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Page, Arizona (NAPSI) - While most people think about outdoor entertaining during the spring or early summer months, the late summer or cooler seasons can be a great time to transform a blah backyard into an outdoor oasis with the addition of a beautiful deck.

Here are a few tips to help.

• Keep Your Cool--Installing decking and railing involves spending a large amount of time in the great outdoors--especially if you've decided to handle the labor yourself. Try to arrange to do the work when the temperature is moderate.

• Score a Deal--Taking the time to obtain price quotes from various contractors may pay off with a substantial cost savings on labor. Just be sure to ultimately select a reputable professional to tackle your installation. To help, Trex Company, the nation's largest manufacturer of wood-alternative decking, railing and fencing products, recommends contractors with extensive training and product knowledge. Homeowners may locate an experienced TrexPro® on www.trex.com.

• Look for Low Maintenance--If you want to spend more time enjoying--rather than maintaining--your deck, choose materials that keep a "like new" appearance for decades without the harsh chores of sanding, staining and sealing. Wood-alternative decking such as the new Trex Transcend™ can endure harsh weather and heavy foot traffic. It will even stand up to BBQ stains, dropped grill tools and other cookout mishaps.

"For long-lasting beauty, choose high-performance decking that offers the natural looks of wood while resisting staining and fading," says Adam Zabanini, director of marketing for Trex. "Also, be sure to look for decking that may be purchased with a complementary railing--which allows for a customized look and sets it apart from others in the neighborhood."

• Prepare for Rough Weather--Homeowners with wood decks need to wash, stain and seal--a process that can take several days. If you have a wood-alternative deck, however, you'll simply need to do a basic cleaning with soap and hot water--or a mild deck cleanser. Use a plastic rather than a metal shovel to remove any snow from your deck and calcium chloride or rock salt to melt any ice collected on the surface.

For more inspiration and information to create the deck of your dreams, visit www.trex.com.