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TREX decking gate construction
OK, haven't been on here for a while, but you always get good info from you regulars! Anyone familiar with Trex decking? I'm putting one around a pool, and using the Trex designer railing as well. I need to build a gate, and have no clue on how to use the Trex components to do so...
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TREX decking gate construction
I would use a steel skeleton made of 1" sq. tubing. Properly designed and built it would last a lifetime and not sag or twist like wood will. And you can attach sturdy hinges and hardware with carriage bolts instad of into the Trex. This will also free you up designwise to add an arch or other feature not easiy or practical to make from wood or Trex.
On a different note, are you sure you rreally want to use Trex? My local yard used to carry up until a few years ago. They had complaints of sagging in the summer and shrinking and breaking in the winter. The only cure for sag was to double on spacing of the joists or go every 12". There are a lot of other types of composites that I researched for a job (I didn't get) through another local yard that caters to higher-end users. Trex in their in-store display was at the very low end, and was used more or less to show customers this isn't what you want to buy. There are some products that cost about twice the cost of Trex but are well worth it in final fit-and-finish---some had the look of furniture grade teak or walnut, but were synthetic.
And keep in mind Trex is a blend of wood fibers and polyproplene (recycled milk jugs) so the i will require cleaning and staining just like regular wood otherwise it will look dull and oxidized. And be sure to use the right screws otherwise the Trex will extrude up and around the heads looking quite nasty.
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TREX decking gate construction
Earthwrks, do you remember the name of the high end products? I'd like to get a few samples and leave them out in the weather for a few years. Our deck and rail is made of Ipe but it requires sanding and sealing every couple of years and it's a real PIA so we want to replace it with a more maintenance free material in a few years. The rail may end up getting replaced even sooner.
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TREX decking gate construction
KW: I'm a long way from home, but if I remember the name of the yard I'll be sure and let you know.
Have you thought of using a solid (extruded) vynil or an extruded aluminum with a baked-on finish? Home Depot has a commercial-grade railing system that is very nice and about two or three times the cost of crappy "wrought iron" entry-level stuff.
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TREX decking gate construction
My wife hated the idea of a powdercoated railing. However, we have an aluminum deck table and chair set that has a really nice antique bronze finish. If we could find a railing material with a similar finish it might be just the ticket.
Blueman, sorry to hijack your thread.
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TREX decking gate construction
I agree that powdercoating isn't the way to go; it tends to peel and scale off. To match your bronze look, yu might want to look at a spray paint Home Depot or Lowes has that is beleive is caled "Hammerite" which has the old look of hammered metal with copper or goldish flakes in it simialr to what was used back in the 30-40's. By the looks of it it probabaly goes on thick to get the appearance so it may hold up well. Another choice would be appliance epoxy, or epoxy in general.
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TREX decking gate construction
I put the Trex over cedar joist, but as I constructed floating docks from the Trex I had no railings. They are about 15 years old now. I would think you could make the frame for the gate out of cedar and then stain it you would be good for a number of years.
Before EW jumps on me. 15 years ago there was little choice.
As an aside milk bottles are polyethylene not polypropylene. Trex would be a lot less likely to creep if you had PP. There is nearly 20 degrees C difference in heat deflection temperature (HDT). I did not stain the deck and let the Trex bleach out. If you stain the TREX deck then you increase the IR absorbtion and the likely hood of deflection.
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TREX decking gate construction
Peters: the 20 degrees difference--is that soak due to ambient or sun radiation? Either way, 20 degrees in this application can't be all that much? Real-world, wouldn't the surface temp. alone due to sun soak cause it to warp or at the least soften it to the point it loses rigidity? Polyprop. v. Polyeth.: what am I thinking of? Sheeting goods? What else is made from it?
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TREX decking gate construction
EW The HDT of PE is 100 C or 212 F. The HDT of PP is 120 or 250 F. In general things will not get much above 100 C from simple solar radiation even with a black body. PP is used in iterior automotive applications, but PE is never used.
The difference in IR reflection from a white object vs a black object is significant. For example you can place the hand on my truck even on a 100 F degree day.
Most of the sheet goods for commerical kitchen etc are polyethylene. It is difficult to find PP in sheet goods unfilled as it is more $.
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