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Home & Garden Articles
Vinyl Railings Have the Advantage
Tue 25 Aug 2009 - 10:23
Vinyl Railings Have the Advantage
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Lawrence_Reaves]Lawrence Reaves
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.
Purchase hassle-free and maintenance-free [http://www.accentbuildingproducts.com/railing.html]vinyl railing from Accent Building Products, the leading distributor of home building products.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lawrence_Reaves http://EzineArticles.com/?Vinyl-Railings-Have-the-Advantage&id=2807000
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