Hillary:  I agree with Ron.  At Frey Gulch our wooden decks were starting to show peeling, cupping and splintering after only five years of use.  We compared the long term costs of rebuilding with wood and subsequent painting versus composite decking.  We started with replacing two of our decks and this past summer completed the remaining decks.  In my travels around the area I noted a number of places, restaurant, bridges, and decks on high end homes.  Composite was the way to go.  The issue of being hot is unavoidable but you could put indoor/outdoor throw rugs down or people can just wear sandals.  Regarding the winter issues, I frequently went out on my deck during the winter and never encountered the issues you presented.  I would go with quality and pay the extra.  Trex is the product suited for our climate.  Just find a good deck person to install and make sure they picture frame the deck.

from Hilary Hoffman, Key Condo

Revisiting the decks question and looking for updates from HOAs that have used composite decking or alternate products.  Key Condo (4 buildings) has 8 common wood decks installed over roofing membrane for water proofing that sit above our parking garages.  The wood requires re-staining every year.  It is now rotting, and the membranes need replacing.  With fairly high foot traffic, we are currently researching options for decking material that will require less maintenance as well as satisfy the ever-increasing fire restrictions from our insurance company.  Stone, stone composite, and porcelain products are ideal, yet prohibitive due to weight.  Understanding the benefits of composite decking (low maintenance, longer life, fire resistance), we are primarily concerned about two factors:

1. Heat in the summer
2. Slip resistance in the winter with morning frost and snow cover

We would appreciate any feedback from other properties, including which product you have used and how they have performed since installation.

You can reply here or reach out directly to Hilary Hoffman at hhoffman@graham-consulting.com.

Thank you.