At LAS VEGAS, TimberTech is promoting new deck colors and styles in its Earthwood Evolutions capped composite line, which the company speaks is the only fully encapsulated deck board.
A trio of hues called mocha; pecan and tiger wood are meant to imitate the hand-scraped, artisan look found in indoor flooring as per TimberTech spokeswoman Maureen Murray.
“The real innovation in the market is happening with the capped composites and the authentic looks this technology brings forth,” Murray said of the board-to-board variations in the wood and polyethylene composite.
Murray adding to statement said the goal is to take decks from rustic and relaxed to elegant and modern.
Innovations that craftily vague impression the line between indoors and outdoors, was evident throughout the International Builders’ Show that was held on Feb. 4-6 in Las Vegas.
The new and latest trends go well beyond the look of interior flooring reaching out to external decks. Patio doors are turning so wide they form glass walls that slide or fold open to ever-swankier outdoor spaces. Deck stairways are giving way to spiral stairs. Deck rails and levels are dividing eating areas with food prep stations from seating areas with some fountains and fire pits.
Decking companies presented some of the most appealing displays at this year’s IBS, which attracted almost 75,000 attendees that were there, in part because it was collocated with the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show.
Therma-Tru brought in a mahogany grain option to its fiberglass door line to compliment wood tones in the home’s interior and extend the hardwood look to entrances, patios, garages and service doors.
Koma Building Products is gearing up to manufacture 40-foot-wide patio doors in the U.S. Royal Building Products is also offering a new slide-and-stack terrace door in addition to its prevous portfolio of vinyl pipes, windows, siding, decking, trim and molding.
Jennifer McGill, group marketing director for Royal Building Products said:
“This beautiful door opens all the way up and stacks back into the corner and you have this great vista whether it’s a mountain property or ocean.”
Also added, “Overall, Royal has been trying to move more to step-up and premium homes with products, including the door and some of our siding, trim and accessories.”
“We’re moving away from the commodity view of vinyl building products to this more premium view with a real focus in low maintenance, design and sustainability.”
Trex Co. promoted a line of spiral stairs that make big the market late last year. The wood-alternative deck and rail manufacturer stepped up its efforts to enhance yards with a space-saving, cost-saving as an alternative to standard stairs. Spiral stairs actually do not require extra decking and railing.
“More number of homeowners and contractors are thinking out of the box when it comes to creating distinctive outdoor living spaces of all shapes, sizes and levels,” Trex CEO Ronald W. Kaplan said giving a statement.
All of the products in the Trex decking line were manufactured in period of last four years — a fast fact that company official members say shows the composite material maker leads the category in modernization and innovation.
The company is keeping it simple these days with a sleek selection of so-called “good, better and best” collections called Trex Select, Trex Enhance and Trex Transcend, respectively.
At the onset of the builders’ show, Trex officials declared that their transition to producing only high-performance composite deck materials was absolute and complete.
Kaplan said in a statement:
“As of the first of the year, every decking product in our lineup did not exist four years ago,”
On the other hand, extruder Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies Inc., (AERT), which was founded in 1988, outlined its enduring lines of composite decks made of reclaimed plastic and wood fiber waste products.
Nevertheless, AERT did bring in a new line of MoistureShield Pro capstock decking at IBS.
AERT’s senior vice president of sales and marketing Brent Gwatney said “If you want a cap for lower maintenance, so you wash it off once or twice a year, here you go,”
He added ,the cap also increases fade-, stain-, scratch- and slip-resistance, adding that moisture has never been a problem for the company’s decking. All MoistureShield composite decking products are produced with an elite manufacturing process that encapsulates wood fibers in polyethylene plastic to put moisture protection at the core of each board.
Gwatney said:
“We make it waterproof.”
“Cap got started because everyone was having problems with their composites absorbing moisture. We don’t need a cap for that.”
Competitors are covering up composite decks with capstock to address performance problems.
“We fought it for a while and then I looked around the room and saw we were fighting $200 [million]-$300 million marketing budgets.”
“We decided we’ll make a cap but we’ll make one that’s better. That’s what we did with this product. It can be put on the ground, in the ground, under the water and it has a lifetime transferrable warranty. Others changed from a composite to a cap and they still have the same warranty because it’s not a better product.”
MoistureShield Pro made available in three variegated colors called Ipe, Brazilian chestnut and graystone.
The color selection for builders and remodelers continues to expand. Azek, which is also part of CPG International Inc., added six new colors — three “tropical” — to its PVC decking line, which now boasts 17 colors in five collections.
Azek also added 8-inch by 8-inch pavers made from recycled plastics and tires to its product line to expand design options for patios, decks, balconies and driveways.
