Motobeagle Posted November 22, 2003 Share Posted November 22, 2003 Trying to get an idea on what would be the best, and cheapest for a patio. I've gotten bids for stamped concrete and brick paver, but I don't know about the new decking composites. Tim tells me that brick pavers may not look the best after a few years, and I'm worried about cracking on custom stamped concrete. Has anybody had experience with Trex decking? http://www.trex.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVLXX Posted November 23, 2003 Share Posted November 23, 2003 Lots of experience with all three, but can't reply at lenght right now.... ....I'll get back and reply at lenght as soon as I can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeG Posted November 23, 2003 Share Posted November 23, 2003 Brick pavers are OK but the ground must be prepped right ie dug out and refilled with good draining fill, compacted, and the right underlay material used. Concrete pavers are worth considering also--lots of shapes and sizes--look like cobblestones. These would be my pick. Trex looks very fake IMHO. Goes well with plastic siding! MikeG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVLXX Posted November 23, 2003 Share Posted November 23, 2003 Ok... Brick pavers... Positives... They come in a gob of shapes, colors and sizes, this is there strongest trate because it alows you to give any area that truly custom (jaw dropping) design. :grin: If for some reason you drop an engine on a stone it can easily be replaced, if you have a spare one lieing around. :grin: Negatives... Subgrade-subgrade-subgrade, the three most important things to remember about pavers. If your subgrade has not been properly built up, your pavers will look horriable in a couple of years. :sad: Makeing fancy curves and cutting around object is a pain in the ass, and in my opion never looks as good as I wanted it too, but then again I'm a perfectionist. :sad: Keeping it clean :???: can be a pain, all you can do is broom it off. pressure washers are not allowed! Stamped concrete... Positives... This gives you the most uniform look, if you have a large area to cover or if you don't want to draw attention to the area surface itself. I once did a patio walkway that was around 20' wide and 120' long, with a cobblestone stamp and red concrete. When it was all done it looked awsome and at the same time was not overkill. :grin: Easy to keep clean, gotta broom and a hose? :grin: negatives... Extremely hard to repair (and look good) if something should happen to it. No matter what you do it will look like you patched it. :cry: You have to be very conservative on your plans, because once it's there....it's there! It can easily become gotty looking if the color is too strong or if it's not designed right. :neutral: Trex... Possitives... Easy to install! :grin: It's a DECK! :grin: Lasts a long time.... compared to wood. Gives you that comfortable feeling when you walk on it, it's not too hot, it's not too hard.... just comfortable. :grin: Negatives... No matter how you slice it... it's still a DECK! :neutral: No matter how well you seal off the underside... wheater it's on the ground or ten feet up...something will always find a way to make it a home, spiders, snakes, skunks :shock: ... you get the idea. Conclusion... If your into that "jaw dropping" affect or if you live in an up-scale nieghborhood... go with the pavers, and a great design. The best subgrade for the pavers is a concrete slab, but if you can't aford that go for 6" of class 6 road base watered to 18% and compacted with a "Jumping-Jack" and 1/2" of brick sand on top. I would edge it with concrete no matter what you do. If you want the best of both worlds... stamped concrete. If you want the most comfortable feeling patio... biuld a deck. Once again, there are too many variables for me too recomend any one application for you... ...How about a Deck/patio on the back of the house with a stamped concrete walkway leading to a Brick pavered Fire-pit or Gazzibo. :grin: My patio is concrete with an alternating broom finish. Biuld-on! :grin: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motobeagle Posted November 23, 2003 Author Share Posted November 23, 2003 Eric, Great reply. Thank you for taking the time. I'm leaning towards the stamped concrete because my wife's company is installing a pond, and I want it to blend in naturally. The downside is my impatience. I can get the deck done nexxt month, but I will have to wait until spring for concrete. Jerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVLXX Posted November 23, 2003 Share Posted November 23, 2003 Good choice, stamped concrete is propably the most bang for the buck and will last the longest. Just remember the fraze "K.I.S.S." ( keep it simple stupid ), and you'll love it. Don't pick a stamp patern that's new or wild, go with the old and trusted. They make all kinds of patterns these days, personnally I think some of them are so fake looking it's pathetic. A good idea would be to drive around to some up-scale nieghborhoods (600K-1Ml.) and look at there walk ways and driveways, alot of them will have pavers and stamped concrete, just to get a good idea what looks good up-close and personnal. And remember we all want to see pictures! (pre-post) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwampNut Posted November 24, 2003 Share Posted November 24, 2003 EricLet the building commence! :shock: Wow, what an education on this stuff, great post. It's amazing the breadth of knowledge we have here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BDAZ XX Posted November 24, 2003 Share Posted November 24, 2003 EXCELLENT POST ERIC! I was going to build a 2 patios onto the house next year and your info is quite helpful. Thanks :grin: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVLXX Posted November 24, 2003 Share Posted November 24, 2003 Thanks guys! For those thinking about the composite decking (Trex), keep your joist spaceing close. If you use the 1x material for the top, keep your joist at 12 inches. For those useing ths 2x material on top, I would go over 16 inches. The reason I say this is because I've noticed on some older decks that the boards look like they are sagging. I don't know if I was just looking at it on the wrong day or what, (maybe it was to hot). I just am alittle worried that's all, this composite deck material has only been around for 7-10 years, that's not long enough for me yet. If you can afford it I would recomend Redwood, (just because I still think it looks the best), although the composite will definnetly out last it. Oh, I also recomend water sealling your joist, it'll help them last longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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