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Vinyl Fencing? Don't Even Ask Me...

6/8/2012

40 Comments

 
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NOT a Vinyl Fence. Isn't it Pretty?
I’m typically not one to bash other people’s taste or other contractors’ work.  Live and let live, to each their own, mind your own business. But when it comes to inferior products, or manufacturers that are over charging for an inferior product, sometimes I feel as though I owe it to my clients to point it out.  And vinyl fencing is one of the products out there that really gets under my skin.

Let’s get this out of the way first.  As an installer of custom-built wood fencing, it is fair to say that I might be a bit biased. I’m not going to argue with you. But business practices aside, I just don’t like the stuff.  If I thought vinyl fencing was a good product that clients could benefit from I would install it, thus eliminating the bias.  But I don’t feel that way, oh let me count the ways.

First, the appearance. Maybe it’s just because I have a trained eye and I pick up things that other people don’t, but I’ve heard a fair amount of feedback from a wide range of people who also seem to find it unsightly. There’s something just not right about the way they look.  Whether it’s the consistency of color from picket to picket, the shiny glare across the entire fence surface, or the awkward connections at the posts, it just doesn’t look natural.  That’s because it’s not.  You may call it vinyl, it’s basically just plastic.  Do you really want a plastic fence?  And don’t even get me started on the faux wood grain finishes.  If you want it to look like wood, then why not go with, oh I don’t know, how about wood!

And there’s the cost, something that is of the utmost importance to the majority of clients. On the front-end install costs, most vinyl fencing tends to run about one-and-a-half to two times as expensive as wood fencing of comparable styles.  Now the vinyl salesmen will sell this is as a front end cost trade-off to lower maintenance costs down the road.  To be honest, I’ve never known anyone to spend thousands of dollars on maintaining a wood fence.  So even if the vinyl fencing was truly maintenance-free as they claim, the cost savings still don’t add up to me.

And contrary to what the vinyl reps may tell you, vinyl fencing is not maintenance-free.  They are just as prone to algae and mildew build-up as the wood fences.  And because of the uniformity of color and typically white color, those green stains show up quite well.  And look quite unsightly.  I’d much rather have a naturally weathered wood fence than a green-hued plastic eyesore.

And if your vinyl fence breaks?  Single replacement pickets are not easy to find, as vinyl fencing is typically sold as complete fence panels.  And even if you are lucky enough to find single replacement pieces, the color may be slightly off, the size and/or pre-fabbed connection points may not line up and the cost is much higher than purchasing a single wood board or picket. The maintenance-saving argument just doesn’t fly with me.

Design options. Because most vinyl fencing is sold as pre-fabbed sections and kits, the designs are limited to what the manufacturers offer.  While some manufacturers do offer a full range of styles to choose from, your choice as a homeowner is limited to what the dealer is offering.  With wood, the sky is the limit when it comes to design options.  Not the case with vinyl.  And color options are usually limited to three or four colors at the most. Due to the nature of the material, vinyl isn’t easily paintable without regular upkeep of the paint job.  Another notch against the maintenance-free argument.

And lastly, and perhaps most importantly depending on your point of view, vinyl fencing is just not good for the environment.  Vinyl fencing is made from PVC, or polyvinyl chloride.  The key ingredients are chlorine, carbon, and oil/gas by-products. The harvesting of these materials can often have a huge negative impact on the environment.  They are fossil fuels after all.  PVC is not bio-degradable, not easily recycled, and can be harmful to our waterways and wildlife.  According to the site greenlivingtips.com, “No other plastic presents such a direct human health threat as PVC does throughout its lifecycle, from manufacture, to use to disposal, yet our demand is only increasing.” We don’t need to add to the problem simply because you had an expensive inferior fence installed, do we?

