“What does every Southern family love to do? Live outside.” That’s how Thomaston, Georgia-based landscape designer Carmen Johnston feels. In her work helping families craft beautiful gardens, porches, and decks over the past fifteen years, she says that it has become evident that outdoor shared spaces are essential to those in the Southeast. “It’s in our DNA,” she says.
Landscape designer Carmen Johnston.
That’s why the bubbly green thumb has become such a fan of Trex, a composite decking, railing, and outdoor living brand. Trex decking is sustainably made from 95 percent recycled materials, including plastic film and reclaimed wood. The innovative company saves one billion pounds of recycled and reclaimed materials from landfills yearly. But Johnston says Trex offers more than a feel-good composite deck for environmentally responsible homeowners. “It’s stylish, extremely durable, and low-maintenance,” she says.
Case in point: On a recent photo shoot for a newly completed deck Johnston designed, she says all her team had to do was give the client’s Trex deck a quick wipe with a bit of soap and water, and it was close-up ready. “It’s so easy to clean and take care of,” Johnston says.
And a far cry from the deck she enjoyed growing up. “I grew up outside Atlanta, and we had one of those wooden decks. As a kid, what do I remember about that wooden deck? Always getting splinters!” she says. “That’s one of the great things about Trex decks; they’re extremely user-friendly.”
Unlike traditional wood decks that require sanding and staining to maintain their quality and lengthen their longevity, Trex materials offer a much longer life span. So much longer that the company offers warranties of up to fifty years on Trex decking.
Given the blazing sun and temperatures in the South, how composite decking handles the heat is new frontier for the category. “I’m in the South, and it gets hot, hot, hot here,” Johnston says. “But that’s also the time you want to be outside on the deck, enjoying the verdant landscape of the season and making memories with your family. The Trex Transcend Lineage composite decking is amazing because it keeps cool.” Now, you’ll still need your flip-flps on those 90-degree days, but Johnston speaks from experience when she says Lineage manages to stay cooler with its heat-mitigating technology than deck boards of a similar color.
But the real sell to the landscape designer is how Trex integrates with any property. “The easy-to-love color palette works so well whether you have a brick house, a wood house, stucco, or stone,” Johnston says. ”Trex is easy to install for contractors and homeowners with handy DIY skills. It installs very much like wood.” On that end, Johnston says Trex has thought of pretty much everything.
Stair lighting glows at dusk from a Trex deck.
“I used the Trex Signature aluminum and glass railing in a big backyard project last spring. I loved that the glass railing allowed for clear views of the pool and other elements we installed,” Johnston says. “It’s a durable choice, but the customized options make it sophisticated. And, true to the low-maintenance mantra of the Trex brand, you’ll never have to worry about fading or corrosion with the aluminum railing.” Or you can even choose cocktail railing, which are perfect for outdoor entertaining—they easily hold drinks and small plates, making extra room for guests to mingle.
For nearly thirty years, Trex has been upending the way people think about outdoor living, by combining recycled materials to create beautiful and durable products, including railing, deck lighting, pergolas, furniture, and more. The result is a more sustainable and family-friendly way to extend life to the outdoors. “With Trex decking,” Johnston says, “there’s no need to stain or spend hours cleaning it. You can tidy up and be ready for deck cocktails with friends within minutes.”
To learn more about Trex Transcend Lineage, visit lineage.trex.com
