Are you looking for the best composite decking option or can’t compare the Fiberon Vs. Trex Decking features, then here you will find the answer of which choice is better for you.
The Fiberon and the Trex brand offer top-quality products in the composite decking industry and are made with recycled material.
A huge range of designs and color patterns is available with both of these choices. You will also get all the necessary accessories required to install these decks.
They are durable and sustainable against stains and can tolerate all weather conditions without fading. Let’s start with an introduction to these composite decking options along with their pros and cons.
Later try to find the answer of which one is better based on some crucial factors:
Fiberon Decking
The Fiberon is a high-quality composite decking option that started its work in 1997. The brand manufactures railing, fencing, and decking; most of its products are made with natural ingredients.
Its material is made with a recycling process of wood and plastic which is sustainable in every environment.
Now, the company is producing an array of durable composite and PVC decking products. These boards have high power against stain and fade.
The capped deck boards of Fiberon started a new era in composite decking and gave you a sturdy setup against high-traffic areas.
The premium varieties of Fiberon products are almost endless. You can choose any Fiberon’s style or color theme according to your floor surroundings and fix them in your way.
Advantages of Fiberon Decking
- A complete synthetic composite decking choice
- Wide variety of designs and colorways
- This brand offers a potential environmental stance
- Most of the Fiberon products provide at least 50 years warranty or even more than that
- Essentials items are available with this composite decking like fascia, lighting, or risers
- Less cleaning and lower maintenance are required for its composite boards
- Many fastening systems are available to choose from
Disadvantages of Fiberon Decking
- You can claim its warranty only for selected products
- The top surface of its deck will fade over time
- The premium boards of the Fiberon brand are costly
Trex Decking
The Trex brand is the originator of composite decking and was founded 40 years ago. The manufacturers of Trex started this material by mixing plastic bags with sawdust and heating this combination at high temperatures.
They have produced weatherproof and durable composite products which can easily last in all conditions.
The boards of the Trex brand are not structural. The major benefit of this type of product is that they never require any maintenance and is extremely tolerable over high-pressure situations.
The Trex company offers 5 to 8 color schemes and texture designs for their products and provides a 25-year limited warranty on their synthetic products, which is slightly lesser than other competitors.
Advantages of Trex Decking
- Minimum 25-years warranty of most of their composite decking products
- All types of weather resistants and can tolerate high-pressure situations
- Wide range of color patterns and texture designs
- Most of their products are almost maintenance-free
- Offers 2 Inches thicker composite decking boards
- Cheaper rates as compared to Fiberon products
- Great variety of additional accessories
- The Trex composite decking products are available in many renovation stores
Disadvantages of Trex Decking
- Offers only 10 years limited warranty on commercial use
- Fewer color options than Fiberon and other competitors
- Not a complete synthetic composite deck option
Fiberon Vs. Trex: Which is Better?
The major difference between Fiberon vs. Trex is their material and warranty. When it comes to the installation process, its price, or the number of accessories, these products are almost comparable.
If you thoroughly observe the composite decking reviews, then you will find that the Fiberon products are more eco-friendly and give you a warm sensation.
At the same time, the Trex products use plastic ingredients, so they offer weather-resistant features. We can’t say any of these products outshine but have their own pros and cons.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the key factors to distinguish these two brands:
1. Material & Capping
1. Material & CappingThe product material used in the construction of both these products is mostly recycled plastic. Some parts of wood waste are capped with polymer sheathing for more protection.
The Trex products deliver capping on 3 sides, while the Fiberon decking offers 4-sided protection for their products.
The manufacturing process of both these products is almost similar. The premium products of Fiberon use slightly less recycled ingredients, which makes them a bit more durable than the Trex deck boards.
Who’s the Winner: Fiberon
Fiberon wins the battle in this case because of their 4-sided capping products. This finest quality setup provides more protection for high impacts.
2. Number of Types
2. Number of TypesThe product choices for both these brands are not actually a true composite even the Trex composite decking never offers a complete synthetic board.
If you carefully check the Trex decking Home Depot products, you will find that they are slightly less sustainable than Fiberon because they stick to true composites only.
