What to use? Composite or Wood?

 I know we all hear the slick marketing showing decks like those above and painting their composite products as the best... "Maintenance Free"... "Permanent solution to staining every year...".

Will your deck look like the deck above, or the deck below in 5 or 10 years?  The deck above is Trex...now, the thing to keep in mind is that Trex has had 2 class action suits against them in the past 10 years, one due to deterioration and failure of boards, and the other due to mold and fading. 

GardenStructure.com has created an article that asks the important questions and gives you information and inspirational photos to help you decide whether or not you want to buy Composite Decking (click to read article).

Lots of noise about Composite Decks

Linkedin is abuzz over composites. New products all jostling for position in the business. There's a great article about the current state of composites in North America here..

 

They talk about the expected new generations of products due out this fall, and touch on capped materials swelling at the ends and causing the vinyl cap to tear. 

Michael Dotson spent $15,000 on Geodeck materials and sent in a pile of photos of that failure--he told me that  

"I filed a claim... and had a claim number....and eventually was told we have no $$$ to pay your claim"

We are going to use all of them for a gallery of photos for the "Composite Decking Article" shortly, but here are a couple of samples.

Now, I know that the Geodeck name has been sold twice since the originators of this product had control...but this legacy will continue due to the mistreatment of their customers. When you buy composite decking you need to know that many companies have left customers with decks that look like this--and when they get sold, change their names or go out of business, you have NO Warranty!

If you have photos of a deteriorating composite deck... send them along. It may cause pressure on the company to service your warranty claim.

For GardenStructure.com's article on " Composite Decking " click here.

If you are building a deck and considering composite decking... Do your Research!

L

 

Life Time Lumber-- Out of Business

Another Composite Decking Company has closed it's doors. Two months ago they sent us samples... and today, they are out of business.  The website is gone... I guess warranty service isn't an issue, unless the composite decking you bought from these guys doesn't live up to expectations. In that case--you have no warranty--sorry.

 Composite decking companies seem to come and go. If anyone knows of a site keeping score of composite decking company failures, please let me know about it.


Life Time Lumber has closed up shop and their manufacturing facility is winding up production.  This company had actually constructed pergolas out of the materials so it had peaked my interest. Unfortunately the samples (delivered by UPS ) were damaged during the shipping process even though they were bubble wrapped.

The material was extremely heavy and also very soft. It reminds me of MDO in structure and I am not convinced that material will work very well for exterior work that is exposed to potential damage.

I was going to do a little experiment... hanging a concrete block off double rafters for a couple of seasons to measure it's structural strength. I guess they saved me time by going out of business.

Nice knowing you Life Time Lumber--

L

Composite Decking could Cost You as a Contractor

Composite Decking Liabilities

We published a poll where we asked;

Who should pay for the labour to remove and replace faulty composite decking?

The Home Owner (12%)

The Builder (34%)

Your Insurance Company (0%)

The Manufacturer (even if you have to sue) (54%)

People seem to be of the opinion that if you sell it to them--you are partially liable for replacing it when things go wrong.

YIKES

The important consideration here is that since the manufacturer refuses to pay for the removal, disposal and installation of the replacement decking (under warranty), YOU as the BUILDER may well be shamed into, or worse still forced to through litigation with your own client.

In my mind any external factor that could put you at odds with a happy client is simply not something we as high end builders should ever risk. I don't like having to tell people "No Maam, even though I sold you composite decking--and it turned out to be defective, I couldn't possibly replace it for you for free". The majority of our builders have steered clear of it for this simple reason and the fact that we don't believe it to be the best material to use.

In the act of selling people composite decking you must make clear that in the event of a warranty claim you will not be supplying free labor to replace the deck should the materials turn out to be defective. You need to tell them verbally and include it as a term within your contract. If you don't make this perfectly clear up front, your act of selling the product could leave you vulnerable later.

The other trouble is that once you tell people you won't replace defective materials for free--they just may not buy from you.

The Company that was the largest deck builder in Canada staked their business on composites--and in the last couple of years they have watched 10 of their franchisees close their doors, (1 joined GardenStructure.com). I am not sure if that is due to complications of composites or just management issues in general.

As deck builders we need to choose what we sell carefully. We need to look at the warranty and decide if the risk is worth the potential gains. It is your deck business and only you decide what you will or will not sell.

L

Trex Composite Decking

Trex Composite Decking


I recently visited a home to have a look at yet another moldy trex composite deck. This one was built by a local Toronto builder that installs Trex decking in most of his projects. The client was furious--and after months of chasing (his builder), and Trex, he was having a meeting with the both of them. Here are some photos of the decking project and a close up of a moldy board.

Here is a close up of what trex looks like when it is magnified. As you can see there is semi protruding wood fibers that will rot over time. This deck was cleaned about 1 week before my visit with a specialty bleaching cleaner designed specifically to remove mold from wood fiber composite decking.

After inspecting and photographing this Trex deck for mold, the neighbour from across the street asked me to come by for a look at her trex deck… see photos below.

Now, this is just my opinion, but I think anyone in this day and age knowing what I know about the product--I would be insane to install any composite decking that contains pulp lumber or to advise any of our people to use composite decking that contains pulp lumber.

There is currently a Trex class action law suit to do with warranty issues, click for info.

Here are links to more composite decking information on our main site

This is a link to see all the information within this blog regarding composite decking.

LP Building Products (Louisiana-Pacific) product recall.

LP Building Products (Louisiana-Pacific) Has issued a recall Notice for
about 48 million linear feet of defective composite decking.

Can you imagine strolling out on your deck and having the Guaranteed not to split or crack premium composite decking shatter beneath your feet? I've put a foot through rotten roof plywood and I can tell you all about this painful, embarrassing, did I mention Painful?
It tends to break out the size of your foot...which is a little bigger than calf... it is when it goes over your knee and up your thigh that it really bites. It is like peeling the skin off your leg. It has happened to about 37 people so far. Broken bones and lacerations have been the results.
This recall has been ordered to work with U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission by a court order.
Two questions arise. Will they be providing the labor to replace it? I am pretty sure their warranty excludes it. And Who will dispose of the faulty product... and what will they be replacing it with?
If you ask the affected clients...they may prefer something more predictable like Pressure Treated Pine perhaps?
One composite company was offering 500 sq' of free decking and a free nail gun to try their product... I still couldn't talk the wife into it... at any price.
Here is the notice site Defective-Product-site
Here is the press release from the CPSC
Here is the warning WeatherBest issued to investors... astonishing that people still see fit to invest... that's because it has been gently crafted so as not to alarm folks.
This stuff was sold under the Veranda, WeatherBest, ABTCo decking and Railing and Home Depot is named in the recall.
As you know Eon went skipped bankruptcy and entered liquidation a while back--
Attention Composite Decking Companies... Home Depot has a HUGE vacuum in their composite decking products division.... They Bought Eon, They bought Veranda, They bought Trex. and people will buy whatever product HD adopts Next.
L

Trex Class Action Lawsuit 2009

Trex - Latest Class Action Lawsuit Jan 13-08
Trex Lawsuit info here
Trex Suit Information
Trex-Complaint-Filing-Jan 2009 

I have just scanned through 26 pages of very interesting information about the Trex Warranty and Marketing Materials. Really not much in it that we haven’t covered, but it is interesting that this group of lawyers doesn’t think their warranty is fair and equitable either. The suit intimates that they word their warranty in a way that people just won’t bother to fight or ask for what should be offered as remedy when your maintenance free decking falls apart or gets covered with black mold.

It basically tells the story of a home owner that bought a Trex Deck through a Contractor and when the decking fell apart and Trex tried to offer replacement Trex only, no disposal, no labor to replace… but instead demanded the home owner sign a release before getting anything from Trex.

They are looking for other people thus mistreated. Actually, Anyone that had issues with the Trex they purchased. Especially having to do with mold or anything else excluded from their warranty.

This includes anyone that had to replace his or her Trex deck if it was initially installed in 2004 or later.
(Earlier installations were covered by the previous law suit).

