The older Trex appears to be the same as the material on my 2003deck. Time will tell if it will hold up. I wanted something nonwood with some traction and no splintering for the swimmers.It also fads fast and have stained and sealed it twice.I believe Trex stated that it wont take stain but it does. I wanted to match the cedar.I wouldnt consider the climate of the decks Ive seen removed as a constant humid condition as the falls and winters are usually very dry. The spring and summer conditions with the irrigation is humid however. Trex also seems to get mold on it as many surfaces do in this situation. Unless Trex has come out with some new designs in the last 2 years I think some of the other composite products may be worth looking at. I also looked into their railing design and found it very weak and unappealing. Their website looked great however. The piers are installed in dry ponds and are basically a heavy smooth bore (Hancor) field tile or ditch tile that are supported with a wooden framework and poured to above the future water line. Most of these seem to get steel beam framework to attach the decking to.The water in never in contact with the concrete.I also see several square 18 inch bare concrete piers that Im sure will last a long time also. A lot of the ponds around here are constructed by tile and excavation companies that have this type of material for other purposes. Seems like a good way to form and use up short pieces of culvert tile at the same time. It may be overkill as far as a form but keeping the water away may have some merit.
