Rhino Deck review: Stay far away from this product 27

Our Rhino decking was installed in 2007 and is splitting where the nails are located, is swelling and flaking. I sent photo's to the Warranty Department in Albany, MN - but they came back. Anyone know where I can call to discuss the issues with our deck?

Our home was built in 2003 and we installed 2 decks the following year on 2 different levels of the house. We did leave spaces between the composite boards for temperature and moisture fluctuations and we have had no problem with splitting, warping or chipping at all. Our decks are not in direct sunlight except in the winter (we live in central Indiana). We do clean the deck once a year with a special cleaner (Corte?) that leaves it looking brand new. Only the uncovered portion of the deck needs this, the covered portion doesn't get the dirty black "junk" on it, I assume it comes from living in the woods, tree tannins, maybe? We are now building a third deck on the lowest level of the house and looking for another composite decking material, since Rhino Deck doesn't seem to be available anymore. I'm finding really mixed reviews on all of the various brands, it's frustrating.

Installed large deck out of Rhino deck in 2006, and it went downhill fast. Molding, buckling, splitting and curling. Some places it has curled so badly you cannot walk on it without shoes. Terrible product and the company offered little to no help at all. I hired a contractor to install, and personally witnessed it was done correctly. The boards swelled so badly they are now all pressed together an lifting up I guess I have to bite the bullet and spend another 10K to replace the boards. Stay away from this company and product.

We had a deck built of RHINO DECKING in June, 2003. It has been a pain ever since. Our contractor didn't give up the purchase receipts so my husband didn't send in the lifetime warrant. We have had the same problem with our deck. Our deck railings are warped and the spindles are cracked. The mold & mildew in terrible and hard to clean. I was real happy with the deck the 1st summer and I also recommended it to my sister. Well they were real unhappy too! I am very unhappy.. I would love to have it replaced but decks are expensive and it was hard enough to save for the 1st deck...

The deck on the front of our house had been going down hill fast. I had a contractor come look at it and clean it and he said " I won't clean this it is rotten and needs to be replaced the company has a law suite for faulty product. So I want to replace the porch so I can get in and out of my house.

We purchased rhino decking and installed it in 2010 .. we were taken in by the warranty offered and the low maintenance . five years later the sun has bleached it the boards are shrinking, swelling, stained and warping. We live in Vancouver B.C. which is a very wet climate. There was no mention that this might be and issue when WINDSOR PLYWOOD SOLD IT TO US. This is a useless product and I would like to know how to join a class action suit as well.

Dennis

I helped my father install a big wrap around deck on three sides of their home in 2003. It looked pretty nice the first year and has increasingly gone down hill from there. Back spots, mold, splitting, warping, total piece of crap. They spent big money for their deck that needs to be replaced. Company was contacted and they (parents) received no communication or response. My father has since passed and my 83 year old mother is now tasked with trying to replace it on a very limited income. So much for maintenance free. Made in USA

We had our Rhino Decking installed on a rebuilt second story south facing deck in the fall of 2010. We were replacing vinyl decking that was over 20 years old. We were told the Rhino decking would have a lifetime warranty and last much longer than vinyl decking. That has proven to be totally wrong. The dealer/installer first claimed it was our fault for installing it over wet wood. That was bogus. They would not even come to have a look at it, said that we were wrong to think there was any warranty at all and that any fix would require us to pay them to reinstall the surface. Our conclusion is that Vanderhoof Rhino Linings has no integrity as a vendor and that the product does not work for wood decks.

We installed Rhino deck in our backyard in May 2008 in a chevron pattern and it really looked nice. Each year and sometimes twice a summer, we cleaned it regularly with recommended cleaner. It seemed to do okay. But after this bad winter we had boards to split and ends break off, mildew that won't come out of the boards, boards buckling up because of swelling, terrible fading and color washing out of the boards. The company will sell me the Armadillo upgrade for a hefty fee, but has offered nothing for labor to take off the faulty Rhino materials, dispose of them and put the upgraded boards on. The whole thing will have to be redone as the faded boards and new different in color boards will look awful. 1. How do I get them to honor the warranty, cover the labor costs so I can have the deck look like it did when first installed? 2. Who is initiating the class action suit?

We are in Sherwood park Alberta Canada. We built our deck at the end of 2012 using the Rhino brand product "Armadillo" decking in canyon Grey. This year we have really noticed shrinkage forming gaps in the deck boards and fascia(1/4" to 1/2") and also have had some issues with a screws breaking on the solid deck boards we used for the outside perimeter. We have taken our concerns to the store we purchased this product from, sent them pictures and all info we have. The response they've received back was that since 2010 they haven't had any issues or problems with this product and it was probably a foundation issue, my deck is only a foot off the ground and is sitting on 9 pilings which is above and beyond what is required. The deck is solid! Has anyone recently noticed any issues that are similar to ours?
Steve.

