Where to Buy Trex Decking

Where to Buy Your Decking Materials

When it comes to buying decking materials, you’ve got options—from home improvement centers to specialty lumberyards, online retailers, and even your local deck builder. Each has its own advantages and considerations. This guide will help you navigate the different buying channels, so you can choose the one that best fits your project, budget, and experience.

Why Can’t I Buy My Decking Directly from Trex^®?

Bulky building materials like plywood, framing lumber, and decking are rarely purchased directly from manufacturers. Instead, these heavy items typically pass through regional distribution centers before reaching your local retailer.

The reason for this is simple: shipping large, heavy products in smaller quantities directly to homeowners, deck builders, or even retailers is costly. To optimize efficiency, Trex ships its decking products in bulk via trains and semi-trucks to strategically located distribution centers.

From there, the materials are delivered to retailers, ensuring Trex products are readily available to consumers across wide regions. While an extra stop in the supply chain might seem like it would increase costs, this process actually helps keep prices competitive.

So, if buying direct isn’t an option, where should you purchase your Trex decking? Keep reading to discover the best choice for your needs.

Should You Buy Your Decking at a Home Improvement Center?

Home centers like Lowe’s and The Home Depot are convenient, familiar, and offer a wide selection of building materials all in one place. They're a great place to start, and might be the best resource to get your deck project off the ground.

Advantages of buying from Home Improvement Stores

• Price: Large, reputable home centers typically stock the most popular decking products and often offer them at prices lower than you’ll find elsewhere.
• Product Condition: If you pick up and load your decking materials yourself, you can inspect and reject any products damaged during shipping and handling.
• Product Availability: Because the more popular home centers have so many locations, if your neighborhood store does not have the exact product or amount you need, there’s a good chance the same retailer will have it in stock at the store in the next town down the road.

Considerations for buying from Home Improvement Stores

• Selection: While it’s likely your local home center will carry the most popular and least expensive Trex products, they won’t stock everything that Trex has to offer. They will, however, have access to all of Trex’s more premium items through a special order. 

Should You Buy Your Decking at a Lumber Yard?

Many people think that lumberyards are just for builders and only sell lumber. But that’s not the case. A lumber yard can be a great place to purchase your new deck, and here’s why:

Advantages of Buying from a Dealer or Lumber Yard

• Expertise: The staff at lumberyards pride themselves on being building material experts, and should answer most of your deck-related questions.
• Selection: Most lumber yards that partner with Trex will stock a wider variety of Trex products and have access to the majority of Trex product offerings.
• Deliveries: The drivers that deliver products bought from a lumberyard are employed by that same lumberyard, are experienced and well trained, and have the proper equipment to safely handle all types of building materials.
• Additional Services: The staff at lumberyards can often help you create a detailed material list based on your project, and might even help you create your plans. Many have engineers on staff that can confirm your deck framing strategy is safe and meets building code requirements.
• Product Displays: Premium Trex retail partners are known for their showrooms and decking displays, where you can touch and feel various decking products instead of just seeing them in a brochure or online.

Considerations for Buying from a Dealer or Lumber Yard

• Price: If price is the most important consideration, you might be better off purchasing on of the products in stock at a home center, because the premium services you receive at a lumber yard typically, but not always, result in higher prices.
• Availability: Many lumberyards are not chain stores and have only one location. If their inventory is low, you might have to wait for them to receive a delivery from the distribution center to fulfill your order.

This factor can be mitigated by choosing suppliers with multiple locations, such as the trusted Trex partners listed below:

• 84 Lumber
• ABC Supply
• Advantage Lumber
• Builders FirstSource
• Carter Lumber
• Kodiak Building Partners
• Master Halco
• QXO (Formally Beacon)
• U.S. LBM

Should You Buy Your Decking Materials Online?

Online shopping has changed the way we buy everything—including decking. With just a few clicks, you can have boards, fasteners, and accessories shipped directly to your job site. But is that level of convenience the best fit for your project needs? Here’s what to consider.

Advantages of Buying Decking Materials Online

• Price: Online retailers don’t have to pay for expensive retail real estate, cashiers, and other expenses that brick and mortar retailers do, which means these cost savings can be passed along to the consumer in the form of competitive pricing.
• Selection: Online retailers like Advantage Lumber, DecksDirect or The Deck Store Online often carry the full line of Trex Products. Trex products can also be purchased online at most major home centers like Lowe's and The Home Depot as well.
• Convenience: Let’s face it, it doesn’t get any easier than ordering your decking from the comfort of your home where you don’t have to face heavy traffic, bad weather, or under-stocked product shelves.

Considerations for Buying Decking Materials Online

• Expertise: If the online retailer you choose has experts on staff, and not all do, you won’t receive that personal, one-on-one interactions that can be helpful, especially for a complicated project like a deck build.
• Product Condition: Shipping long deck boards can be expensive, and your deck package may have to make more than one stop that requires additional handling before it reaches your house. The more the product is handled, the more likely it is to be damaged during shipping.
• Product Availability: If you run out of something during the build, you will have to wait for shipping in order to finish. This consideration can be mitigated if you use products that can also be purchased at local retailers.
• Returns: Even if the online retailer you choose has a generous return policy, returning large decking components is not as convenient as driving it back to a nearby store. 

Should You Buy Your Decking from Your Deck Builder?

Many homeowners choose to have their deck builder handle not only the construction, but also the material purchasing. This option can streamline the process and reduce stress—but it’s not without trade-offs. Here’s what you need to know before going this route.

Advantages of Buying from a Deck Builder

• Expertise: A seasoned deck builder knows exactly how much and which products to order. And since their reputation relies on the quality, safety, and longevity of your deck, a reputable deck builder has a vested interest in making sure your deck is built with the products best suited for your unique project.
• Returns: Most pros will handle the returns of any product they purchased.
• Convenience: A deck builder can sit with you in your home and show you samples of Trex products.
• Warranty: A pro deck builder can register your Trex products and handle any correspondence in the unlikely event of a warranty issue. Also, if a TrexPro® deck builder purchases your deck materials, the products they buy may qualify for an extended warranty.

Considerations for Buying from a Deck Builder

• Price: Some builders will add an up charge to the material they purchase for your deck, but this additional fee could be offset by volume discounts they might receive from their regular supplier. 

What Can I Buy Directly from Trex?

While you can’t buy Trex decking boards directly from the manufacturer, there are still several accessories and components available for direct purchase from Trex. These items can help complete your deck build or make future upgrades easier.

• DC Lighting components & Solar post caps
• Hidden fasteners, Plugs & Screws
• Post Sleeves & Post Sleeve Skirts
• Railing kits & Miscellaneous Hardware Components
• Touchup Spray Paint & Paint Pens
• Trex Universal Fastener Installation Tool