TimberTech Azek VS Trex Decking

Trex also takes the tiered approach with their composite decking, so you have Trex Transcend, Trex Select, and Trex Enhance. Each collection has a different array of styles as you’ll get over a dozen colors to choose from between Transcend and Select. Trex Enhance is actually broken down into two collections with Natural and Basics, which feature a handful of colors each.

Just like with TimberTech, each collection from Trex serves a purpose and has a different price point to fit different consumers’ needs. The company’s collections are easy to sort through, and we liked the fact you can compare those collections against one another with their site as well. You won’t have a problem figuring out what you’ll get from each one of their product lines.

Style

We’ve already told you what to expect from Trex and TimberTech when it comes to collections, and its one area where they are on equal footing. What’s in those collections is where the brands begin to separate themselves, however, as the styles are quite different from one another.

TimberTech offers more in terms of texturing, especially from the TimberTech AZEK collection. In that series, you’ll find boards that have a traditional grain pattern alongside mixed and infinitely-variable wood grain patterns. Wire-brushed, dual-embossed, and hand-scraped options are available as well, along with smoother boards.

You’ll find plenty of boards with texturing from Trex as well, but not as many types of techniques are used overall. The best-looking boards come from the tropical-themed Transcend collection whereas their Enhance Basic series comes off a bit flat. Overall, we give the advantage to TimberTech decking when it comes to styles, colors, and textures.

Construction

Every decking company has a standard set of profiles they can use, and most provide a nice mix of options. Trex decking is available in two profiles with solid planks on their premium and mid-range lines and scalloped boards on the budget end. They don’t go into great detail on the construction of their boards, but they do tout their weather-resistant shell.

With TimberTech, things are different, and you have a clear idea of what to expect from each series and collection. TimberTech AZEK has no wood fiber in the mix as they are a full profile capped PVC deck board while TimberTech Pro is a composite board that’s capped on 4-sides, and Edge is a 3-sided capped board. Even their porch boards that fall under the “specialty” category have a protective shell. The Terrain and EDGE collections are available in full or scalloped profiles depending on the series you choose.

Fade & Stain Resistance

With decking, stains and fading from the sun are two things that can do a deck in quickly regardless of whether it’s composite, PVC, or wood. While there are various ways to get around that, it all starts with quality construction although having a solid cap or a protective shell on top of each board certainly helps as well.

While we haven’t tested any of these deck boards ourselves, this is an area where we feel TimberTech AZEK decking comes out on top. Their PVC collection has a 50-year guarantee against stains and fading while PRO and EDGE come in at 30 and 25 years, respectively.

With Trex, how long they’ll stay stain-free depends on the overall warranty, which is 25-years across all collections. With that in mind, each of their product lines has a “scratch” rating, which is set at 5-stars for Transcend, 3-stars for Select, and 1-star for the Enhance collections.

The Green Factor

Composite lumber is greener than other forms of decking, but there are different levels of eco-friendliness depending on how far the company wants to take things. Trex realizes that, and the company is actually part of recycling programs in the United States and Canada, which recycle plastic. Their decking is also made from up to 95% recycled wood and plastic, so they are certainly eco-friendly in our eyes.

With TimberTech AZEK, you can expect the same commitment. The company recently opened a new green facility that’s geared towards using recycled content. Their PRO and EDGE collections are made from up to 80% recycled content, including the use of 100% recycled resin in the core of their boards. Their goal is to use 95% recycled material in their products, and it’s a milestone they should reach sooner than later.

TimberTech and Trex Decking Prices

Both TimberTech and Trex decking is easy to acquire, so they tie when it comes to availability. TimberTech’s composite deck boards can be found through Home Depot, Lowes, or online, including the TimberTech AZEK collection. Trex can also be found at those same retailers, but 84 lumber is also an option.

With pricing, Trex takes the lead as they are cheaper across every series and at ever length. The 2” Trex Transcend boards are comparable with TimberTech AZEK in terms of price, but the rest of the collections are cheaper. You can expect to pay between $40 to $120 for 20-foot boards from Trex while TimberTech averages out at $50 - $120, so there’s around $15-20 difference in price depending on the collection, series, and size.

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Final Thoughts