We live in the Umpqua Valley in Oregon. It is very damp here. Since mildew/moss is my biggest complaint, I don't recommend it in a climate like ours, especially where the deck doesn't get any sun. I'm glad it has held up for you. Maybe a dry climate is the secret to your success.

We live in west Texas where the temperatures range between 16 and 112 degrees. We get a lot of extreme sun. After putting in a large deck and wrap around walkway 2 1/2 years ago, we are still really pleased with our purchase. Honestly with our extreme temperatures we didn't expect it to hold the rich color and shape, but it has. Rhino decking is the best stuff we have ever used. We have used two types of wood prior trying this out.

We built a new home in 2003. We wanted our outdoor area to be as low maintenance as possible, so we built a large deck rather than putting in a lawn. We also used Rhino Decking since it was advertised as no/low maintenance. What a joke. It was constructed with spaces between the boards. Soon they swelled and the gaps disappeared. We live in western Oregon where there is a lot of moisture. The mildew is very thick and when it's wet it becomes slippery and dangerous. It's even worse when it freezes. We also have trouble with the deck growing moss. . Mowing grass would be much easier and better to look at than this disgusting Rhino deck! It's my desire to join a class action suit if there ever is one.

I am a contractor and will never use Rhino decking again. The issue I had is a deck in an unshaded area we did heats up to a temperature over 160 degrees. You can't walk on it or sit on the benches I made out of it. I went to my supplier which in turn put me in contact with a Rhino sales rep. They were absolutely no help at all. They told myself and my client that it wasn't their responsibility. I replaced the Rhino decking with pressure treated lumber for fear of being sued. This whole experience with Rhino has been negative for sure and I will be letting everyone I know how subpar the customer service was. They have not heard the last of this.

We installed a deck using Rhino decking in Oct, 2008. Our deck is 12'x20' and then a 30'x8' section. Our deck is off the second story, so it is 12-14 feet off the ground. In the spring of 2009 we noticed that the post sleeves had split (9 or the 12 sleeves). I called Rhino concerning this. (The sleeves were special-order 12' sleeves.) They indicated that they would pay for the sleeves but not the installation. After checking with our contractor and another contractor, we discovered that we would practically have to disassemble the deck to remove the sleeves. In addition to the splitting (all of them have now split), we have fought black spots ever since the first season with the deck and the top rail has warped. We had a professional clean the deck and treat it with the sealer recommended by Rhino decking (Master Mark Plastic), and the spots returned almost immediately. We have cleaned it twice a year since, using every product recommended to us for various sources, including professional painters. Rhino decking was originally advertised as NO MAINTENANCE, but changed their website not long after we installed our deck. I would like to tear the entire deck down and replace it with good old pressure treated pine! I hope this company loses its shirt and that there is a class action law suit so that I can recoup some of my loss. I spent $10, 000 to build this deck, half of which was for the materials.

I AGREE WITH THE ABOVE--WE HAVE RHINO DECKING AND HAVE BLACK SPOTS ON THE DECKING AND RAILING. WE HAVE SERVER DISCOLORATION, FACIA BOARDS ALL WRAPED AND FASTNERS BROKEN. I DO NOT RECOMMED THEIR DECKING OR ANY PRODUCTS. THEY DO NOT STAND BEHIND THIER 20 YEAR WARRANTY. I HAVE ANOTHER DECK BUILT OUT OF TREX DECKING AND HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH IT AT ALL. THE TREX DECK IS A YEAR OLDER THEN THE RHINO. STAY FAR AWAY FROM RHINO.

i also have rhino decking and it is junk, sent in a note to company waiting for answer on what they are going to do be for i contact BBB. MY GRAND KIDS HAVE COME CLOSE TO RIPPING OFF THEY TOES

Hi,
I purchased a house in 2003 directly from the builder. He used Rhino decking and built it between 2000 and 2001 or 2002. The back deck railings were already sagging. I thought it was charming at the time, I didn't realize it was a result of a faulty product. There were black spots on he back deck and the front stairs are completely moldy. The boards were splitting and recently a friend's foot went right through a board. The front railing actually fell off, which is very dangerous since there are five kids living there ages 2 to 14. I'm very happy to see the post by dwar and hope to be contacted. I'm looking for their number now.

UPDATE- I originally posted on this board in July of 2009 and would like to provide an update. Apparently the company has been monitoring this site and contacted me about my problems. After sending them photos of my deck they agreed to replace the entire deck. My deck is approximately 900 sq/ft so it's very large. They were going to send me the original boards, but another person contacted me and asked if I wanted the upgraded product at no additional charge. I was told they changed the formula in the original product, however they were still having issues, so he recommended I go with their encapsulated product. I have to say I was quite pleased with the new product! It 's been on for about 5 months now and it still looks awesome; which I couldn't say about the originally decking. I am very grateful to them for standing behind there product. I hope this helps.