I will say this.  Just like any other products out there, some vinyl fencing is better than others.  If you are insistent upon going with vinyl for whatever reason, be sure to look into what you’re purchasing.  Make sure your supplier has an adequate supply of replacement parts and pieces available if you should ever need them down the road.  Make sure its UV-resistant (believe it or not, some of the products out there aren’t, leading to yellowing and splitting).  Make sure the vinyl is of a strong enough gauge that it will resist sagging or bending.  And make sure it’s workable enough that it can be customized for those end-of-the run smaller sections or inevitable trouble spots around roots and trees.

But honestly, why?  There are so many advantages to wood, that in my humble opinion it just doesn’t make any sense to even consider vinyl.

40 Comments
Anna link
6/8/2012 04:56:11 am

That's a pretty strong case you make there....

Wood does handle the abuse of aging better- no chips from the string trimmer or cracks from an errant line drive.

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Landscaping Brisbane link
9/25/2012 05:37:14 am

I liked the way you put together everything, there is certainly no need to go any further to look for any additional information. You mentioned each and everything that too with much of ease.

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matt link
6/11/2012 07:39:04 am

I agree 100% I feel the same way about a lot of other products too ...ones that are being used because they are cheap and easily installed( faster), for example manufactured or cultured 'stone'. It can be a challenge to convince people to use natural products..but only if you can't explain why they should. Good job Clark.

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Anna link
6/11/2012 09:00:50 pm

One of the most convincing reasons I've been able to sell people on is that natural products- wood & stone- are classic. They never go out of style and your landscaping will never develop that 'dated' look, rather a sense of permanence.

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Clark link
6/12/2012 05:24:24 am

Thanks guys. Excellent sales point Anna, I'll have to borrow that one. What really blows me away is that the fake products often are more expensive than the real thing. And if the real thing is anywhere within sight of the fake stuff, that fake stuff, be it vinyl fencing or manmade faux stone, REALLY sticks out like a sore thumb.

evelyne
8/3/2012 10:44:30 am

We are nearing a 2 yr major remodel on our home and funds are near gone. I appreciate all of the above mentioned arguments. However, living in an area that is very prone to termites and mold ( southern california near the beach ), it is hard to not want to go to something that will be resistant to both of these. Our neighbors have a fence that is filled with termites. We see all the evidences of them on our side. Having thought through what we can afford, which is not real stone nor faux stone, and not wanting to deal with termites in a new fence down the road, what else does one turn to other than an affordable vinyl fence that if need be can be replaced in x amount of yrs. I mean I can buy enough vinyl fencing from Home Depot for less than $3000 for 90 linear ft of fencing that we need and it will be double faced so that both neighbors are serviced by one fence, allowing us to remove the termite ridden fence. Not sure what could beat that. If someone has a better answer, please let me know.

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Clark link
8/5/2012 03:26:08 am

It sounds like you've done a bit of research on your decision -- good for you, you're a step ahead of many other homeowners who just dive in without doing any research.

Sure enough, termites can be a problem in many areas. And yes, vinyl is immune to termite damage. But as mentioned in the post and several of the other replies, it is prone to other damage. And when it gets damaged its much harder and more costly to address small scale repairs.

You're certainly welcome to pursue whatever options you wish, but if cost is an issue (as you stated) and you're already thinking about needing to replace the fence in X many years (as you also stated), it seems to me that going with less expensive wood that is easier to repair, costs less, and looks infinitely better would make more sense.

Whatever you decide to go with for the project, best of luck, and happy fencing!

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Miami Wood Fencing link
5/22/2013 03:05:30 am

Vinyl sucks on records, sucks in cars, and sucks on fences. Do you know that this is something you just can't paint over like wood, when the neighborhood kids practice using spray paint and sidewalk chalk to create murals. It is more expensive, and on top of the it doesn't look good if the job is poorly put together

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Clark link
5/23/2013 06:13:09 am

I agree except for the vinyl records. Vinyl records are classics, and the imperfections just add to the authenticity, imho. But I agree on the fences and cars ...

