Highlights from the International Builders' Show

Las Vegas — Azek Co. Inc. will add horizontal lap siding to its product mix as it marks its 25th anniversary in the PVC trim business.

The Chicago-based company had a busy space at the International Builders' Show while acquisition activity behind the scenes led to a $8.75 billion deal with competitor James Hardie Industries plc, a fiber cement siding maker.

At IBS 2025, Azek offered a preview of the capped cellular PVC foam lap siding product. The wood alternative will get a formal launch soon, possibly in June for the building season.

Azek offers a complete siding system with elevated aesthetics and no worries about maintenance, rot or decay compared with wood, which needs extensive care over time, and vinyl, which fails to deliver the sophisticated curb appeal homeowners desire, according to Azek Marketing Director Dan Gibbons.

"Other products like engineered wood and fiber cement absorb moisture, so you have to have a ground clearance. Azek trim and siding offer worry-free ground contact. It will never absorb moisture and water damage, which is a top concern for homeowners. And it looks beautiful," Gibbons said at IBS 2025.

The cellular PVC material gives Azek lap siding, which comes in two profiles, six colors and 16-foot lengths, a matte look as opposed to glossy, Gibbons said.

Azek lap siding comes in a 4½-inch reveal for a classic Cape Cod and eastern U.S. look and a 7½-inch reveal, which is popular in the Midwest and West Coast.

"From a building perspective, this is great because your trim and lap siding can form a complete wrap system where everything tucks in a little bit nicer and it's all water-resistant," Gibbons said.

The lap siding line is manufactured in Aliquippa, Pa., where Azek subsidiary Versatex announced in 2024 it would invest $40 million to build a second manufacturing plant to add siding to the production schedule in early 2025.

Founded in 1983, Azek also manufactures Azek-brand cellular PVC decking and TimberTech-brand composite wood decks. With estimated sales of extruded building products at $945 million, Azek holds the No. 9 spot among the largest North American pipe, profile and tubing producers, according to Plastics News' latest ranking.

The company started producing PVC trim in 2000 and then added options such as moldings, column wraps and a cellular PVC trim product called PaintPro, which gives a solid paint coverage with one coat and is ready for handling in about 60 minutes.

At IBS 2025, Azek introduced TrimLogic, a new exterior trim made from up to 95 percent recycled material, which the company bills as a breakthrough in sustainable building materials.

TrimLogic has a Class A flame spread rating; resists moisture, rot and insect damage; can be installed using standard tools; and must be painted within 180 days of installation.

Before Azek trim, choices were limited to high-performing, low-aesthetic products or wood, which offers natural beauty but doesn't perform, Gibbons said. Cellular PVC, on the other hand, can be cut, milled, shaped and routed like wood, yet it resists wood-boring insects, freeze-thaw cycles and high humidity.

"Azek pioneered the trim category 25 years ago," Amanda Cimaglia, vice president of corporate affairs, said at IBS 2025. "Now we're launching a siding product with the same level of performance and the same great aesthetics. Innovation is fundamental to who we are and who we aspire to be to continue to revolutionize the industry."

At IBS 2025, Azek also showed new beadboard and nickel-gap profiles for its Alpine collection for ceilings, soffits, porches, gazebos and covered walkways. The capped cellular PVC products come in two profiles and six colors.

"Alpine is primarily used on porch ceilings and soffits to add a nice accent. We heat apply a laminate for the real-wood look," Gibbons said. "Think southeastern United States, Florida coast, where water and humidity wreak havoc on porch ceilings. We have a product that can be trusted to last."

Azek's Alpine product line also has a Class A flame spread rating.

Malvern, Pa.-based CertainTeed LLC added a new composite siding made from 94 percent recycled products to its product portfolio as a result of a joint venture partnership with Mankato, Minn.-based Rise Building Products.

