There’s nothing worse than having a brand new deck that makes you the envy of the neighborhood, only to have it ruined by the sun and stained to high heaven. One of the most important things to consider when buying a new deck is how will it stand up to fading and how resistant it’ll be to various stains ranging from food and drinks to those pesky local pigeons who like to use it for fecal target practice. Here is all about Will Trex Decking Fade or Stain.
Will my Trex Deck fade?
You may have heard that Trex had issues with fading, and it’s true that Trex from 2010 and earlier (Trex Origins®, Trex Profiles®, Trex Accents®, Trex Brasilia®, and Trex Contours®) would naturally fade over time as the deck was exposed to the elements. However, Trex addressed this issue in 2010 with a new shell that protected the composite board on three sides, and as of 2014, all Trex models from 2010 and earlier were discontinued.
With this new shell, Trex claims that its product “shall not fade in color from light and weathering exposure as measured by color change of more than 5 Delta E (CIE) units”. What this means, in layman’s terms, is Trex will not fade to a degree that is detectable by the human eye. This claim applies to all Trex Contour®, Trex Select®, Trex Transcend®, and Trex Enhance® products.
Why is this important? This means that if you ever have to replace a piece of your Trex deck, and let’s say it’s been 10, 15, or 20 years since your deck was originally installed, that new piece of Trex will look no different than the original deck to the naked eye. In fact, Trex backs up this claim with a 25-year warranty.
Will my Trex Deck stain?
When it comes to how resistant Trex is to staining, there’s a little more complexity to Trex’s warranty. For your typical food and beverage stains, as well as naturally occurring mold and mildew, Trex warrants that their product will not stain as long as you clean the stain within 7 days. The deadline of 7 days is important as Trex does not warrant stain resistance after 7 days have passed and no cleaning has occurred.
Trex defines cleaning as washing with soap and water or a mild household cleaner, and it needs to be done “within one (1) week of exposure of the food or beverage to the surface or first appearance of the mold and mildew”.
Mold and mildew can grow anywhere naturally, including on Trex, so in addition to cleaning for stains, Trex provides general cleaning instructions for how to keep your deck looking aesthetically brand new.
*Trex does not claim to be stain-proof and does not warrant against stains caused by paints, metallic rust objects, stains, and a list of other things. With that being said, at Custom Deck Creations we have never heard of a case of newer generation Trex staining or fading.*
Will my railing fade or chalk?
Railing from manufacturers that use cheaper materials will fade and produce a white chalk-like film that requires a lot of elbow grease and man hours to remove. In contrast, Trex railing will not fade or chalk over time.
In summary, newer Trex deck and railing….
- Will not fade over time
- Will resist staining from your typical food and beverages as well as mold and mildew if cleaned within 7 days of the stain occurring.
