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Vinyl railing manufacturers have been pulling out all the stops to get you, the buying public to use more and buy more of their product. That is only to be expected given we are in the middle of the worst recession in 60 years but at the same time, there are some very compelling reasons why vinyl railings should be your choice when it comes to home improvement or new project construction.
Wood railings are the main competition for vinyl railings at this time but wood suffers from some very serious drawbacks. It is more difficult to install, it requires greater maintenance and is subject to attack by the elements and particularly insect pests – redwood and cedar are traditional hardwoods used in railing manufacture and they have a life expectancy of around 10 years. Compare that to vinyl with manufacturers' warranties available for 20 years and sometimes more and you start getting the idea that vinyl will last a lot longer than the wood alternative.
Vinyl is resistant to the elements and will keep looking great no matter how long you have it fitted. It is not affected by sun, rain or snow and insects do not look at it as a food source. Maintenance is simple and easy – a damp cloth and some soapy water are all that is required to clean it down and make it look as good as the day it was fitted. With wooden railings you will need to sand, varnish, paint and treat on a regular basis to make sure it lasts even the restricted lifetime that is usually attributed to it.
Vinyl is exceptionally hard wearing – it is scratch resistant and unlike wood, if it does suffer a scratch or knock it will not show through the finish. If wood is scratched, the finish must be attended to not only to regain the appearance but actually to physically maintain the integrity and longevity of the wood itself. This requires sanding, painting, waxing, etc, and you are back to high-maintenance when a vinyl railing is simple – clean it!
Vinyl railings are also a cost-effective alternative to wood. Initial costs are pretty much the same across the board whether you want wood or vinyl but it is the cost over a lifetime of ownership where vinyl really comes through on top. As wood is high maintenance you need to scrape, sand, paint, polish, wax and spend hours doing this year-in and year-out – this is not just a time element but there is a clear financial cost as well. Maintaining wood requires financial expense to pay for these materials and they are not cheap – you must keep this in mind when you are trying to calculate how much wood will actually cost you over the life of the material. When you do this, wooden railings can end up costing you three to four times as much as vinyl and that does not include the time you must spend dealing with it. Vinyl railings clearly win on the cost factor by a very wide margin.
Manufacturers Trust Vinyl
Vinyl railings are so good that manufacturers have started offering a lifetime guarantee for the ones that they sell. A company would not do that if they were not confident that the product would live up to its expectations. It would give the manufacturers a bad name and they are just not willing to do that. So, a lifetime guarantee is definitely a good sign! In comparison to redwood and cedar which usually last around twelve years at the most, vinyl usually lasts at least twenty.
The Advantages You Can Expect
Apart from lasting a lot longer than other wooden railings, vinyl railings have quite a few advantages! For a start they do not need much maintenance which means you will not need to polish them, wax them or weatherproof them very often. Usually the only maintenance you really need to do is to wash them with a mild detergent in order to remove any dirt and dust to keep them looking clean and new.
You do need to weatherproof vinyl railings but once done they are protected against UV rays as well as the wind and the rain. Another great advantage is that vinyl does not show scratches on the outside easily, which makes it great if you have children! Usually wood shows scratches really easily and you then have to spend time waxing and polishing again in order to cover them up which can be a big hassle to do! So, the fact that you do not have to do that will appeal to many homeowners.
Finally vinyl railings do not need to be sanded or scraped and that usually makes them a more cost effective option than other types of wood. They can easily be installed if you have the right tools and they are generally one of the easiest wooden materials to install within the home as they do not need much work doing to them.
Overall vinyl railings are definitely for people who like minimum fuss, long lasting results and low cost railings. They brighten the look of any home and they are the easiest railings to keep up with.