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Lowe's/Home Depot and Vinyl Fencing

secsteve
12 years ago

We had our wooden fence power washed and repainted, but the fence is still not holding up as we had hoped and needs replacement.

Since the wood has deteriorated so badly, we have decided to go with Vinyl after much research on the merits of wood versus vinyl. We're getting estimates from fencing companies as to the cost to replace the wood fence. One of the people we interviewed for yard work also installs fences as an ancillary service. We'd need to buy the vinyl and he'd install it.

Two of the fencing companies we've talked to have said NOT to buy vinyl fencing from either Lowe's or Home Depot as the quality isn't as good as what the two claim.

I've done some on line checking, but have found very little to support this statement.

Has anyone used either HD or Lowe's Vinyl fencing and had any problem?

Thanks.

Comments (6)

  • handymac
    12 years ago

    There is a long standing theory that manufacturers make less expensive products so HD/Lowe's can sell for less. In some cases that is true.

    BORG's(Big ol Retail Giants) stock cheaper plywood than real lumberyards. But, their dimensional hardwoods/etc. are more expensive.

    Plumbing fixtures, lighting, paint, appliances, and other areas are blamed as being inferior to 'real' products carried in single purpose stores. BORG's do carry less expensive models, but brand name products are the same no matter where the product is sold.

    I've used HD fencing and it has done well with the proper installation and maintenance. Never used their vinyl, but there could be two different kinds---mainly due to the product thickness. That is true for vinyl siding.

    So, check the thickness and if it is the same , it should be less expensive at a BORG simply because of the higher volume they move.

  • PRO
    Christopher Nelson Wallcovering and Painting
    12 years ago

    but brand name products are the same no matter where the product is sold.

    You better do some more research there. Not true. At least as far as Purdy paint brushes are concerned.

  • handymac
    12 years ago

    Google Purdy.

    Click on the company URL provided.

    There is a place to Find a Dealer. Click on that. Use the Zip Code method.

    Here is what showed up when I did that---showing several hardware/paint/home improvement dealers.

    Here is a link that might be useful: dealer locator

  • jonnyp
    12 years ago

    Let me add my 2 cents. The box stores do in fact buy certain items made to their specs from big manufacturers. I know this for fact, my good friend runs a plumbing supply house. They also use regional suppliers for various items.
    As far as the fence goes you get what you pay for. I have looked at their fence products, and yeah the cheap stuff is thinner. But it is a fence. If you live in a cold clime both types will shatter, in a warm clime moss grows just as well on either.Make sure the posts are installed properly and you'll be happy w/ the cheap stuff.

  • Pilm
    10 years ago

    The fencing from HD and Lowes is thinner than what many fence companies use (but not all). Recently was looking at some HD/Lowes fencing and you really do have to call the manufacturer to find out thickness, AND you have to ask the same questions of the fence companies. For example, one HD/Lowes style of 6' privacy fencing I was looking at (manufactured in the USA by Barrette) had 0.035" thick pickets, 0.065" rails and 0.135" thick posts, while the fence companies vinyl had 0.050" pickets, 0.080" rails and 0.150" thick posts. So as you can see there is a definite material difference. However just having thinner material doesn't mean HD/Lowes fence product isn't any good, just that it probably won't be as strong. But the real important question is how strong do you need, and would 0.035" pickets be strong enough? Answers to questions like this seem scarce on the internet, so all you find are fence companies saying they use thicker material that will be stronger, but again, maybe I don't care if what HD/Lowes has is already good enough, especially given the cost savings. Obviously we don't want pickets bowing and blowing off the rails b/c of a 30 mph wind gust, so they do need some strength. From what I've found reading reviews on HD/Lowes, is their fencing seems to hold up just fine, in fact one reviewer said their fence held up perfectly against hurricane Sandy this last year, and another reviewer in Arizona (where they have very high winds) also has had no issue with pickets blowing off in the wind. The other issue about vinyl falling apart after 5 or 10 years did used to be true, based on my internet searches, but apparently that was vinyl fencing made without UV inhibitors (TiO2) and impact modifiers, so it got brittle, flaked, turned yellow, fell down when hit by a weed whacker, etc, but no one (except maybe imported stuff) uses that anymore. The other big thing is to avoid any fencing that requires brackets to hold it together, make sure you buy the kind with holes in the posts for the rails, and make sure you get tongue and groove pickets with u-channels (some styles at HD/Lowes have both, but others don't, so review their listings very carefully). I guess my conclusion would be if you buy the right type of fence from HD/Lowes, you will probably do just fine and save quite a bit of money (though you don't want to have them do the install b/c they'll nail you on that)!

  • mike_kaiser_gw
    10 years ago

    Who knew that Purdy made so many different types of paint brushes! There's 15 in the XL series alone. If I buy a Purdy XL Dale (that's an angled trim brush with a rat tail handle) at Home Depot it will be different than the Purdy XL Dale I buy a Sherwin Williams?