The surface lasts thirty years. Only if the rest does.
Composite solved the maintenance problem. No sealing, no staining, no grey board by year four. What it did not solve is what sits underneath. A surface rated for twenty-five to fifty years, on wood framing, is a finish outliving its own structure. We frame in steel for that reason.
Three constructions, and they are not interchangeable.
“Composite” is one word for three different products. The difference is how much of the board is protected, and where it belongs.
No wood fibre at all
Nothing in the board for moisture to reach. Pool decks, elevated decks, anywhere water sits.
Lifetime product warranty, 50-year fade and stain.
Wood fibre, sealed on every face
The cap wraps all four sides, so no edge is left open. The right answer for most residential builds.
30-year warranty.
The underside left uncapped
Same board, one face open. A real upgrade from wood, but the open face is where moisture gets in.
25-year warranty.
TimberTech, and a specific collection for a specific house.
We are a TimberTech Authorized Dealer. The collection is chosen against your architecture, not off a chart.
- Vintage and Landmark. Wire-brushed multitonal, or crosscut grain reading as white oak. Coastline, English Walnut, French White Oak. Class A rated.
- Legacy and Reserve. Hand-scraped, or reclaimed-timber character. Espresso, Tigerwood, Driftwood, Antique Leather.
- Terrain and Harvest. Quieter grain, soft solid colours, where the garden should lead.
Boards run 3½, 5½ or 7¼ inches wide. Width changes a deck’s proportion more than colour does.
Nothing on the surface. Everything removable.
Face-screwing puts several hundred screw heads across the one surface you are paying for. We do not do it. Field boards are grooved and held by CAMO EDGE hidden clips, setting a consistent 3/16-inch gap for drainage and movement.
Picture-frame borders are square-shouldered with no groove, so a clip cannot reach them. Those are set with Cortex: a top-down screw capped by a plug cut from your own deck board.
Pairing the two is about repair. A border board lifts years later by drilling the plug and backing out one screw, leaving the clipped field untouched. A face-screwed deck gives you no such move.
Steel framing, at the spacing the board actually requires.
We frame on Fortress Evolution steel as standard: 16-gauge, G60 galvanized, Class A noncombustible. It will not rot, warp, split or sag, and it spans further than wood: fewer posts, a cleaner line underneath.
Spacing is not a preference. Composite runs at 16 inches on centre, and any board laid diagonally tightens to 12 inches. That is the manufacturer’s requirement, and it overrides the generic code table. Framing at 16 and then laying diagonally is a common, quietly serious error: the board spans further than it is rated to, and it shows up as bounce within a season.
What it costs, and why the range is wide.
A single-structure composite deck on steel framing, with railing and stairs, runs $60,000 to $90,000. The spread is mostly height, access and railing. A ground-level rectangle and an elevated deck reaching a second-storey door are not the same build.
Every project is priced from a completed 3D design rather than a square-foot figure. See the cost guide and how we work. Where a quote comes in far lower, the difference is almost always framing, fastening or footing depth: invisible on delivery day, decisive ten winters later.
What people ask us.
Does composite decking get hot in the sun?
Any dark surface does, and colour matters more than brand. A deck facing full west is a different specification from a shaded one.
Can you put composite boards over my existing wood frame?
Sometimes, and we will say plainly when it is a bad idea. The frame has to be sound, correctly spaced, and have enough life left to carry a surface rated for decades.
Is it actually maintenance-free?
Maintenance-light, not maintenance-free. No sealing, staining or sanding, but it still wants washing, and grease and leaf tannin should not sit.
Who registers the manufacturer warranties?
We do, at closeout. Registration has to happen within 30 days of purchase or the coverage never starts, and homeowners usually discover that years later.
Let’s start with the floor.
Tell us about the house and how you want to use the space. We will walk you through construction, collection and structure before anything is committed.
Book a Discovery CallMore in decks & hardscape: custom decks & hardscapes · steel vs. wood framing · under-deck waterproofing
Serving Naperville, Hinsdale, Oak Brook and the western suburbs.