Rise's siding is manufactured from a mix of post-consumer and post-industrial polyester, polypropylene and fiberglass from flooring materials and wind turbines and the automotive, packaging and insulation industries.

The product line is a result of synthetic fiber technology that presses the recyclable materials into large sheets that are milled into siding profiles.

Rise composite siding diverts waste from landfills to produce a durable and affordable alternative to cement, wood and PVC products, according to CertainTeed Public Relations Manager Jennifer Annas.

"Think carpet from cars, but this a hard composite with rigidity that unlike fiber cement will not absorb water and can have ground contact," Annas said at IBS 2025.

Using recycled fiberglass as opposed to costlier virgin nylon, polyester and fiberglass allows Rise siding to compete against fiber cement and engineered wood on price, Annas said.

Rise panels come in smooth and wood-grain finishes and the length of 13 feet, 4 inches, making it the perfect length for 16-inch on-center stud spacing.

"We really saw the advantage of bringing this into our portfolio to be able to offer the full gamut of all the exterior cladding," Annas said. "Vinyl is still very prominent, but we wanted more offerings for places where stucco or brick might be the preference due to climate or weather. We want to be able to grow into those areas with the products needed for our customers."

Rise siding and its recycled fiberglass content join a wide portfolio of products that includes a polypropylene composite shingle called Cedar Impressions that resembles wood but needs no maintenance. At IBS 2025, CertainTeed Product Manager Daniel Rafferty said the Cedar Impression shingles resist mold and mildew, so they retain consistent color.

"One thing to keep an eye on with some of these looming tariffs is the costs of cedar shakes coming from Canada. We're not impacted by that," Rafferty added. "This is produced in Kansas. It's all made in the USA."

With $1.1 billion in estimated sales, CertainTeed ranks No. 6 among North American pipe, profile and tubing extruders, according to PN's latest ranking.

Westlake Royal Building Products added to its Grove Collection of cellular PVC trim and molding products that resemble wood and are designed for outdoor living spaces.

"This is cellular PVC with a laminate film for porch ceilings and column wraps — anywhere you want the rich look of stained wood," Marketing Vice President Steve Booz said at IBS 2025.

The Grove Collection launched quietly in 2024 with a 6-inch, V-grooved plank and 6-inch beadboard. The product line will be extended this spring to include column wraps with caps and bases, a 6-inch nickel gap profile and flat trim.

The Grove Collection had a big spotlight as a finalist for the 2025 Best of IBS Awards in the Most Innovative Building Material Product category for its design and performance. The Grove products offer low maintenance, resist moisture and insects, and install easily with hidden nailing hems.

For its Royal and Exterior Portfolio vinyl siding brands, Westlake Royal unveiled a 5/8-inch board and batten profile panel that has a substrate with improved structural stability. The updated design accentuates batten beads to enhance shadow lines for a striking visual appeal.

In addition to the new profile, dark colors were added, including one called Eclipse for the Royal line and one called Almost Midnight for Exterior Portfolio.

"The technology has come a long way to do these very dark, on-trend colors," Booz said.

Westlake Royal also added 5/8-inch lap siding to its TruExterior brand of siding and trim, which competes against engineered wood and fiber cement. Made from a proprietary blend of fly ash and polyurethane, the product line looks like wood but stands up to insects, extreme weather, and ground and masonry contact.

Westlake Royal also expanded its Kleer-brand cellular PVC trim with new reversible 6-inch nickle-gap and V-groove profiles. The planks are suitable for exterior soffits and porch ceilings or to create an interior accent wall for high-traffic or moisture-prone areas. The reversible planks feature a tongue-and-groove joint that simplifies installation and automatically create the nickel gap on one side and the V-groove on the other.

They come in white and can be painted at the job site and installed horizontally or vertically.

In addition, Westlake Royal introduced four new polypropylene gable vents to its Mid-America line of exterior siding accessories.

With $2.8 billion in estimated sales, Westlake Royal is the third-largest pipe, profile and tubing producer in North America based on PN's latest ranking.

