Name:   MartiniMan - Subject:   Composite wood for pier Date:   8/16/2023 2:32:58 PM

We put Trex on our dock.  Several observations.  First, it is hot in the sun, hotter than wood but not significantly so.  Both the wood and the Trex are too hot for bare feet in the summer sun.  Second, despite the heat issue we really like the Trex over wood. No more splinters and no more having to seal it every year to keep it in decent shape.  With the change in wood treatment processes the current treated lumber is not nearly as durable as it was in the past.  Third, it is more expensive than treated lumber but it will last a lot longer and is less expensive over the long haul.  Fourth, you need to look at the spacing of the support beams on your dock.  Composites need a relatively small spacing to prevent warping between support beams.  We realized that ours was too wide so we installed the Trex over the current wood floor which worked like a charm.

One thing we did to help with the heat was to buy some outdoor carpet (looks like grass).  We had it before when we had wood but bought some more to go on our floating dock as well.  Definitely helps on hot, sunny summer days.