TimberTech Composite Decking in St. Louis, MO
We build our composite decks with TimberTech. It is not the cheapest capped decking on the market and we do not pretend otherwise — but the warranty behind it is the strongest in the category, and it only holds up if the deck is built to the manufacturer’s spec. That second half is where most composite decks go wrong.
Two families, and they are not the same thing
People say “composite” for both. The materials behave differently and are warrantied differently.
Advanced PVC
All-PVC, no wood flour in the board at all. Nothing in it for mold or rot to feed on. It is the coolest underfoot of the TimberTech lineup and the most fade-resistant, and it is the top of the price range.
Warranty: Limited Lifetime product warranty plus a 50-year limited fade & stain warranty.
Profiles: square-shouldered, grooved, and MAX (2×6 wide boards).
Capped Composite
A wood-and-polymer core with a hard polymer cap bonded to the outside. The cap is what does the work — it is what resists fading, staining, scratching, and moisture. Excellent decking at a more reachable number than PVC.
Warranty: 25 or 30 years on product and fade & stain, depending on the collection.
Profiles: grooved, square-shouldered, and scalloped on the lighter lines.
Warranty length and price move together
Fade & stain warranty, in years, by TimberTech tier. Longer coverage costs more — there is no line that gives you both.
Advanced PVC also carries a Limited Lifetime product warranty on top of the 50-year fade & stain coverage shown here. All three tiers are prorated from year 11 and transfer once, within five years of the original purchase.
The collections
Every current TimberTech line, what it is warrantied for, and the colors it comes in.
Advanced PVC — Limited Lifetime product warranty, 50-year fade & stain.
Capped composite — product and fade & stain warranty as noted.
You don’t have to go hunting for a color. We carry full sample kits to every estimate — every collection, every color, in your own yard and your own light, which is the only place a decking color ever looks like itself. We’ll tell you which line a color lives in, what it costs, and whether the gap between two collections buys you anything you will actually notice.
How the boards get fastened
This is the decision that determines whether you see screws for the next thirty years.
| System | What it is and where it’s used |
|---|---|
| CONCEALoc | Hidden clips that sit in the groove between boards. Nothing visible on the surface. Advanced PVC grooved boards. |
| EDGELoc | Nylon hidden clips with preset spacing built in, for grooved capped composite. Same clean surface, and the gapping is set for you. |
| Cortex | A screw set below the surface, then plugged with a color-matched plug cut from your actual decking. Used on square-shouldered boards and on picture-frame borders. Requires a 7/32” pre-drill. Cannot be used on scalloped-bottom boards — Terrain, Prime, and Prime+. |
| TOPLoc | Color-matched face screws. The straightforward option where a hidden system isn’t practical. |
| SIDELoc | Side-installed fastening for Advanced PVC. |
| Stainless / coated screws | Approved where a proprietary system isn’t used. Never a bare or cheap screw — the fastener outlives the warranty or it doesn’t. |
Fasteners go in perpendicular to the surface and driven flush. Overdriving splits the board. We pre-drill within 1-1/2” of every board end, and any time we are working below 45°F.
How it has to be installed
These are TimberTech’s requirements, not our preferences. Miss them and the warranty is gone.
| Requirement | Spec |
|---|---|
| Joist spacing, standard | 16” on center maximum for residential. 12” on center is preferred by TimberTech, and it is what we build. |
| Joist spacing, 45° diagonal | 12” on center maximum. Sharper angles need tighter. |
| Picture framing | 16” on center maximum plus added blocking to carry the border. |
| Board-to-board gap | 1/8” minimum to 3/16” maximum, side to side. |
| Butt joints and structures | 3/16” minimum where boards meet a wall, post, or each other end to end. |
| Gapping by temperature | 32°F and below: 3/16”. 33–74°F: 1/8”. 75°F and above: 1/32”. Boards get fastened right after cutting, before they move. |
| Stair treads | The stringer step has to carry two full board depths plus a 1/8” to 3/16” gap. |
| On-grade and low decks | Minimum 1-1/2” sleeper system where airflow is obstructed, plus real drainage provisions underneath. |
| Ventilation | Airflow under the deck is part of the install, not an afterthought. It is what limits expansion and contraction. |
Cleaning and care
The stain warranty has conditions. This is how you keep it.
Approved
- Mild soap and water for routine cleaning — TimberTech reports the best results with Dawn Ultra
- TimberTech DeckCleaner for heavier soiling
- Chomp Pro or Zep Fast 505
- Pressure washing at 1500 psi maximum, fan tip, sprayed with the grain
- Saturate, let it sit 30 to 60 seconds, scrub with medium pressure, rinse before it dries
Not approved on capped composite
- Corte Clean
- Thompson’s Water Seal Oxy Action
- Olympic Deck Cleaner
- Pressure above 1500 psi, or a concentrated tip
- Letting cleaner dry on the surface before rinsing
The stain warranty covers typical food and drink — condiments, dressings, grease, wine, coffee, tea, soda — as long as it is cleaned up within one week. It does not cover acids, solvents, paint, rust, or damage from the wrong cleaner. Clean spills when they happen and this is a non-issue.
The warranty, in plain English
What it actually covers, and the conditions nobody reads until they need to.
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Who it covers | The original residential owner of the property at the time of installation. |
| Advanced PVC | Limited Lifetime product warranty, plus 50 years on fade & stain. |
| Legacy, Reserve, Terrain, Terrain+ | 30 years, product and fade & stain. |
| Prime+, Prime, Premier | 25 years, product and fade & stain. |
| What “fade” means | Color change is measured, not argued about. The standard is no more than 5 Delta E units of change from light and weathering. |
| What “stain” means | Resistance to permanent staining from normal food and drink, provided it is cleaned within one week using soap, water, or an approved cleaner. |
| Transferring it | Transfers one time, to a subsequent property owner, within five years of the original purchase. Worth knowing if you may sell. |
| The remedy | TimberTech replaces the affected material or refunds the purchase price of it. Installation labor is not included. |
| Prorating | Full value through year 10. From year 11 onward the recovery steps down — roughly 80–90% early on, declining toward 10–20% at the end of the term. |
| The condition that matters most | Coverage requires the deck to be installed to TimberTech’s published guidelines. Improper installation voids it. |
| Not covered | Improper installation, commercial use, structural movement, extreme heat, acts of God, abuse or neglect, staining on the underside or board ends, and ordinary wear. |
On top of TimberTech’s warranty, you get ours
Composite decks with aluminum railing carry a three-year limited workmanship warranty from us, covering structural integrity, safety, and installation workmanship. During that period we will inspect the deck once a year at your request, at no charge, and it transfers once to a new owner of the home. TimberTech covers the board. We cover the build.
Want to see the colors in your own yard?
We bring the full sample kit to every estimate — every collection, every color. Walk the space with us and we’ll price the lines side by side so you can see exactly what the jump between them buys.
