There is much to love about the look and last of a vinyl fence. However, not all vinyl fencing is created equal.
Halfway Fence Company is your local professional fence dealer for Bufftech vinyl fence products. We have worked with Bufftech, a quality brand of CertainTeed, for over a decade. Below are a few of the reasons why.
As your local Bufftech fence supplier for the thumb of Michigan and surrounding area, Halfway Fence Company will deliver full-service design and installation and can help you select the best style for your needs.
“We have worked with Bufftech, a quality brand of CertainTeed, for over a decade. Time and time again we have been blown away by their superior products and services, and today is no exception.”
Brand
CertainTeed products are consistently rated #1 with builders and remodelers for their exceptional quality and outstanding customer support.
Protection
Bufftech is the only fence brand to offer an industry leading lifetime limited transferable warranty with CertainTeed’s exclusive 5-year SureStart™ parts and labor protection.
Trust
Bufftech fence is a quality brand of CertainTeed, America’s most trusted name in building materials for more than 100 years.
Value
Bufftech vinyl fence is a long-lasting, low maintenance alternative to wood fence. When you factor in the time-consuming and costly upkeep of wood, a Bufftech fence provides excellent value.
Innovation
Bufftech offers an industry-leading spectrum of innovative styles, colors and textures, including woodgrain and stucco finishes.
Sustainable
Bufftech fence is GreenCircle Certified®, providing assurance that all products comply with environmental and sustainability claims.
Design
The Bufftech product offering includes six fence categories — traditional, classic, contemporary, semi-private, privacy and post & rail — featuring more than 50 styles and 24 colors.
Performance
Bufftech conducts a variety of tests on all products to ensure they’ll perform in real-world conditions.
Partnership
Bufftech dealers are CertainTeed’s trusted partners in the fence business, dedicated to providing you with the best fence system possible.
How To Select The Best Vinyl Fence For Your Project
Ingredients
Consumer grade fencing bought at the box stores is often made of recycled plastics. This may be what you would consider a "green product" but most of these types of fencing are not designed to withstand the weather elements such as high winds, sun damage, or cold winters. If the product is made of recycled plastics you can often expect it to sag prematurely, become brittle in the colder weather, as well as fade and warp prematurely. It's not a matter of if this type of vinyl fencing will wear out, its a matter of when- usually after just a few seasons.
Professional grade vinyl fencing is made of virgin vinyl/PVC and is often mixed with UV inhibitors to help protect against sun damage. It is designed and tested to last many years through many types of weather conditions (and often is under some sort of warranty/guarantee). You can spend less at the box stores, sure. You can even spend hours installing it yourself, but keep in mind you will end up having to replace it all within a matter of a few seasons. If you are only installing this for an accent in your yard it may be worth it to go this route, however if you plan on having a privacy fence for function or installing more than just a few sections, we strongly advise investing in a professional grade fence with professional installation.
Component Size & Wall Thickness
Professional grade fencing will often have interior ribbing on its pickets or other forms of reinforcement. Taller fences and privacy fences will also have galvanized steel reinforcement channels in their bottom rails to prevent sagging. These sections are also a full 8' in length which means you will not have to purchase and install as many posts. That means you can dig less holes and pour less concrete, which also means it will take less installation time to get your fence project completed.
Be careful comparing material costs and installation time - a cheaper vinyl fence product may not be much cheaper by the end of the project.
Fence Design
Consumer grade fencing is often less expensive and easier (cheaper) to inventory, so it is common that you would find they offer only one style of post for you to purchase- this being the "blank post" (meaning it has no holes and can be utilized at the corners, on the ends, intermediately and where gates are needed). These will often require a bracket to attach all the horizontal rails to the posts. The problem is that these brackets usually are cheap, brittle, and sometimes even painted a steel color in which case after short exposure to moisture or water it rusts, therefore tarnishing the post.
The panels for most of these brands will also need to either be screwed or glued to the face of the horizontal rail- meaning when the ground shifts- which it will at some point in time- its appearance will be distorted and parts of your fence will be ruined. Professional-grade fencing will have different routered grooves for its corners, ends, intermediate and gate posts.
Gates
Consumer grade gates are often constructed of a panel that's been cut down in width and assembled with a diagonal piece screwed on. The hinges that come with these gates are inferior and often only mount to the front of the post and gate- meaning it will sag in time. It will also likely have hinges that are single dimensional and will only allow you to drive screws through the face of the gate and gate post. These will easily pull from both during heavy use and wind.
The same principle will apply to latches. Keep an eye on what kind of hardware this kind of fence is providing as well. The quality of the hardware will have an effect on it's potential for rusting after installation. It is important to consider that gates alone have the largest number of call backs to installers and manufacturers because they are the only part of the fence designed to be able to move.
If you spend less on a gate in hopes of saving money, you will end up being disappointed and having to spend more time, money, and maintenance for its upkeep then if you had purchased a professionally manufactured gate system.
Professional grade gates should have gate uprights that are fastened to horizontal rails in a secure fashion or some brands have 'gate sockets' that are glued and riveted into uprights to accept horizontal fence rails. You will also find that professional grade gates have aluminum or steel frames to prevent sagging. You will have choices as to what kinds of hardware you would like used, and the hardware will often mount to two sides of the gate hinge post and gate upright itself, as well as have multiple points to install screws or 'thru bolts'. The professional grade gate will also have stainless steel hardware that has been powder-coated, or it will have a quality polymer piece of hardware.
Service
When you purchase a fence from a professional fence dealer you can expect great service for years to come. There will often be a long-standing manufacturer that provides some sort of warranty and will work feverishly to fix any issues you may have with your fence products. They realize that buying fencing for your property is an investment and they are often willing to work alongside you to help you maintain it.
You can also expect that in time if you need a replacement for a part of your fence, they will be able to provide you with the proper piece you will need. These are all benefits you will likely have when you invest in professional grade fence products for your property.