Barrette builds up its outdoor living portfolio

Orlando, Fla. — Middleburg Heights, Ohio-based Barrette Outdoor Living Inc. has launched a new polypropylene privacy screen, a DIY flooring system called InstaDeck, and horizontal vinyl fence styles ahead of the spring construction season.

Barrette Outdoor Living owners also are considering an initial public offering (IPO) that could value the business at more than $1 billion, according to a recent report from Bloomberg.com.

The manufacturer holds 75 patents and uses proprietary machinery to produce vinyl, aluminum, steel and composite fencing and railing; composite decking; and other building products at 14 facilities to sell at home centers, specialty stores and lumber yards.

The company is majority owned by TorQuest Partners Inc., a Toronto-based manager of private equity funds, and Quebec Deposit and Investment Fund (Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec/CDPQ) a long-term institutional investor.

A significant minority share is retained by Les Entreprises Barrette Ltée and a management team headed by Jean desAutels.

At the International Builder Show in Orlando, Fla., from Feb. 8-10, the PP decorative screen panels won the best outdoor product category of the Best in Show competition featuring 200 entries.

The panels come in different sizes, colors and patterns for use as deck covers, pergola ceilings, divider walls, railing inserts, air conditioning covers, skirting around decks or for decorative wall artwork for either exterior or interior.

"It has been our biggest hit here. Everyone has different ideas about what they want to do with it," David Ross, a Barrette regional salesman, said at IBS.

Exhibit visitors also saw a plastic, snap-together tile system called InstaDeck that creates a foundation for a free-standing, ground-level deck. InstaDeck utilizes an integrated, patented fastening system called Step-Clip that was designed to secure Barrette Outdoor Living's composite deck boards into place without the use of screws.

Once the InstaDeck tiles are configured and the composite decking is cut to fit, homeowners simply step on the deck boards to clip them into place.

In addition, Barrette is out with a vinyl privacy fence that features horizontal infill boards. A special channel allows the boards to slide into place and lock securely. The fencing also can be topped with the decorative PP screen panels.

The decorative screens are Barrette's alternative to plastic lattice, a building product around for about 20 years.

The company initially produced the diamond lattice then added a square pattern and other designs.

The PP screens come in five colors and seven styles of 2-by-4 or 3-by-6 sheets that are twice as thick as traditional lattice. The panels are UV-coated to resist fading and can withstand extreme weather temperatures and resist impact.

Some buyers also use the panels, which can be painted, for architectural elements inside the home.

"People get creative with the decorative screen panels," Ross said.

Barrette entered the decking market in 2018 when it acquired the DuraLife composite decking and railing brands and assets from Integrity Composites LLC.

The deal brought Barrette a manufacturing and warehouse site in Biddeford, Maine, where the PP and wood composite decking is produced, and an innovative hidden fastening system for the decking.

The Step-Clip system locks the decking into place when the contractor steps on the edge.

"Stand on the deck board to clip and place it, and you're a deck builder," Ross said.

Barrette Outdoor Living is in the process of conducting third-party tests to determine how much installation time is saved, according to Erika Kaempfer, the company's brand and digital director.

"If you're a contractor, you can move on to your next job faster," Kaempfer said at IBS. "It's much faster than traditional decking, but we want to see exactly how much faster."

The Step-Clip system can only be used with Barrette Outdoor Living decking, she added.

Barrette also debuted a new horizontal vinyl fencing product line with two styles: one for full solid privacy and the other with a decorative screen panel on top as an alternative to lattice.

Both styles are available in two widths and either a solid gray color or wood grain pattern.

For easy installation, Barrette designed a special channel for the infill boards to slide into place and lock.

The company also launched a louvered privacy vinyl fencing designed for warm-weather markets prone to high winds. The fencing has slanted horizontal boards that are angled for light to filter through while maintaining privacy and for air to pass between for added circulation.

The fencing was engineered to meet the most stringent wind codes, according to Barrette CEO Jean desAutels.

"With a good portion of our customers located in the South in areas that are prone to heat, humidity and high winds, we saw a need in the market for a product that was not only economical and easy to install, but also offers infill boards that lock directly into fence posts to provide superior strength," desAutels said in a news release.

The company also says the louvered privacy vinyl fencing is "neighbor-friendly" and can produce stunning shadow effects.