Came across Trex decking yesterday that had this white oxidation looking issue going on. I ran my hand across it but did not have any residue come off. I tried to see if it would lift with water only rinse off the wand while doing the house wash but it did not budge. The deck sees uninterrupted sun from sunrise until about 2-3pm. The customer wants me to try some CLR to see if it would remove. I’m thinking about doing the F9 Efflorescence process for Trex but would have to order and wait for the chemicals to arrive but in the meantime I was hoping someone has ran into this situation and could offer a solution of what worked well for them. What kinda scares me is that according to the F9 cookbook the F9 Efflo is a 31% muratic acid solution (with an ingredient in there for a more pleasant smell)…
Melting plastic is what i believe is happening here. You can see where the joists under it are and that probably absorbs some heat which is why it isn’t melting there. This isn’t something that can be washed but should be fixed. Same thing happens to vinyl when nail heads get hot and melts the siding some. That’s what I think is happening here.
Heres what my job of oxidized trek decking looked like. Either way if its nails melting it or the sun oxidizing the color I wasnt able to change the appearance at all. I didnt try an acid but I wouldnt think that would change the results either
I’d have the customer contact Trex, they have a pretty decent warranty. They might know what’s going on. I’d leave it until you get info from the manufacturer, otherwise you might be voiding their warranty if they have one. I’d look into it……
I remember reading that post and you asking for any advice/guidance. I was thinking about adding to it just to get that thread back up and running (also to consolidate info) with some answers from the real pros on this forum!
I left that job telling the customer to talk to the manufacturer as well. It probably is the right choice I don’t think there is much we can do for something like that
Customer said that it was installed 4 years ago (he thinks). I went to my local Pressure washer supplier to look for advice and possibly a product. He said that he sees it all the time here in Virginia Beach, Va. He picked up on the water in the background of the picture and said “that’s where your culprit is”. Thats water that flows into an inlet from the Atlantic Ocean, he said that the salt water coupled with prolonged exposure to the sunlight is whats breaking it down overtime and that the best I might be able to do is put a “glossy Housewash solution” (they sell) on it but that may last a month or a week and will turn back to what’s pictured. Like you can kind of see in the picture, the boards actually bow in between those joists. I definitely think the best route here is like everyone mentioned and to have the customer file the claim or at least reach out to the manufacturer. Thank you for all the replies and hopefully this thread will give a little guidance to others who may come across it.
I cant tell if that trek has the same problem as mine did but I figured something like a shiny oil or car quick detail spray would bring it back to normal looking for a little while. Not something I would look into doing though
