PVC trim makers offer new qualities to compete

Las Vegas — Makers of PVC trim are out to take more of the market with improved performance, from paintability to long product life.

Azek Exteriors has a new cellular PVC trim product that can be quickly painted to mimic wood grains or dress up a house in any color. Called PaintPro, the trim was engineered to give solid paint coverage with one coat and be ready for handling in about 60 minutes.

"We have a proprietary process that's patent pending where we change the surface energy of the trim. We make the paint dry quicker," Loi McLoughlin, vice president of sales for Azek Exteriors, told Plastics News.

Azek Exteriors is the trim, moulding and siding division of Azek Building Products.

McLoughlin said the product should expand the use of PVC trim and take market share from other materials like wood and fiber cement.

While most paints "sit" on alternative material trim, the substrate of Azek's new trim forms a molecular bond with the paint that resists moisture and won't rot, crack, warp or chip so the paint will last much longer, McLoughlin said.

Wood is the dominant material in the trim market, competing against engineered woods and fiber cement in addition to PVC. McLoughlin estimates wood has about a 70 percent share of an estimated $2 billion market, but he sees that changing.

Azek featured PaintPro trim at the International Builders' Show in Las Vegas, Feb. 19-21.

Royal Building Products is out with a new lightweight rigid vinyl trim that can be used with vinyl, fiber cement or engineered wood siding.

Available as a corner post or wide-faced board, Royal's Spec Series-brand trim is capped with acrylonitrile styrene acrylate for fade protection.

The big advantage of PVC-based trims is consistency, according to Scott Szwejbka, Royal vice president of exteriors.

"If you go to a Lowe's or Home Depot to look for trim, you sort through to find the straight one, the one without the knot in the wrong place. But when you go to a PVC-based trim, you can reach in with your eyes closed and grab a stack of them and they will all be identical. That's where the growth is really coming from. It's taking share from wood-based products that create more waste and problems."

Malvern, Pa.-based CertainTeed Corp. continues to expand design options for its cellular PVC brand of trim called Restoration Millwork, most recently with reversible panels pre-cut with two design options: a V-shaped groove on one side and a nickel gap on the other.

The latest trim is in the INhanced product line of decorative components that also includes corners and column wraps. It can be used with most siding materials — vinyl, fiber cement, wood, stucco and brick — and comes ready to install in white or it can be painted.

The new profile also can be cut, shaped and milled with ordinary woodworking tools and fastened with nails or screws.

Royal Building Products introduced a new lightweight rigid vinyl trim for use with vinyl, fiber cement or engineered wood siding. Part of the company's Spec Series-brand trim, the product is capped with acrylonitrile styrene acrylate for fade protection. Courtesy of Royal Building Products