2Whispertoo

I replaced my 22 year old PT deck with Azek decking and Ipe rails 2 years ago. The Materials are both excellent. The Azek
doesnt stain, mildew or hold dirt. I blow or hose the leaves and tree debris off every once in a while but aside from that it needs no maintenance at all! Many of the ugly stories about Azek/Procell seem to date back some years before they got the formula right. Expansion is really minimal along a 30ft length and the stuff is pretty light to carry and easy to work with. I used 12" centers for the PT joists underneath and this make the deck feel solid. The Hidden screw/plug system is absolutely amazing- so good that I put a screw about 3 inches from one already plugged that I didnt see. The light tan color is pretty cool underfoot even in bright sun. My experience with Azek shows it to be excellent for a deck in Connecticut and I would use it again without question.
The Ipe rails are super strong and beautiful when oiled but fade to a light tan when left untreated. I have had some mildew on the treated horizontal top rails (probably from the oil) but it's pretty easy to deal with. Contrary to most opinion I had no trouble drilling the Ipe with regular steel drill bits and cutting it with a normal carbide skill saw. The recommended wax on cut ends of Ipe is a must to reduce end grain splitting.
Dont be deterred by all the bad stories- these are outstanding- though costly materials. The savings in maintenance and great appearance makes them worth every penny to me.