Garland, Texas — Add cladding to the bamboo-based lineup at Fortress Iron LP. The company has introduced both cellular PVC and composite profiles for facades and rainscreen assemblies.
The Garland-based company, which does business as Fortress Building Products, also extrudes decking, fencing and railing, and said its cladding serves as the first line of defense against water infiltration and withstands the effects of weather.
The new products are branded like the decking with the capped cellular PVC cladding under the Apex line and the composite cladding, which is made of bamboo flour and polyethylene pellets, part of the Infinity line.
Because bamboo grows 30 times faster than wood, Fortress says it is the ideal natural material to pair with post-consumer plastics being diverted from landfills.
Replacing basic wood fillers with bamboo also improves moisture resistance and structural properties, such as durability and longevity, the company says.
In addition, the materials can be processed in non-repeating grain patterns and textures.
Fortress cladding products offer performance and wood-emulating aesthetics, according to Toby Bostwick, vice president of product and brand.
"After realizing our durable deck boards were the perfect solution to fill this void in the market, we worked to deliver an enduring cladding product that's just as beautiful as wood but designed to last decades longer," Bostwick said in a news release.
The cladding is composed of 60 percent Forest Stewardship Council-certified bamboo fiber and 40 percent recycled plastics, which Fortress says makes it both sustainable and renewable.
The composite cladding is coextruded, while the cellular PVC cladding undergoes a proprietary triextrusion and dual-embossing process before it is capped with an acrylic for stain and UV resistance.
"There's no denying that wood offers a sought-after aesthetic for façades and rainscreen assemblies, however, the sun and rain's weathering effects are relentless and progressive," Bill Ross, Fortress' composite category director, said in the release. "Since Fortress cladding can endure even the harshest of elements, building designers can have confidence that the finished product will look as beautiful as it does on day one for years to come."