Outdoor Living Spurs Growth
The growth of outdoor living has spurred moulding sales, as homeowners look to decorate the back façade of their homes and expand its functionality. “Outdoor living has gotten a lot of attention, but now that trend is extending to bring in other structures and more decorative elements,” Tapco’s Wierengo says. “Trim is part of that now.”
Versatex’s Kapres agrees. “We’re getting requests for tons of outdoor structures,” he says. The company has encouraged that trend to continue growing by introducing a nominal 2x framing length in its moulding material. “They’re using it for pergolas and other structures. It’s used as a base piece to customize the home as well as replacing existing architectural pieces that were originally created in the same sizes.”
Fypon, too, has seen growth in pieces such as decorative balustrades, Decker notes. “We’re seeing more interest in trellis pieces for placement over the garage, as well as brackets, too. On the other hand, we don’t get too many requests for exterior structures like gazebos, though.”
Column covers have grown significantly in popularity, as contractors discover the benefits. “Column wraps are gaining popularity, because they can be installed quickly to create a distinctive look,” Tapco’s Wierengo says. “They go on easily, which makes them popular especially for retrofit projects.”
Koma’s Sinks agrees. “Outdoor living has spurred more attention for outdoor decorative elements. Customers are buying pieces to decorate pergolas and other structures and also for column wraps.” Adds EastCoast Mouldings’ Delbridge, “Customers are ordering more square column covers and non-Colonial headers rather than round ones.”