By: Alicia Schnell
Most people believe Trex fencing is the same as Vinyl. It is not. Trex fencing is composite fence, which means it is made up of various materials. Where Vinyl fencing is 100% plastic, Trex fencing is created from a combination of recycled wood and plastic. In fact, Trex is comprised of 96% recycled materials. Despite being two completely different products with obvious differences, Vinyl and Trex do have several features in common.
Like Vinyl, Trex fence is a privacy option with only a limited number of colors and styles available for purchase. In fact, there is only one style of Trex currently on the market – board on board, picture frame – and the three colors to choose from are Saddle, Winchester Gray, and Woodland Brown (see photo from trexfencing.com below). Trex, too, is a durable, long lasting, low maintenance material. So no yearly sanding, painting, or staining required. It comes with a 25 year warranty and is resistant to insect damage. Thanks to its board-on-board design, the interlocking pickets will never warp or bow, and unlike wood, the material won’t rot or splinter. Trex is also more costly than chain link or wood, but like Vinyl, is a one-time investment. This is where the similarities end with Vinyl and Trex.
While Vinyl has a shiny, somewhat phony appearance, Trex is more natural looking. Its matte finish gives it a wood-like appearance and doesn’t have the reflective shine Vinyl’s plastic coating creates. Trex fencing can be painted, but word of caution, painting your Trex may void the warranty. As shown in the photo above, the fence color will fade a little over time thanks to UV light and weather. Trex prepares for that in advance by designing the color to start out darker and then fade to the correct shade. However, weathering will not affect the “integrity” of the product. Where Vinyl can become brittle over time and crack, Trex remains strong. Trex basically has the strength of wood without the maintenance coupled with the lifespan of Vinyl. Trex also has a wind resistance of steady 100 mph and gusts up to 130 mph.
The biggest and coolest difference that makes Trex fencing unique from Vinyl is the fact it is composite. For the modern day, eco-friendly products lover, this is the fence for you. Trex invented composite fencing in 1996, a few years younger than the invention of the 80s Vinyl. According to the Trex website, their fencing is 96% reclaimed, recycled wood, sawdust, and recycled plastic bags. Supposedly, 100 linear feet of Trex contains an average 140,000 recycled plastic bags. The company chose to go eco-friendly 20 years ago and reportedly saves 400 million pounds of wood and plastic from landfills every year. They’ve even chosen an eco-friendly manufacturing process. No smokestacks, run off and refuse are recycled back into the manufacturing line, and their trailers run on “vegetable-based oil hydraulics.”
See the difference now? If you are curious enough to learn more about Trex fencing, feel free to check out their website trexfencing.com or give us at Fence Specialists a call. We’d love to talk more about this unique material.