Quebec City-based Derby Building Products subsidiary Tando Composites launched a brick substitute at IBS 2025 to add to its cladding offering, which already includes polypropylene composite shingle and stone products.

TandoStone ProBrick, also made with polypropylene but is mixed with natural aggregates, features the company's Kapguard- with Kynar-brand coating technology to ensure color longevity.

The injection molded product, which comes in Madeira classic red and Racinette earthy brown, creates a new category of composite brick for residential, commercial and multifamily housing siding professionals, according to Derby CEO Ralph Bruno.

ProBrick weighs a fraction of traditional brick and can be installed quickly and easily in any weather using traditional tools. There's no need for masons, mortar or scaffolding.

The ProBrick line also includes the All-Pro Corner, which is a one-piece corner designed to save time and labor while blending perfectly in any project.

"We have a proven formulation and an established track record for our Tando Composites brands. The addition of ProBrick to our lineup takes our entire offering to the next level," Bruno said at IBS 2025.

ProBrick recently was installed on a senior apartment development in Vineland, N.J., that is billed as offering affordable luxury living near Atlantic City and Philadelphia.

Tando Composites also produces Beach House Shake, which has the color variations, saw cuts and grain patterns of cedar shingles, and TandoStone, which adds brick to the lineup.

"There's a lot of synthetic stone, brick and shingle products, but we've been able to really distinguish ourselves with our composite platform. The products install easily, and the aesthetics are so undeniably realistic," Bruno said.

Several dozen national installers have made Tando Composites part of their offering, he said.

"Demand is being driven by installers," Bruno said. "I think it's safe to say customer expectations have been greatly elevated, and they demand more as far as authenticity."

Oakmont, Pa.-based Chelsea Building Products Inc. introduced four new trim profiles at IBS 2025 that are compatible with its next-generation composite siding called Everlast, which comes in 15 colors and different profiles.

The new trim options include a 5½-inch outside corner post, 3½-inch outside corner post, 3½-inch casing and 1¾-inch J-trim.

Founded in 1975 as Poly-Tex Co., Chelsea Building Products started out manufacturing what it says was the first all-vinyl, double-hung tilt replacement window system available in the U.S.

Fifty years later, the company extrudes PVC and composite profiles for the shutter, moldings and Everlast composite siding product lines in addition to windows and doors.

"Chelsea used its molding extrusion capability and the Everlast formulation to make a more robust accessory line — so thicker, more dimensional — and offered it in 15 colors," Gary Hartman, vice president of sales and marketing at Chelsea Building Products, said at IBS 2025.

The new accessories give homeowners and designers more options to accent their choice of siding panel, Hartman said.

"These trim options enhance the design versatility of Everlast siding, providing professionals and homeowners alike with solutions that combine durability, performance and aesthetic appeal," Hartman said.

Described as a proprietary mix of inorganic materials with polymeric resins, Everlast has an acrylic cap for color that is produced online as the product is extruded.

Everlast siding was a finalist for Most Innovative Product at IBS 2024, when its inputs were listed as calcium stearate, calcium carbonate, impact modifier, blowing agent, process lubricant, virgin PVC, a substrate colorant, PVC regrind, acrylic capstock and three acrylic cap colorants.

The new trim options will help Everlast siding stand out against competitors such as cement siding, engineered wood and other composites. "We know that we are different as far as our formulation. We know we're different in terms of appearance. Now we're definitely different from the standpoint of accessories," Hartman said.

The company also showcased its new white, paintable cellular PVC porch ceiling profile, which is offered in beaded and smooth V-groove styles.

In addition, Chelsea launched the Everlast Advantage contractor program, which includes educational opportunities and the ability to earn loyalty points that can be redeemed for rewards.

With $136 million in annual sales, Chelsea Building Products is the No. 41 pipe, profile and tubing extruder in North America, according to PN's latest ranking.