Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Composite Decking

Putting in a deck for someone this week using composite decking. First time I have ever dealt with it. Its got some oddities, like it being delivered a few inches longer than it states and you're supposed to trim off the ends.

Also the clips are pretty pricey. On top of the decking you'll pay about $125 for 200sq ft worth of mounting hardware.

But once you do a couple of boards it goes pretty quick.

I put down a board, slide it into the clips, put a single clip at each end and screw them in to butt it up against the clips on the other side, then go screw those middle clips in, lay new clips and start the process over again.

I've seen videos of people doing it other ways but this seems to be the best for me being a one man job.This deck I'm working on isn't square or level enough to do the screws all at once after you get it the boards in place. The clips will pop out and get dislodged or fall to the ground.

Never seen clips.
Small diameter stainless decking screws. Those are expensive too.
Watch out for frost. Not as bad as stained wood because of the texture. But it can get slick.

the clips are a two sided deal once you get started. They hold the boards in place and the decking actually "floats" on the deck to expand/contract with the heat.

Occasionally I will put a finishing nail in because I don't like the idea of these boards with end to end gaps moving.

I've been waiting for the day to hit 36 or better, not because of frost but because I'm not putting a deck in dressed up like an eskimo

matter of fact I'm going to get back out there and try to knock out the next strip.

friend just dropped 15 grand on two porches with the stuff, and the jokers used screws instead of the clips, the clips sure look better and you dont' have to worry about missing a joist.


i've read horror studies about this decking in the sun compared to shade locations. It gets brittle with time.

Going on our seventh year with Trex installed with screws in this high-altitude sun-blasted and snowy Utah. Not one problem whatsoever.

I like wood. I like cedar.

lots of composite around our area when we were in Texas. As long as the stringers are done on 12" centers no sagging in the heat. Put in a few hundred feet a couple of years ago and it still looked perfect when we left. Pressure treated was continually wanting to bow in the heat, pulling out screws, ring shanks etc. lot of shrinkage and bowing due to the heat in the area we were replacing. Composite was considerably better option. With the cost of lumber going up so much, I'd guess the composite is getting closer to being a wash cost wise.

We need to do new decking here, but not sure how it holds up to serious cold and/or how slick it gets.

I just built a small deck with Trex.
Hidden fasteners are pricey for sure. I face screwed the picture frame boards and used the fasteners for the rest. 8x20 and I went through 3 1/2 boxes at about $50 a box. Starting clips and face screws another $50.

The fasteners give a pretty big gap. 1/4”+. Looks fine, but I’d of preferred a bit tighter.


I love real wood. Almost went with Ipe or Tigerwood but I live in W WA. The place is wet as fugg. Black mold is the state flower. I’m tired of cleaning and finishing wood out here.

I helped build a big composite deck last fall. Those clips can be real pain in the butt to get the board to slide into correctly. The screws strip out very easy too until you get the hang of it. Maybe it just seemed like a pain because it was 25* out with a 40 mph wind coming off a lake. lol

We have a composite deck that has developed waves because the decking spans to much distance between supports. What is the maximum distance is recommended?

How do you know this?

What type of fastening system was used?

Is the decking a dark or light color?

Clips are the only way to fly.

It gets hot and snags in the sun. I use 8" centets

I would not use composite decking if it was free.

I'd be ok with a 1/4in gap, we fight leaves and pinestraw, can't stand it when they get stuck in the smaller gaps and you can't blow them out with the blower and push them on through when its pressure washing time.

Glad to hear the new trex is holding up in the sun like someone mentioned, I believed they were sued in the past.

Good idea, I pin the boards in the middle so as they exspand and contract they stay in the same place.
How much spacing are you leaving on the butt joints?

Your cold weather installation will give it a test once it sees summer heat.

If it's 24" on center it'll bow . Should be 16" on center with composite. I figure you could deck it 2-3 times with pressure treated 5/4 for what it cost to do it once with composite. I've seen the brown color face to a pink deck. I left a drill bit sitting on one over the weekend. It rusted & stained the decking. Nothing would remove stain. I don't care for composite decking or vinyl handrails. Just my opinion.

I was actually warning about just for walking on cold mornings vs installation.
We have had composite on for 20 years with no issue. It has darkened a bit from tree debris in some areas,

The only place I have seen any brittle response is using 20 year old scraps to level a trailer over a river stone parking area. One piece broke where there was a fist size rock under one board spanning both axles.

yea, that's what I was thinking, so the but joints have about 1/4 inch between them. The clips certainly create a wider gap , too wide for my taste but it looks uniform and there is no guess work.

I"m using 14" between floor joists to put this decking up and an extra support beam at the butt joints.

I had to put the break or whatever its called on my drill to 8 just so it wouldn't strip those screws. They are cheap material. I've learned with the clips to really put some effort into placing them flat and butted up against the set board so the next board will slide in easier. That said, I still have to use a screwdriver to pop a couple of the clips into the groove.