April 14, 2022
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In this article, we will discuss all the major vinyl fencing manufacturers, their history, and the pros and cons of each. By the end of the article, we will have chosen our pick for Who Makes The Best Vinyl Fence.
Homeland Vinyl Fencing is a privately held company owned by Randy Heath. Homeland is believed to be the largest vinyl fence extruder in North America with extrusion plants in 6 states.
Homeland is the parent company of Waymark. Waymark is a manufacturer of Vinyl Post Caps.
Lack of colour options
Playgem’s Fence & Deck Division produces vinyl fencing for distributors across North America. With a history dating back to 1943 PlyGem has dipped its toes into many bodies of water. PlyGem is now owned by a multinational private equity firm known as Clayton, Dubilier & Rice.
PlyGem Residential Solutions is a division of Cornerstone Building Brands which has recently been acquired by CD&R for $5.8 billion
PlyGem originally got its name from the sale of plywood crates. In 1944 Bernard Hewitt (Founder Of PlyGem) began purchasing plywood crates, breaking them down and reselling the wood for a profit. Bernard eventually saved enough money to start a plywood manufacturing business.
The 1950s through the 1960s saw a massive economic boom and thus the need for plywood and other building products became a huge demand. This was a supply-demand that Bernard was happy to fill. Through the 70s the company experienced a slight downturn in the need for building supplies and therefore saw little growth.
In the 1980s a wall street broker named Jeffrey Silverman saw potential in PlyGem and began to purchase shares in the small company. By 1982 Silverman had purchased a controlling share in PlyGem and was named president 1983.
The next 20 years led Silverman and PlyGem on a series of acquisitions bringing PlyGem and therefore Silverman never imagined wealth. Such acquisitions include:
On Sept. 23, 2002, Silverman shot himself in the chest on a fishing pier in Greenwich, Connecticut. Although there is a lot of information available online as to the motive we will not be discussing it in this article.
In 2018 after a series of acquisitions, mergers and an IPO, a multinational private equity firm known as Clayton, Dubilier & Rice purchased the company from its shareholders for $21.64 per Share in Cash.
PlyGems has a large colour selection. Their colours include Tan, Sandstone, Khaki, White Almond, Natural Cedar, Redwood, Aged Cedar, Weathered Cedar, Chestnut Brown
Veka Outdoor Living Products in the United States is one of the largest PVC extrusion manufacturers in North America. With a history dating back to 1969 in Germany, they have grown exponentially worldwide in the plastics manufacturing industry.
Originally founded as Vekaplast in Germany, an employee named Heinrich Laumann took ownership of the company and began to manufacture the PVC-U window profiles after seeing a need for PVC double-paned window frames.
When VEKA originally started manufacturing in the United States around the early 1980’s they rented their facility but as demand for PVC profiles grew so did their business and by 1986 they constructed an advanced extrusion facility for the window and door market in Fombell, PA.
Throughout the 1990s VEKA continued to expand manufacturing facilities, creating VEKA West near Reno, Nevada and by the year 2000, they began manufacturing a product known as VEKAdeck. In 2002 VEKA acquired a Canadian manufacturing company known as Berlinex and renamed it VEKA Canada Holdings Company. As of today it appears that the VEKA is no longer manufacturing in Canada, according to an article in Canadian Plastics they shut down the plant in 2009 and based on this Google Street Map Image the space is currently for lease.
Veka has a good colour selection to choose from and their price to performance ratio is acceptable for most applications.
Thinner extrusion profile than others. A thinner profile would be fine in some environments but if exposed to harsh elements such as a hail storm you can be sure there will be a fair bit of damage.
Located in Medford, New York resides a large fencing wholesaler that appears to have stayed true to its roots. With a growing product line of vinyl and chainlink, Eastern Wholesale Fence LLC prides itself on only providing fencing materials to the trade.
Sadly, I was unable to find a vast amount of information regarding the history of Eastern Fence LLC. From the information available I was able to determine that since its founding in 1971 they have amassed 8 manufacturing and distributing facilities and currently employs over 100 workers throughout North America
As we were unable to find much information regarding the history of Eastern Fence we would love to hear from readers who know more than we do. If you do have information about the founder, the history or any relevant information regarding the history of Eastern Fence send us an email at media@okvinyl.com
Eastern Fence profiles are produced utilizing high-quality material and a well-thought extrusion process.
Production occurs in the eastern United States and therefore Western Canadian provinces will likely see a larger price tag than offered by other manufacturers
Founded in 2001 and National Vinyl Products started as a distributor of vinyl fencing. National Vinyl Products operates via a series of vinyl fencing distributors located throughout North America.
In 2004 National Vinyl Products opened an extrusion facility near Nephi, Utah. to manufacture their vinyl fence profiles. Over the years they have expanded their distribution network and the amount of vinyl fencing they extrude.
In October of 2021, Barrett Outdoor Living Products Acquired National Vinyl Products for an undisclosed sum.
Large Colour Selection
Headquartered in Middleburg Hts., Ohio, Barrett Outdoor Living was founded in 1978. Barrett Outdoor Living Products is a provider of many outdoor building materials including chain link, aluminum, and vinyl fencing products. Based on the research we were able to perform Barrett appears to still be owned by the original family that started the company and remains a family business to this day.
As we were unable to find much information regarding the history of Barrett Outdoor Living Products we would love to hear from readers who know more than we do. If you do have information about the founder, the history or any relevant information regarding the history of Barrett Outdoor Living Products send us an email at media@okvinyl.com
A large selection of profiles is available.
Sold primarily to the DIY segment we usually find that the quality does not exceed that of the materials available to the pros.
After extensive research and testing over the years, we at OK Vinyl Products believe we have a winner amongst all the vinyl fencing manufacturers. We base our choice on the following profile thickness, raw material used in the extrusion process, ability to withstand harsh weather and the warranty available to the consumer.
Homeland Vinyl Products Inc in our opinion produces the highest quality vinyl fence available. When it comes to vinyl fencing we look for the quality and reliability of the product above all else. Although their colour options as of 2022 are currently limited, they will be bringing their Homewood line back in 2023.