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Randy Campbell link
2/4/2015 01:48:45 am

I agree with your opinions of vinyl fencing. I made the mistake years ago of selling customers what they "think" they want, and learned the hard way that vinyl fencing simply sucks!

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Michelle Kezele
9/30/2015 02:49:43 pm

Well I am moving into a brand new subdivision and most HOA's won't allow wood because some won't or don't maintain. So, your post was very negative and didn't make me feel better. I really want an Easter red cedar fence but can't have it. So now as you put it, I have to buy a cheap, shitty, plastic fence. Great. Can't wait.

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Clark
10/4/2015 07:43:06 am

Sorry Michelle -- The best advice I can give is to go to your HOA and convince them of their error in judgement. Best of luck.

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trudy
10/14/2015 04:20:14 am

Hi, My neighbor just had a vinyl fence put in. The glare from the solid section is enormous. I think it could even damage eyesight, no kidding.

He is a nice guy, and we are trying to sort this out. (Additionally, he did not have the lot line surveyed, and so the fence seems to be at least partly inside my property, sigh.)

The question I have is, I wonder if you know of anything that would cut down on the glare from this stuff? Part of the fence is a picket fenced style, and that has minimal glare, it's the solid stuff that is a problem.

We thought of painting it on my side (his does not get as much sun), but apparently that voids the warranty.

Any clues appreciated. I can;t imagine why otherwise sensible people buy this stuff.

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Clark
10/14/2015 02:05:59 pm

Sorry to hear that Trudy -- I'm obviously not a fan of the vinyl stuff, and that's one more knock against it. Unfortunately I can't really help you out with the glare problem. Flat paint would work, and I think you would be completely within your rights to do so, especially if part of it is on your property. But that's more of a neighbor to neighbor issue that I'd rather not get involved with. Good luck -- sorry to hear about that.

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Melissa Tylor link
7/8/2017 02:13:25 am

There are many fencing options available in the market. For ex: wood fence, chain link fence, iron fence or vinyl fence. Each fence has some merits and demerits. If we consider vinyl fence, it has also many advantages but still it has a very few disadvantages which creates a doubt in the mind of a homeowner whether he should go for its installation or not. One of the common demerits of a vinyl fence is, it becomes brittle with extreme temperature and as it is slighted contaminated with plastic, hence it is less environmental friendly. But I can day that not all the vinyl fences are equal, so, if someone is going to choose it, then he should have to choose it wisely.

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Ivy Baker link
5/22/2020 09:48:35 pm

I want to get a new fence around my property this August. Thanks for pointing out that I will want to consider checking a vinyl fence is made of PVC. I didn't realize that would help it last longer and look better.

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1/29/2021 09:30:44 pm

I have been thinking about getting a few fences this spring. Thanks for explaining that I could look into different colors of fencing I can get. Personally, I would want to get a professional to help me with figuring out what materials will do well in my climate.

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    Clark Kent Creations, LLC is a full-service landscape construction company servicing the Pennsylvania communities of Delaware County, Chester County, The Main Line, and the University City, Art Museum, and Manayunk/Roxborough neighborhoods of Philadelphia.  In addition to this blog page, additional information regarding the company and our services can be found on the subsequent pages of the site.
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    Clark Linderman is the president of Clark Kent Creations, LLC, a landscape construction company based in Swarthmore, PA.  He is a proud graduate of the University of Michigan.  In addition to his passion for all things outdoors, he counts Michigan football, Phillies baseball, Superman memorabilia, Memphis R&B music, and good craft brews among his many interests.  He currently resides in Swarthmore with his wife, Sheila, two sons, his dog Krypto, and a really, really messy garage full of work supplies and toys.

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    Clark Kent Creations, LLC
    Swarthmore, PA
    Design and Construction to Maximize Your Outdoor Experience

    707-290-9410
    clark@clarkkentcreations.com
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