Now, this is early 2009, and I really want to keep this blog positive. It pains me to touch on a subject like this at the best of times, but in this case it is an ongoing wrong that just needs correcting. Trex should have corrected its issues and offering a real warranty long ago.

This Suit has not been Confirmed by a Judge yet, please get in touch with the law firm here for more information.
http://www.hbsslaw.com/

update: Trex Responds in the Press Here

They discount the suit verbally.

L

Eon Warranty Information

If you bought Eon Decking or Fencing you have no warranty. The company is in receivership.

http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/January2009/07/c5871.html




In Ontario Brite, Xtendex, CPI Plastics ( Eon ) have all folded recently. The composite decking industry seems to have some issues of late.
.
The possibility of composite companies going under and not being there to honor these long term warrantee promises has to be considered when purchasing or building a composite deck.
.

I'd love to say they will be missed--however it just wasn't a good composite product and we simply refused to carry it. I'll leave you with this photo of an Eon Deck built by a client, (yes, I was there to plan the replacement with real decking).


More info about our history with Eon and CPI plastics:

http://decks-fences.blogspot.com/2007/02/false-advertising-by-eon-cpi-plastics.html

L

Trex Warranty

A closer look at the Trex ® Warranty

25-Year Limited Residential Warranty
25-Year Limited Residential Warranty Details (pdf, 24K)

If a defect occurs within the warranty period, Purchaser shall notify Trex in writing and, upon confirmation by an authorized Trex representative of the defect, Trex’s sole responsibility shall be, at its option, to either replace the defective item or refund the portion of the purchase price paid by Purchaser for such defective item (not including the cost of its initial installation).

"They Intimate--that they (may either replace or refund purchase price of only the portion found to be defective) --obviously this entire article, with exception of quotations is simply opinion--L

Trex shall not be responsible for costs and expenses incurred with respect to the removal of defective Trex products or the installation of replacement materials, including but not limited to labor and freight.
"They will not pay to dispose of the defective product, shipping to return the product or installation costs to replace the defective product or any other associated costs, (that is what (but not limited to labor....))"
Here is where it gets interesting and where I will try to help you cut through to what will or will not be covered if you happen to have a legitimate warranty claim.
Here is a partial list of what you or your contractor could do wrong that would negate any implied warranty.
1) improper installation of Trex products and/or failure to abide by Trex’s installation guidelines (48 page, 23 meg on-line document)

• All colored chalk lines are permanent except white.


• Trex Company does not recommend sanding. Sanding will change the appearance of the surface of Trex ® material and will void the warranty.


• Check your local building codes for restrictions. Trex ® cannot be used for structural applications. (page 12 paragraph 1)


• Spacing of edges and end grain butt joints must be present to the specified sizes.
• They don't spell it out, they assume you know what 100lbs/sf of strength means... it means that a 100lb man with size 12' will be supported by the decking on 16" centers... Better space joists minimum 12" and 8" if diagonal for a solid feeling deck. There is a chart on page 14.


• Stairs need support every 9" for some products--12" for others.


• Trex Escapes decking should be cleaned at least twice per year (Spring and Fall). It is important to keep the deck clean of dirt and debris. Any debris that sits on the surface can be a potential food source for mold and mildew.
• ...never use a metal snow shovel on a Trex deck. A shovel may scratch the deck, which is not covered under warranty.


• Trex Company does not recommend the use of a pressure washer. The use of a pressure washer with a greater than 1,500 PSI and/or applied closer than 12" from the deck surface could damage the decking surface and result in a loss of warranty coverage.

Mold Technical Bulletin (excerpts)
...Due to mold’s adaptability and large number of species, it is very hard to control and impossible to totally eliminate. Mold will not affect the structural performance of Trex decking.

...Mold spreads easily and may return in some environments despite proper cleaning and preventative measures. Mold does not damage Trex and will cause no harm if allowed to propagate. In some cases it will require several treatments with the deck wash to completely remove all mold colonies. Even if the spots are no longer visible, there may still be mold spores on the surface that could regrow.

(commentary)

This said, Trex is made of pulp lumber (byproduct of the pulp and paper industry, bark and sap wood from deciduous trees known to be high in sugar content (sugars are food for mold). As well the plastic part of Trex is recycled also, much of it pop bottles, again, high in sugar content. Pulp lumber exposed to the environment will begin to decompose quickly.

They negate any implied warranty for;

(2) Use of Trex products beyond normal residential use, or in an application not recommended by Trex’s guidelines and local building codes;In my view, when they don't want you to use in commercial applications the product has wear related issues.

(3) movement, distortion, collapse or settling of the ground or the supporting structure on which Trex products are installed;

Standard...

(4) any act of God (such as flooding, hurricane, earthquake, lightning, etc.), environmental condition (such as air pollution, mold, mildew, etc.), staining from foreign substances (such as dirt, grease, oil, etc.), or normal weathering (defined as exposure to sunlight, weather and atmosphere which will cause any colored surface to gradually fade, flake, chalk, or accumulate dirt or stains);

I find it laughable that they include mold in the "Act of God" category--but, there it is. They quickly lump stains and fading into this "Act of God category as well. Keep in mind that they had issues with flaking last year and they have set aside many millions of dollars for compensation of homeowners after closing the plant in Arizona.

(5) variations or changes in color of Trex products;

Every batch is a slightly different color--no big deal really.

(6) improper handling, storage, abuse or neglect of Trex products by Purchaser, the transferee or third parties; or leaves left on for weeks, dirt on the decking... barbecue grease spillage--don't be abusive to your deck is the message... better still, don't use it.

(7) ordinary wear and tear. That is a difficult thing to define.

In summation-- many things most people expect to be covered by Trex Warranty--Simply is not.

Do your research.

Here is an interesting post at GardenWeb

Here are more composite decking posts

Here is a composite decking article dealing with many types of composite decking

L

L

Eon

Eon really isn't composite decking. It is plastic, and walking on it feels like walking on hollow plastic tubes. We've heard all kinds of complaints and I'm not going to rehash them. If you are thinking about purchasing a deck clad with Eon product go and walk on an Eon deck, and choose a cool day to do it.


On a cool day you will see the gaps between the boards that tell me instantly--this is Eon. One client referred to it as "Orgasmic"--it groans all day long while the sun moves across it.

This customer put down this decking a few years ago--before they had a proper installation guide. Boards have cracked and broken and the shrunken away from the joists to the point of collapse.

I am doing design work for these folks presently and the first project is putting proper decking on this substantial frame--and giving it a better looking rail. They will likely be putting down TigerDeck.

L

Xtendex Update

Xtendex Composite Decking

Our Builder in Barrie "Jamie Elliot" advised me this past week that one of our competitors in the area has bought a few lifts of composite decking " Xtendex " from the defunct composite decking plant in Barrie.

They are selling it at competitive prices to cedar--The alarming part is that they are not advising the potential buyer that there is no warranty and the product may have maintenance issues. He knows--because he saw the estimate.

Xtendex went bankrupt a few years back... The Carney Timber Company-McFarland Cascade bought it out and then this past summer closed the plant again. Obviously, there is no longer any warranty on Xtendex products. They had a big auction and piles of the product were sold at fire sale prices.

Information released to Professional Deck Builder Magazine (click for full article) inferred that they had stock to last 2 years--however this was sold off at a giant fire sale auction last fall.




If a company goes bankrupt-normally it is due to a faulty product. I'll zoom you back a few years. I noticed this horrible composite decking display from the highway--when you notice how horrible something is from 200 yards away, there's no question; the product had issues.

You won't be able to buy replacement material, there is no warranty on the product whatsoever and as you can see in the above photo...every lift is a slightly different color. Fading and stains are an issue with all these composite products.

Composite decking is not structural material--so the rails will have to be made from something else.

If someone is trying to sell you a composite deck at a price that seems unrealistic-- Run away!
First grade composite decking goes for over $50.00 a square foot installed... when you are offered something cheaper, and it is represented as first grade, there is a high probability you are being ripped off.

