay putting them into their home really is helpful and works for me."

7. Trust in the Products

"Anytime there's a warranty involved with a product for a client, oh my God, it's the biggest factor in choosing Trex. Wood can warp and get damaged, fade, and cause splinters within the first year. I don't want to be getting phone calls within six months that things need to be replaced. With Trex, I'm confident that it's not going to fade, that, you know, things aren't going to chip and crack, and that a client's not going to be calling me right after we leave the job."

8. Peace of Mind

"With wood, you constantly have to worry about maintenance. And with Trex, you don't have to worry about the termites, the color, the deck will stay cooler under the sun, which I love. Plus, the ease of maintenance in the way that it's so easy to be cleaned and sprayed off. I think with Trex and specifically with this project [DeSantis's home] and this product [Trex Transcend® Lineage™ Decking] , probably the peace of mind is the best thing."