Are today's aluminum decks pretty much the same material as what I remember being used with above ground pools in the 60's?

I found one contractor site where it was discussed (not sure if the entire discussion was about LockDry or if some of it was just aluminum decking in general, but it was the best I could find), here.

I am also looking for information or reviews on this product by people who have used it. Not coming up with much!

Thanks for the info on Azek as well, slippery biscuit. Will have to look into it. What kind of testing have you done?

Let us know what you decide.

Wayne

I recently came around on the "foe" wood paint job and am hoping to go with redwood or cedar and aluminum railings- no maintenance, mold, rot, sanding, or staining. Has anyone out there installed aluminum decking and do they have any advice?

Thanks

I couldn�t find much info here on aluminum decking so I thought I�d share my observations& experiences now that we're getting it put in.

It looks very nice.

It�s hard to find a contractor who has laid it before. We asked several before we found a single one.
The colors are amazing and although the wood looking ones do cost more, they are so realistic, like Pergo.
We settled on a charcoal color �Last Deck� Inc. . Money was paid, it was then manufactured. The shipping cost $488 from MN to IL for 1026sq. feet including rails. The total cost of the deck materials, ($1,103)tax, and shipping was $17,101.This comes out to$16+/ sq. ft.
The GC at first assigned 2 guys to handle 20 foot planks. This was not enough. 3 guys minimum according to the crew.
The planks are hotter to the touch than expected, due to being a darker color than wood. ( I selected charcoal to match my steel roof) Due to this the workers could not kneel on it in shorts, the cat can�t walk on the deck, and I have to wear flip flops out there. I checked out the sample in my bare feet on a hot day before I ordered it and am surprised by this truth as it seemed ok on the sample. I am going to use indoor outdoor carpet on a section. I tried it tonight and it made it comfortable rather than cooking bare feet.
Despite the claim to being water tight, the seams are not water tight where 2 20 foot planks are put together with a marriage strip. I called last deck to see what could be used. They had nothing to offer. I suggested caulk and they said you can try but nothing�s going to make it water tight at the marriage strip. My GC agrees, but is going to try to caulk it. I'm glad we decided against building a 3 seasons room below this deck as it would have a leaky ceiling without material to block the leak.
I was planning on using a hose type Windex product to clean windows over the deck, but the instructions say no. I asked lastdeck could be used instead, and they said I can use the regular indoor Windex formulation, in the hose sprayer, just not the Windex Outdoors formulation or a layer of gunk has to be scrubbed off the deck.
The lifetime warrantee is not for a normal person�s lifetime. Maybe they don�t live as long in MN
I�m not complaining. I�m just sharing the facts as they come up.
Again you can see it in my album. http://s7.photobucket.com/albums/y256/cheerpeople/

As far as how hot the material gets Lockdry was nice enough to send a contractor package to my Dad to see the material firsthand. We set all the Lockdry colors out in the sun along with 2 samples from Trex (one conventional composite and the other the vinyl capped composite). The Lockdry was definitely much cooler than the Trex. The lighter colors (white and gray) were especially the coolest.

I really think Lockdry will be who we go with. I am just concerned with how much it will cost to get it sent to Utah. The only other option we were seriously considering was wood because we didn't like how the composite materials looked after only a short duration of time. I also really did like the Consumer Reports review of Lockdry (that was really the only reason that got me looking into it in the first place). I'll keep people posted on our decision if interested.

We also really did like the Consumer Reports review of Lockdry (and that was back in 2008) and that was what really got us into considering LockDry when we were planning on our new deck.

We have had our LockDry decking installed for 2 years now..it's great! Like I said in the above comments (April 2011) when we need to clean it we just use a broom and a water hose to wash off the deck...our deck is almond color (like an off-white). If it is really dirty I use 1/2 bleach and 1/2 water in a spray bottle, spray a 6 x 6 foot area, wait about 5 to 10 minutes and then use the broom and water to scrub down...looks like new every time. We haven't had any fading or stains.

We used the normal LockDry plank style decking for outdoors and the interlocking waterproof planks for our screened in porch.

Before we purchased Lockdry we did compare the LockDry samples right next to our wood deck to see if it would get too hot (since it is aluminum). It was not any hotter than our wood deck. I imagine that if we choose a dark color that would affect the heat level, but then again dark colors also heat up a wood deck.

We went with LockDry because we are getting older and don't want the upkeep and maintenance that real wood requires, also we don't want to have to replace this deck. We are done with all of that, easy care is what we were looking for.

Hope all of this helps with your decision! Everyone who comes to our home loves our deck and are amazed to find out that is aluminum. We even did aluminum raiings with their product. We are very happy with our choice! Hope all of this helps.