New polymer fence looks and acts like wrought iron

Homeowners can claim another victory in the revolt against high-maintenance exterior products. Polymer fencing is shoving aside its wrought iron ancestor.

A new class of ultra-high strength, ultra-low maintenance, solid polymer fence offers relief from the sand-scrape-paint maintenance routine dreaded for decades by metal fence owners.

"This fence is a response to what consumers want," says Dick Cantley of GeoMatrix, developer of EverIron fencing. "They want it to look and act like the real thing but they just say no to maintenance. Baby boomers would rather do anything than scrape, sand and paint metal."

Tough engineering polymers first surfaced in automotive applications where strength, rigidity and heat-resistance was desirable, such as roof racks and battery trays. Cantley, a 15-year veteran of the home product plastic business, says fences are a logical use for these polymers.

Home store behemoth Lowe's approached GeoMatrix about a black nonmetal alternative to wrought iron, which was expensive and difficult for do-it-yourselfers to install and maintain. "There had been plastic fences, but making a black plastic fence was a problem," says Cantley. "Ordinary PVC would literally melt in heat. The engineering polymer in EverIron doesn't have those problems." EverIron is available exclusively at Lowe's.

The acid test for EverIron, the first injection-molded polymer to reach the market, is appearance: does it pass as wrought iron? The answer is yes.

'The 10-foot challenge'

While some homeowners might balk at the idea of nonmetal fencing, Cantley readily accepts what he calls "the 10-foot challenge."

"We'll put EverIron polymer fencing next to wrought iron any day," says Cantley. "There is no trade off in appearance, none at all. Homeowners don't give up anything esthetically or in performance. You cannot tell the difference."

In fact, homeowners have much to gain from the world's first injection molded fence. Whereas a scratch condemns metal to rust and repainting, EverIron isn't painted; the polymer core is solid black. Its inherent stiffness holds up to winds, and because this polymer is chemically inert, the fence can be installed in saltwater environments where metals are taboo. The one piece 6-foot-long, 42-inch-high molded panels have no parts to loosen or fail. The panels affix to EverIron polymer posts with a simple bracket system.

Polymer fence also costs less. The lifetime warranted polymer panels retail under $50, as opposed to the $80-$100 price tag of wrought iron.

Installation techniques for both fence types are similar, yet homeowners will find EverIron a friendlier product to install. At 14 pounds a section vs. 80 or more pounds for metal, polymer is more easily handled and is cut and drilled with standard saws and drill bits.

"Customers call us to say they like the fence because there's literally nothing to do once it's installed," says Cantley. "The aging population doesn't want to wrestle with maintenance issues, they'd rather play golf. I'd like to play golf instead of sanding and scraping metal fences, too."