5 Reasons You Should Build Your Next Marine Project with Vinyl
In recent years, there have been many innovations within the marine construction industry. Some of the foremost being within the applications of vinyl materials in bulkheads, retaining walls, and pilings. Whether it be a dock, pier, or bulkhead, everyone wants their investment to be aesthetically pleasing for as long as possible. So, when you take into account all of vinyl’s strengths and benefits, it's difficult to discredit vinyl as a viable alternative material in marine construction. Below we have listed five widely accepted benefits of vinyl building materials in the marine construction industry.
Inexpensive Investment
In comparison to other building materials such as steel or wood, vinyl is a significantly more cost effective building material since it is inexpensive to produce. To that end, choosing to build your marine project with vinyl building materials means the overall installation cost of your project will be greatly reduced. Moreover, the maintenance required to prolong traditional wood pilings’ lifespan will largely be eliminated due to vinyl’s inorganic and resilient nature.
Over 25 Years of Installation
Since vinyl building material isn't made up of wood, it has a much longer lifespan than traditional wood pilings and materials. Meaning, vinyl will not succumb to wood rot from harsh marine environments, it is UV resistant, and is structurally more sturdy than traditional wood pilings. By the time a vinyl seawall or piling needs repair, the wooden equivalent would have failed two to three times over. And equally important, many vinyl building materials are created utilizing recycled materials, further increasing its environmental sustainability and eco-friendliness.
Marine Boring Resistant
As wood treatments can only protect a wood piling for so long, sooner or later, the piling will eventually become damaged by water boring organisms. However, unlike wood pilings, since vinyl building materials are an inorganic building material, they are totally impervious to these wood boring organisms. For that reason, vinyl sheets and pilings won’t need the midlife repair wood pilings will eventually require. Additionally, since vinyl pilings don’t require any treatment to combat these organisms, the effects of chemical leaching is not a concern.
More Efficient Installation
As a result of vinyl building materials being a man made product, vinyl pilings are quite easier to install than wood pilings. This is largely due in part to vinyl pilings being manufactured to always be uniform and sturdy. In many circumstances, the construction process of a marine project can be delayed due to warped or bowing wood pilings. With vinyl building materials, installations delays are avoided due to vinyl's consistent physical and aesthetic uniformity. In addition, vinyl building materials are highly impact resistant. This means installation crews can more easily penetrate the soil with the vinyl material; therefore, expediting the installation process.
Manufacturer-Backed Warranty
While vinyl materials are created to outlast wood pilings and materials, that doesn’t mean they will last forever. Accordingly, many vinyl piling manufacturers provide warranties that usually are far superior to other material providers. Some vinyl products are backed by warranties that guarantee for up to 50 years of coverage. In short, not only are vinyl material more than likely to outlast other marine pilings, they have the warranty to ensure it does.
Discover More About Vinyl Building Materials
With over 25 years in marine and shoreline projects, we’ve often had clients request for us to replace their seawall, and we frequently suggest using vinyl. Oftentimes, though, they’re skeptical about vinyl, so we install their marine structure utilizing wood. Several years later, we’ve received calls from some saying the wood in their seawall is rotted and failing. In the end, we install their marine structure using vinyl. “You are no longer a guinea pig, it is tested”
Visit our page about Vinyl Sheet Pilings to learn even more about its benefits, or go ahead and contact us online or call (800) 816-0335 to get a quote.