Our simple rule of composite, if it contains recycled plastic and organics like pulp lumber--brace yourself for a product prone to mold and early deterioration. The sugar contained in the old pop bottles along with the fuel supplied by the wood pulp make for a mold generating machine.
The virgin vinyl is a little better, however they are very expensive.

PVC products tend to expand and contract severely due to temperature changes.

To read more about composite decking and photos of composite decks click here.

The beauty of wood--you can make it new again a few years after it is built! Have a look at a few of our wood decks. Many of the photos of these wood decks were taken 3-5 years after installation and they age more gracefully due to pre-staining.
L

Trex - Defective?

I wouldn't want to be in the composite decking business this year. Costs have about doubled for raw material, trucking is higher and the Canadian manufacturers have seen their currency jump about 40% in the last year. They are calling our dollar a commodity indicator because it just doesn't make sense.

We are going to take a look at the Trex warranty soon, I just want to try to keep the majority of posts positive--so sorry, there is less space for composite info at the moment. I'd love to see some positive info about composites, but there seems to be a shortage of late.

What I know about Trex is that they tell us that Mold is not covered by their warranty because it is environmental in source. What I know for certain is that pulp lumber (like what is ground up into trex), gets slimy and mold covered when left for a few weeks in a pile outside your back door. Just a coinkidink.

Here's the headline--

Nov. 6, 2007, 7:48AM

3Q Loss for Deck and Fence Maker Trex

© 2007 The Associated Press

WINCHESTER, Va. — Trex Co. Inc., which makes decking, railing and fencing products, said Tuesday it swung to a loss in its third quarter due mainly to a large reserve for replacing defective decking material manufactured at one of its plants.

...Trex said its profit was hurt by a $45 million increase to a product defect reserve for the replacement of decking material manufactured at its Nevada plant between 2003 and 2006 and a $9.4 million inventory adjustment...

To read the whole story please click this link http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/5277086.html

Now, what was wrong with the materials leaving that plant if they don't see mold as a problem?

Yikes. L

ps. To read more about Composite Decking issues (click)

A closer look at the Timber Tech Warranty

Our Composite Decking vs Wood Decks article is updated. (Click the photo)

Composite decking companies will pretty much tell you what the flaws are in their products.

http://www.timbertech.com/WarrantyAndCare/ResidentialWarranty.aspx

The document is copyrighted so we won’t reproduce it in entirety click the link above to see the whole document.

Here’s a few opinions about what they mean by certain terms included in the warranty.

…shall not check, split, splinter, rot or suffer structural damage from termites or fungal decay.
(no mention of mold, fading, expansion or wear related damage yet)

…at its option, to either replace the defective item or refund the portion of the purchase price paid by Purchaser for such defective item (not including the cost of its initial installation).
(means that they may pay the cost of one board, or supply a board for you to install—no liability is expressed for the labor to remove or install the new board-no mention of fading yet—though the new board will be a different color entirely)

TimberTech does not warrant against…

…a condition (such as air pollution, mold, mildew, etc.), or staining from foreign substances (such as dirt, grease, oil, etc.); (5) variations or changes in color of TimberTech products… (no warranty against mold, or barbecue grease and no guarantee that it will fade evenly or that it will not fade—here’s a hint, it probably will)

…Each Purchaser is solely responsible for determining the effectiveness, fitness, suitability and safety of the TimberTech products in connection with its use in any particular application. (means buyer beware—if it turns out that this decking was a bad idea—it’s not their fault!)

…is effective for consumer purchases made on or after January 1, 2005
(this is the new warranty—older products are covered by the old warranty, but there’s no link to it.)

The manufacturer warrants that this product will not peel, blister, pit, flake, crack, or corrode as a result of manufacturing defects, or as a result of exposure to ocean air (salt spray) for a period of 5 years. Should this occur, the manufacturer will provide replacement product. Minor dripping may occur.
(so if you live near the ocean there is only a 5 year warranty against salt spray damage—I haven’t a clue what “Minor Dripping may occur means)


Ok… try this link

http://www.timbertech.com/WarrantyAndCare/CareAndCleaning.aspx

NO hints on removing mold.

L

Erroneous Advertising by Eon - CPI Plastics Group Limited

Erroneous Advertising by Eon - CPI Plastics Group Limited

I've ripped into the shows on TV about giving people unrealistic numbers regarding costs of renovations, and here in my back yard my time is being wasted by people with unrealistic expectations of price due to poor marketing.



"Based on an average 288 sq. ft. deck, including labor, decking and material costs. Does not include maintenance costs of wood decking of $1/sf' per year, eon is an incredible value over time. "
They were stating quite clearly:

1. You can purchase an installed 288 sf pressure treated deck for a little over $3,000 completely installed with materials included that will last 10 years. (our estimated cost of materials only is $3456)
2. You can purchase an installed 288 sf Cedar (type of cedar and grade not specified), deck for a little over $3,400 completely installed with materials included that will last 18 years. (our estimated cost of materials only is $4320)
3. You can purchase an installed 288 sf pressure treated deck for a little over $4,000 completely installed with materials included that will last Forever.

Well, I called them this morning I told them I would like to buy the cedar or the Eon deck that they had alluded to in their ad.
Eventually she passed me on to Cliff Hatch , (the Marketing Director)
This incident had a good resolution.
Cliff from Eon wrote me back within the hour letting me know that they have directed all their reps to pull in all the offensive marketing materials from every store in North America. He also sent the replacement marketing ( 2007), and let me know that the previous brochure was designed in 2002He apoligized and as it turned out it was a simple misreading of statistics provided by an American company.
Thanks Cliff!
L

Composite Decking -More

I received a note from a fellow that works at a large composite decking company. He gave some very candid information about the shortcomings of composite decking, such as deterioration of surface and puckering near the fasteners. He explained why it is such a struggle to create a good product with the technology that is presently available-- at least it makes sense to me.

His contention is that it is best to try because "trying" leads to eventual success. Experimentation and going through the motions leads to development and learning.

I agree entirely. That's how Honda and Toyota did it. If you remember their earliest cars--Would you ever imagine Toyota would be competing in Nascar next year?

With people like this trying--those who will compete with themselves for success-- I think they will create a superior product to wood decks some day. I would be happy to entertain ideas as to how I could work with the companies developing new composite decking products. I can see numerous ways they could improve.

"Rumor has it that there is a new composite decking product that should be
in distribution within 3 years that weighs half and is 3 x stronger than the
best composite decking is today."

Here's a laugh. I did an article on composite decking a couple of years ago.

Of 561,000 results it ranks #4 for Composite Decking (click for the search in Google)

I guess I should get that article re-written to include some recent developments.

A Prosperous New Year To All of You-- Happy 007

L

Makela on Vinyl Fences vs Wood Fences

Here's a post from David Makela--

(He knows more about vinyl than I do).

Heres some info for the blog regarding vinyl fence products. As you know I prefer a nice custom built wood fence over a vinyl fence myself and I don't want to bite the hand that feeds me and try and compare wood against vinyl, but I do feel vinyl has its place in the fence industry just as ornamental aluminum and steel fence does!.

The out come of any fence is in the quality of the material used and the craftsmanship of the person or persons behind the installation. You can apply that rule to any style, type of fence that is to be installed. A vinyl or aluminum fence will magnify any flaw in the installation where a wood fence has a margin for error with the natural twisting sagging and bowing of the product. Vinyl is manufactured where all the material is true to form so if a post is set a quarter inch out of height or alignment it will show up where wood has a forgiveness.

Too me every style or type of fence has its place in certain applications. I like a ornamental around a swimming pool. A vinyl picket looks good on a vinyl sided colonial, A vinyl rail looks nice around a vinyl sided ranch house, And a vinyl privacy looks nice in the back of any vinyl sided home.

Like Lawrence said the vinyl fence business has come a long way since the pictures of the round coral fence shown in the previous pictures. It is not fair to judge vinyl by those pictures. I can't even buy that style of fence in today's market.

There are several companies today that manufacture their products to offer a transferable life time warrantee. The product is engineered so that they feel they can offer a product that will with stand the UV rays from the sun plus all weather conditions to prevent sagging. The product is also recyclable.

I assure you if a Quality vinyl fence is installed properly it will last and look great for many years too come!!

Some of the better products I have used are ultra guard, Buff tech, and Maximum. They are reinforced through out with a grid system of vinyl extruded on the inside of the rails Ultra Guard sells there fence in a 6 ft. on center increment. Some other manufactures have a I beam insert that is installed at the bottom rail.

Best Regards,

David Makela

Mak also Mentioned that this fence withstood a flood and looks much the way it did in these photos. If anyone has any other questions--Mak is happy to answer them in comments!

L

Vinyl Fencing Failures

PVC Fencing (Poly Vinyl Chloride)

PVC Fencing has been around a few years now. This is a two part entry. I’ve invited one of my associates to comment on vinyl fencing because he knows more about it than I do.

I drive by this nearly every day.

It doesn’t work well for eavestrough, not particularly well as decking. PVC reacts with UV to cause fissure cracks in the material. It actually becomes nearly translucent, then… all of a sudden catastrophic failure. (see illustration).

PVC is a hard plastic, quite strong when new and flexible, but over time it becomes brittle.

Grass will stain it, it will scratch from weed trimmers, mud will splash up and discolor, pollution will make it dirty and dingy. There are chemical cleaners available that you spray on and wash off with a power washer-but you may have to do that yearly.

If the structure is not sufficient, it will sag.

To be fair, this was one of the original products available about 10 years ago, (the approximate age). I believe this was installed by Nordegraff Enterprises in Springwater Township more than 7 years ago..

The companies selling vinyl fence material will all tell you that the new stuff is waaay better than it used to be.

Study the warranty. The last thing I want is my associates having to face people in 10 or 15 years when these products fail. We offer a 5 year warranty on Workmanship—not the materials that go into it.
If you are going to sell it don’t misrepresent the product ok guys. I’d say low maintainence for a while… but I wouldn’t expect it to last more than 20 years unless it has reinforced concrete inside.

PVC -Vinyl or Composite Pergolas?

PVC -Vinyl or Composite Pergolas?

People are writing and calling wanting Vinyl and Composite Pergolas. People see the beautiful photos on GardenStructure.com and for some reason assume that they are made of Maintenance Free Materials. This is because our pergolas are often solid color stain on wood finishes. We use an upgraded (good cut) of materials and normally it is red cedar which cracks little and the knots don’t bleed through the finish.
When we pre-finish the materials the first application on pergolas can last between 5-7 years. At which time you can re-finish and it will look new again.

Vinyl Materials= Poly Vinyl Chloride—plumbing materials.
They made eves trough out of it… (Didn’t work), fencing (photo)-early designs didn’t work-but later versions look much better. I suspect there is some metal inside the vinyl shell to prevent sagging. The PVC arbor’s I see look fine—but they are likely a bit wobbly when tested.

One thing to remember is that PVC gets brittle over time when exposed to UV. It’s not a product that was originally designed for exterior use. When it gets elderly it will begin to get weak and eventually shatter when tested.

Vinyl and composites will also discolor where it comes in contact with grass, dirt splash, rust or hard water and pollution in general. It will not remain the original color and look new forever. It will need a chemical wash to alleviate these stains every year or two. After the chemical wash it won’t quite look like the original-there will be a bit of a milky looking residue and the finish will appear a bit washed out.

Due to numerous law suits which proved that the materials being marketed as maintenance free materials were not in fact Maintenance free—most companies are now calling their materials “Low Maintenance” and advising people that it will need yearly cleaning. These materials are also not known or recognized to be structurally suitable materials.

These PVC—Vinyl—and Composite Materials are still in the development stage. They seem to have some promise, however GardenStructure.com is only recommending and supplying products we know you will be happy with for a 10 year duration.

Our opinion is that Vinyl, PVC and Composite Pergolas are not ready for our endorsement yet.

If your company offers any type of warranty and you are considering carrying these composite, vinyl or pvc products-consider carefully.

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