Summer is just around the corner! ☀️ It's the perfect time to get started on your outdoor projects, such as your gazebo, patio or pool deck.
For an outdoor project to be successful, it requires weather-resistant and durable materials that will guarantee its longevity. Plastics have become an increasingly popular option for outdoor projects because of their strength, flexibility and durability.
In this article, we'll discuss four plastics that definitely meet the durability criteria.
1. Polygrain™ woodgrain HDPE polymer
Woodgrain HDPE is known for being versatile and stylish thanks to its modern look. This material is ideal for someone who wants an alternative to wood that is durable, doesn't degrade over time and offers endless design possibilities. This material is both impact resistant and scratch resistant and can withstand various weather conditions. Outdoor furniture designed with woodgrain HDPE can be left outdoors regardless of weather conditions. This makes it a more durable and permanent alternative to wood.
Polygrain™ offers endless possibilities for outdoor furniture, boat components and cabinetry.
| 📈Features | 🛠️Possible applications |
| Wood-like plastic | Outdoor signage |
| 100% recyclable | Play modules |
| UV and water resistant | Outdoor kitchens |
| Long-term colour performance | Patios and outdoor living spaces |
| Impact resistant and scratch resistant | |
| More durable than wood |
2. Seabord™ HDPE polyethylene
This plastic is known for its superior performance and stability. Seaboard™ is a high-density polyethylene that meets FDA sanitary standards while also being thermal resistant. Because of its thermal properties, it's used primarily in the manufacture of recreational boat components, including benches, seats, hatches and doors. It's also used in swimming pool equipment.
More rigid than teak and other woods, this material doesn't rot or fade; it's UV-stabilized for environments exposed to constant sunlight, making it the ideal material for outdoor use.
| 📈Features | 🛠️Possible applications |
| Easy to work with | Outdoor equipment |
| Low maintenance | Playgrounds |
| Easy to clean | Recreational parks |
| UV stabilized | Recreational boat components |
| Thermal resistant | |
| More rigid than wood |
3. Multiwall polycarbonate
The key properties of multiwall polycarbonate are high UV and impact resistance. In fact, it's 250 times more impact resistant than glass. In addition, multiwall polycarbonate is rigid, lightweight, insulating and transparent.
This type of plastic is widely used in industrial structures. In fact, multiwall polycarbonate can be found in most sunrooms, pergolas and greenhouses.
| 📈Features | 🛠️Possible applications |
| Available in clear, white and bronze | Glazing |
| Doesn't release toxic fumes | Shelters |
| Flame resistant | Sunrooms |
| Excellent stiffness | Greenhouse covers |
| Insulating and transparent | Gazebo |
| High UV and impact resistance | Pergola |
4. Fiberglass reinforced plastic, or FRP
From an industrial standpoint, FRP is an extremely durable material. In fact, FRP is a high-performance composite material that is lightweight, durable and highly resistant to corrosion. It's used primarily in the food, chemical, mining and wastewater treatment industries. Compared to metals, it never rusts and requires very little maintenance. As a result, it's widely used in the manufacture of products such as gratings, railings, industrial walkways, stairs and ladders. It's the material of choice for outdoor installations such as decks.
| 📈Features | 🛠️Possible applications |
| Corrosion resistant | Gratings |
| Lighter than steel | Railings |
| Superior service life | Industrial walkways and platforms |
| Weather resistant | Wearhouse mezzanines |
| Easy to install | Stairs |
| Ladders |
Learn more about industrial plastics in outdoor applications by reading these articles below:
