We want a lower-maintenance deck. While we like the idea of a hardwood like Garapa or Ipe, we know of no one in our area who is experienced with these woods. And not sure if we'd be happy with the silver-ing of the wood over the years (and don't want to re-stain on a regular basis).

Bottom line, we're wanting good quality material from a reputable company - and we do need to keep the final cost in check. So many products available - as many have said before, it is quite mind-boggling! I've learned a lot on this forum, but still trying to figure out what's going to work best for us.

I've done some reading on the products Lumberock and Moisture Shield. Does anyone have experience with these companies and/or have opinion on these products?

It sounds like Timber Tech gets a lot of good reviews. Is there a favorite Timber Tech line that you especially like?

Thanks for any thoughts you might be willing to share.