We installed Rhino Decking for a very large porch and deck in 2004. We followed the instructions. We are not happy. The decking warps and has black mold spots. I have written the company with our complaints. They say we installed it incorrectly. We did not. They say we are suppose to use a power washer and deck wash once per year. This is marketed as a NO MAINTENANCE product. Even Bob Villa does not like this product for the same reason we do not. Choose another brand.

I have a Rhino deck which is 12X24 I believe.. I have cleaned it twice a year since it was installed about 8 years ago. It cost $25. for a bag of corte cleaner and usually takes 2 bags and about 4 hours labor. This week I used 2 bags of corte cleaner and it looked the same as when I started. I went to Lowes and bought 2 gallons of a cheaper product and ended up spraying it on as small section at a time and scrubbing with a brush. I am 69 years old and ache all over from spending all day yesterday and part of today cleaning it. It is not perfect but better than it was, a lot of the stains won't come out. It is warped in places especially the railings. Now this year I have noticed many places that the railing is actually splitting AND chipping. I would never recommend this product and think it would be much easier to stain or paint than to have to scrub on my hands and knee's every few months.
I plan to call the company tomorrow now that I found the number for them.
I am sorry we are all having so much trouble with it but happy I am not the only one.

I built a house last year and used this prooduct; what a mistake. I have the mildew and the fascia boards are severely warped. The color faded after several months. I should have just used wood. I hope there is a class actions suit because it is obviously defective.

I am a contractor in Duluth MN and have, until 4 years ago, installed as many as 20 jobs using Rhino Decking. We stopped using this product when we started noticing all the same problems listed above. The company had responded in a similar manner. The funny thing is there seems to be no ryme or reason to the decks having troubles. For a while we thought it was only the decks on the north side of the house having problems, but this was quickly proven wrong. Next we thought decks within 18" of the ground, also proven wrong. By the same token we have some decks with no problems what so ever. Like I said "no ryme or reason." We have altogether quit using this product and are still trying to deal with the problems.

I installed rhino decking 2006. the only problem i have had are black spots after 18 months. I cleaned and scrubbed with bleach, the deck looked great for 3 weeks then the spots came back. I have not had any problem with shrinking or swelling. anyone have a solution for the black spots?

Well, maybe it's the area in which you live? We have had no problems with our Rhino decking whatsoever. We have had ours since approx 2003 or 2004. We live in a relatively low humidity area, so no mildew. The deck faces South and gets the sun pretty much most of the year, and it gets quite hot as the area nearby is a (mostly) asphalt driveway with no trees for shading. The only thing we've had to do is pressure wash the deck to remove water marks that resulted from having potted plants w/drip line that overflows at times. There has been no shrinking or swelling of any kind. When we installed the boards, we left spaces to allow for any expansion and contraction... perhaps this helped? Sorry to hear of the troubles others have had. Our deck has been great. We love that there is no maintenance necessary.

M. Phinney, Wenatchee, WA

I had this product used on my decks in 2003 by a contractor and within 3-4 months started to have black spots showing. I contacted the builder & the lumber company where the planks were purchased and they came out to inspect. The lumber co had a man try to clean with bleach and a brush. This did remove SOME of the spots but they came back. I complained and the lumber co had 2 reps from Master Mark Plastics come to my house. I was told that because I lived near water (NJ shore) that was the cause of the spots (mildew) I was also told that I wasn't cleaning it properly. I told them that there was mildew in the wood that was mixed with the plastic, needless to say I was told I was wrong. When reading the cleaning instructions it stated do NOT use bleach, but they said the pamphlet was wrong. I have also noticed that my decks no longer have spaces between the planks. I still have not gotten any satisfaction & do not have the funds to have my decks replaced.

Leslie, Del Haven, NJ.

I totally agree with Rosie. We are facing a complaint as well as we speak with Master Mark Plastics regarding the Rhino Decking. Within a few months after installation our decking began shrinking beyond it's specified tolerance. this defect continuew to the point that it has literally snapped off screws at the joints, creating lifting. Not only is it unpleasant to look at the gapping in the decking but it is also dangerous as well. The company has decided from our photos that it is our substructure that has shifted not a defect of the product when they never asked for nor viewed photos of the substructure. They have not and say they will not send a company rep. out to inpect it as they should have done to begin with. No other company that we have dealt with puts their work on the customer like this company does. Usually when there is a claim a rep. comes out to take pictures of the problem and writes a detailed description of the concern. OH not with this company you do all that yourself. We are understanding that our closes reps to CA are in Washington and Oregon but there must be many claims here in CA. Jill