With spring just around the corner, building products makers are hoping that homeowners will begin looking to upgrading their homes after a long, hard winter. The latest building and construction products introduced by some of the biggest names in alternative decking, railing and roofing products industry promise to make homes more attractive with less maintenance. And many of these products are made with a percentage of recycled materials, making them attractive from an environmental standpoint. 

Ply Gem

For example, Ply Gem, a maker of a whole range of exterior building products including siding, windows, roofing, trim, shutters and accents, launched its extruded cellular PVC trip moldings that the company says are a "low-maintenance alternative to wood trim, and designed to work well with nearly any siding type." Ply Gem Trim is available in smooth or an authentic wood-grain finish, but unlike wood and treated wood, the products are made from cellular PVC and absorb

no moisture. The trim and moldings are also resistant to dirt, rotting, cracking or warping, and hold paint better than wood, especially in damp climates and extreme temperatures. Additionally, it is manufactured without cellulose, making it resistant to insects, termites and other pests.

At the recent International Builders Show in Las Vegas, Ply Gem also unveiled its new engineered slate roofing. Molded from nearly 100% recycled materials, using natural slate, Ply Gem's new engineered slate shingles feature deep shadow lines and chiseled edges. To make installation easy, Ply Gem's engineered slate shingles are lighter weight and manufactured with indented nail flanges, eliminating the need for additional framing support or any special tools.

The new engineered slate roofing has been tested to withstand wind-loads of up to 110 mph, as well as golf ball-sized "hail stones," and earning one of the industry's highest fire ratings. These shingles are "virtually indestructible," according to  Ply Gem.

CertainTeed

Speaking of roofs, CertainTeed introduced seven new roofing ventilation products that now makes that company able to provide a single source for complete roof systems. Part of the CertainTeed Integrity Roof System, the new product line includes CertainTeed Ridge Vent, CertainTeed Rolled Vent, and CertainTeed Intake Vent.

The CertainTeed Ridge Vent is available in 7, 9 and 12-inches with both filtered and unfiltered options. Each ridge vent is made of high quality co-polymer to remain sturdy, nailable and flexible. 

Trex

Trex Co., which it claims is the world's largest manufacturer of high-performance, wood-alternative decking and railing, recently completed its transition to solely producing high-performance composite decking materials. All Trex decking collections now feature the signature high-performance qualities first introduced on the company's Trex Transcend decking line, which offers superior durability and wear-resistance, along with ultra-low maintenance and long-lasting good looks, said the company.

Trex currently offers a 'good, better, best' decking line-up, with three distinct decking collections that allow consumers to choose the ideal product to meet their outdoor living needs. In the 'good' category is Trex Select, Trex's newest line of shelled composite decking and railing. Thanks to its high-performance shell, Trex Select stands up to weather and day-to-day wear, resisting stains and mold better than traditional [WPC] composites.

Trex Enhance is the company's 'better' category and is available in three classic shades, and offers all of the "charm - and none of the trouble - of real wood. Trex Enhance won't rot, warp, crack or splinter, and maintenance is "hassle-free." It also blends well with all Trex railing lines, allowing consumers and designers to mix and match to create a completely custom look.

Trex Transcend is Trex's 'best' offering, and the company claims is designed to "outperform wood, composite and PVC for decades." Each deck board features a proprietary nine-element surface formulation that produces a natural, wood-like grain pattern with a lustrous satin finish that feels comfortable underfoot. Trex Transcend is made with 95% recycled materials, and comes in eight colors that look like beautiful hardwoods "without the environmental impact."

A.E.R.T.

Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies Inc. (A.E.R.T.), a leading recycler that converts reclaimed plastics and wood fiber waste into innovate composite decking systems, fence systems, and door and window components. The company recently introduced its new MoistureShield Pro capstock decking to its lineup. The new Pro line will be made with the superior manufacturing processes that A.E.R.T. is known for, extruded with an extra layer of "capstock" to increase fade, stain, scratch and slip resistance. The product line will be available in three variegated colors, and in 12', 16', and 20' lengths with coordinating trim boards.

Brent Gwatney, Sr. VP of sales and marketing for MoistureShield, told PlasticsToday that capped decking is becoming

more popular among consumers of wood-alternative decking. "While our [wood-plastic] composite decking performs well without a cap, it's really about giving people more options," he said. "While our composite decking looks more like wood, behaves more like wood while providing the aesthetics and longevity consumers like. Capped decking requires a little less maintenance and doesn't have the look of wood. However, we like to offer people options. We're also quite pleased with the colors we've chosen."

A.E.R.T. is an entrepreneurial, publicly held manufacturing company that specializes in developing new technologies and patents that has enabled it to produce superior new products from recycled wood fiber and recycled polyethylene plastic for the building and construction markets. A.E.R.T. is a recycler of HDPE, whose MoistureShield products are certified at 95% recycled content. The company produces its composite and capped composite deck board made from the HDPE recycled materials the company collects.

According to Randy Gottlieb, president of A.E.R.T., there is a ready supply of HDPE recyclate available for the company's two recycling operations, one in Oklahoma and another in Arkansas, to supply the company's WPC extrusion facility in Springdale, Ark.  "We recycle grocery bags, stretch wrap, plastic plates, and work with other companies to get their scrap HDPE, such as big warehouses that get in pallets of goods that are stretched wrapped for shipping," said Gottlieb. "We recycle 60 million tons of HDPE annually and we'd be happy to get more."