Tom Kraeutler: Hey, it’s Tom Kraeutler. I’m covering the 2016 Remodeling Show today in Baltimore, Maryland. One of the most popular trends right now in outdoor living is to really take advantage of every space you have. What if you don’t have space in your yard? What if the only space you have is on your roof? There’s a solution for that. There are rooftop decking systems out there that make that really easy to do.
With me to talk about one option is Julia Fitzgerald. Julia is the Chief Marketing Officer for AZEK. Welcome Julia.
Julia Fitzgerald: Hi. Nice to have you here with us today Tom.
Tom Kraeutler: Tell me about the trends towards rooftop decking. You’re obviously seeing a big increase in this.
Julia Fitzgerald: We are. It’s exactly what you said. People are running out of space, and they want to still have an option to be outside. They’re looking up towards the sky and looking at what options they have on the roof.
Tom Kraeutler: With the rooftop deck, you have both the deck and then you have the railing, which is very important because now we truly are elevated. Do you have a system that pulls that all together?
Julia Fitzgerald: We do. What’s really important, for people who are looking to build on their deck, is a couple of things. One, is the weight of the material. That’s why we’re starting to really get so many calls about AZEK. AZEK is a capped polymer material. It is super lightweight. A perfect building material for the roof. The other thing we’re finding is people really need something that can withstand the sun and the weather you get up on the rooftop. We have a coating or a cap on our product that’s called alloy armor technology. It is so good with fade and stain that we have a 30 year fade and stain warranty. That’s really important to the people building the deck up there as well.
Tom Kraeutler: That’s a great point. I think what a lot of folks don’t understand is the solar exposure, the solar gain on the roof is almost double what it is on the ground. Here’s why because a lot of times you’re up against a building wall and you get not only direct sunlight, but you get sunlight that reflects off those buildings. If you ever see a deck like that, you’re going to see a different wear pattern where that sunlight doubles. If it’s a wood deck, it’s going to be chipped and splintered more there than anywhere else. The product really has to be resistant to all that UV radiation.
Julia Fitzgerald: That is spot on. In fact, that is really where we’re getting all the calls. People are saying, “Hey we tried to do this before. The wood couldn’t last. We need to replace it.” In many instances we’re doing a replacement. The other thing we’re seeing is builders frequently need a material that has a class A flame spread rating. Our vintage AZEK line has that. When you’re thinking about how to pull together a rooftop deck, knowing it’s light enough, knowing it has that class A flame spread rating is really important, and knowing it has a material coating that will protect from fade and stain. Those are the three things to keep in mind, and pretty much why we see people turning to AZEK for these solutions.
Tom Kraeutler: None of that can be achieved, clearly, with a wood deck. Let’s face it, it’s up on the roof too. You really want to be concerned about durability because you want to do it once, do it right, and not have to do it again for a really long time.
Julia Fitzgerald: Absolutely. When you think about what it takes to get the materials to where you have to build, it is like let’s do it with the best materials, beautiful materials and with products that are going to last the test of time.
Tom Kraeutler: Julia Fitzgerald, the Chief Marketing Officer of AZEK. Thank you so much for stopping by the Money Pit. If you’d like to learn more, you can visit AZEK’s website at AZEK, A-Z-E-K,.com.
Julia Fitzgerald: Thank you very much.
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