The Fiberon PVC type is composed of 94% recyclable material, and this figure for the Trex products is 96%.
Who’s the Winner: Fiberon
The Fiberon PVC options are not fully composite and use wood material to construct their deck lines. In contrast, the Trex products are completely composite with recycled material. For this reason, Fiberon wins again.
3. Color Schemes
3. Color SchemesThe color themes of both these products are almost similar. The most popular schemes for the Fiberon and the Trex colors are brown and grey.
The Fiberon products called their boards ‘Grays’ you will see ‘earth tones’ written on the Trex decking colors. You will find 7 gray color patterns for both the Fiberon and the Trex products.
There are two reddish-brown color options for both these brands. These are available in brown copper tones and the other subtle form of brown.
Who’s the Winner: Tie
We have a tie here. We can’t say a true winner from both these options regarding their color patterns. There is almost the same variety of colors available for the Fiberon and the Trex products.
4. Installation Process
4. Installation ProcessThe Fiberon products can be installed in a traditional way. A hidden fastener system is available in their installation, which looks better and provides a smooth surface to walk on it.
The Trex decking delivers a glass-filled nylon fastener with carbon-coated screws.
Of course, it is difficult to find the face screws on solid Trex decking in both screws with plugs and flush mount screws formats. You will get color matching screws for face nailing in Fiberon boards.
Who’s the Winner: Fiberon
The Fiberon boards offer color matching screws with Fiberon composite decking colors, making the installation process easy and quick. This is the main reason why the Fiberon brand is the winner again.
5. Maintenance
5. MaintenanceBoth of these composite decking choices require minimum maintenance. You need one or two thorough cleaning sessions for the Trex and the Fiberon composite decking.
You can use pressure washing for cleaning both of these products. The Fiberon and the Trex composite decking adopt the stains quickly, and the surface allows these messes to sit in it.
You will see the flower pots on your favorite Fiberon surface. You have to take care of these stains for better maintenance.
Who’s the Winner: Trex
It is necessary to clean the Fiberon surface twice a year or sometimes more than that, while the Trex brand never demands two or three cleaning sessions.
The Trex decks allow more power from pressure washing during their cleaning process. Due to these crucial reasons, the Trex brand offers less maintenance and is the winner here.
6. Durability
6. DurabilityIt is quite a tough job to investigate and compare the durability of the Fiberon and the Trex products. Both of these brands are delivering capped composite boards.
The Trex select composite decking sample boards look finer but are less durable than the Fiberon brand.
If you compare Timbertech vs. Trex in terms of their durability, the Timbertech products still can’t reach up to the Fiberon premium composite decking standards.
Who’s the Winner: Fiberon
The Fiberon brand is the winner after closely investigating the durability of both of these products.
There are two significant reasons for this victory; firstly, the Fiberon products are available in 4-sided capped decks.
Secondly, the Fiberon brand offers a longer warranty period than the Trex company. That’s why it is the winner here.
7. Sustainability
7. SustainabilityAgain, both of these products are made with eco-friendly materials and are sustainable in high-pressure situations.
The Trex decking problems, initiated because of their recycled material matter, can be handled with extra coating and sheltering. However, you can’t catch the problems of the Fiberon boards.
The Trex brand is recycling approx. 400,000 tons of plastic bags in a year, and this figure in the case of the Fiberon brand is only 70,000 tons.
The Trex brand uses this recycled material in their additional accessories, especially in railings, making a durable setup on composite decking.
Who’s the Winner: Trex
The Trex brand uses food packaging, e-packaging, and other similar recycling bags in their construction process, which is great for the environment and makes these decks more sustainable.
As compared to the Fiberon recycling process, this wastage amount is lesser. So, with these facts, the Trex brand is the winner now.
8. Accessories
8. AccessoriesThe Fiberon company offers only basic accessories and their composite deck, mostly railings, fascia, and risers.
The Trex is a bigger firm than Fiberon and delivers deck furniture, fireplaces, pergolas, and many other additional accessories, plus the gears offered by the Fiberon brand.
