For What It’s Worth

After conquering the plumbing and siding businesses, it was probably only a matter of time before PVC plastic starting showing up on the rest of the house. That time has come. The latest battleground is the deck business, where a new Canadian product known as PVC Lumber is being hawked as a maintenance- free alternative to treated wood decking. The 1×51/2-inch plastic planks come with nonskid surfacing and are available in white or driftwood gray. They’re manufactured with the same UVstabilized resin that’s used in vinyl windows and siding. PVC Lumber can be installed either as an interlocking system or with 3/8-inch gaps, like standard deck boards. The plastic boards come in 8-, 10-, 12-, and 16-foot lengths and are cut with a