You will also find kitchen cabinets, sinks, and counter decks in the Trex brand; you will be amused to see the Trex transcend composite decking sample.
Moreover, the Trex railings are suitable for glass, rod rail, and other standard railing choices.
Who’s the Winner: Trex
The Fiberon railing and other deck accessories are shorter in range.
At the same time, the Trex brand offers a huge variety of additional gear and gives you the luxury of choosing all the indoor and outdoor accessories for homeowners.
You can say the Trex is the clear winner in this class.
9. Prices
9. PricesIt is not easy to find the price range of Fiberon products because there is a huge list of their retailers offering their own prices and some of the prices are not mentioned on their boxes.
It is hard to figure out the exact range of their cost. The Trex decking prices are economical and are available in the lower range.
You can easily judge the total Trex decking cost at their store within minutes. You may also see 10% on most Trex decking pricing on Home Depot or Lowe stores.
The Trex deck cost matches in most of the retail stores as well, or the range of their prices is at least petite.
Who’s the Winner: Tie
It is extremely tough to compare the price of all Fiberon and Trex brand products. There is a wide variety of products and their retailers.
The price chart goes on and on, which is challenging to evaluate. So, there is a tie between both these composite decking brands again in this Fiberon vs. Trex comparison.
10. Warranty
10. WarrantyFinally, the last battle of Fiberon vs. Trex is on the warranty. If you read the warranty card of both these composite decking options, you will find that all the products deliver at least 25 years of residential warranty and 10 years for commercial use.
If you buy Trex decking cheap products, it might offer you less warranty, but these deck choices are rich in terms of the contract.
One common issue in these composite decking options is that the warranty can’t be transferred to the second owner.
If you buy a new house with the Fiberon or Trex decks installed in it, you can’t claim any wear and tear without the help of its actual owner.
In this regard, the Trex gives you more favor that it allows only one transfer of ownership.
The Fiberon composite decking products offer a larger warranty than the Trex brand. You can easily measure this scale in a total number of years but consider the other factors mentioned above.
Who’s the Winner: Trex
The Fiberon brand offers more warranty years than the Trex brand, but I choose the winner Trex because of the other warranty aspects. They allow one owner to transfer and give a favor while claiming this warranty.
Moreover, the Fiberon warranty is only for their premium products, and their cheaper choice will get fade very quickly, which you can’t claim in its warranty.
So, the Trex products are somewhat better than the Fiberon brand.
FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Difference Between Fiberon and Trex?
Most of the Fiberon composite decking products are made of 96% recycled material, and this figure is 95% for the Trex brand, making them a slightly more sustainable option than the Trex products.
Does Fiberon Scratch Easily?
The scratches on Fiberon products do occur. You will see normal wear and tear marks on its top surface. the Horizon and ProTech decking products of Fiberon offer more power against scratch resistance and can last longer.
Is There Anything Better than Trex?
The TimberTech boards give you a more realistic look and are a more durable composite decking option than the Trex brand.
If you compare the collection of TimberTech and the Trex decks, then TimberTech is far better than the Trex products in terms of quality.
Is There a Cheaper Version of Trex?
The Fiberon decks are cheaper than the Trex products. The cost of both these products is almost similar, but if you compare the total cost of installation and the warranty, the Fiberon products are slightly a better option in terms of pricing.
Is Fiberon PVC or Composite?
Fiberon products are constructed with durable PVC material, making them less slippery and lightweight in nature. It’s a great composite decking option for both residential and commercial use.
Fiberon Vs. Trex: Final Summary
We have given you an in-depth comparison of Fiberon vs. Trex. Now you can understand the some serious benefits of composite decking over the wooden options.
The decks of Fiberon and Trex brands have more power against stains and all types of weather resistances. Both of these brands offer more than a residential warranty against stain and fade.
Suppose you compare the features of these composite decking brands. In that case, you will find the
Fiberon is slightly a better option in terms of price, warranty, durability, installation process, color options, and material.
Some homeowners also prefer the Trex products because of their maintenance-free, sustainable, and additional gadgets features.
You can choose any of these products according to personal preference and needs. Now I can hope that you can’t go wrong with your choice. Good luck!
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