If you’re like me, you’re likely confused about the best material for your outdoor decor and styling. There is always a debate across products, similar to the Poly versus Trex Outdoor Furniture brand battle. Poly and Trex have made a great impression on their sustainability-focused business strategy.
Poly furniture, turning what was once a problem into a solution, recycles an average of 400,000 milk jugs daily to create a variety of outdoor furniture. The company has grown to seven categories of products made from recycled materials, as stated in Forbes.com.
Staying true to its eco-friendly roots, Trex achieved record-high growth in 2021. Its products, composed of 95% recycled and reclaimed content, are a testament to its commitment to sustainability. Trex’s unique upcycling efforts diverted over 1 billion pounds of waste materials from landfills in 2021, which is commendable to help reduce environmental impacts.
Both companies, following their unique paths, show us that there are companies that will balance profitability with environmental responsibility. Kudos to both of them.
Let’s take a look at these brand products.
Table of Contents
- Poly versus Trex Outdoor Furniture
- How do Poly and Trex outdoor furniture compare
- What types of products do poly and trex offer
- Is Trex or Poly furniture more affordable
- Is there a material better than Poly or Trex
- Research Resources
Poly versus Trex Outdoor Furniture
A deeper look into the Poly brand
Poly is an outdoor furniture brand that crafts its products using recycled high-density polyethylene or HDPE. Poly imitates natural wood, similar to other brands’ composite materials. The Poly brand carries an extensive product range meant to transform the outdoor living experience.
HDPE makes everyday items like food containers and bottles more robust and durable. Unfortunately, these materials often become litter, polluting and filling up landfills and oceans.
Poly lumber adds new life to waste materials. While it is an easy process to turn these materials into furniture, it’s not an easy one. The plastics are sorted and cleaned first and turned into flakes before melting. The UV-inhibited pigment will be added to this melted plastic as it spins to spread the wood grain and make it appear similar to authentic wood.
Once the process is finished, the new-again materials will be arranged and shaped to produce high-quality pieces sold to the customers through the Poly brand. These materials are resilient and robust to stand the test of time without worries of flaking and peeling.
A deeper look into the Trex brand
The Trex company focuses on composite materials. The brand offers railing, decking, and other similar backyard space décor. Decking is the primary selling point of Trex, which is available for purchase nationwide. Trex has been proven to be an equal opponent to wood, its natural opponent, and is now one of the largest composite decking brands.
Similar to the artificial design of Poly lumber, Trex follows a simple process to transform recycled goods into gorgeous flooring. But composite options may also include recycled wood. But these are the high-quality ones you can find in decking, and instead, these are only wood chips from sawdust, trees, and other materials with no life except when repurposed.
Melting plastic or wood, compressing it into a mold, and adding a wood grain finish are the steps manufacturers take to make composite materials like Trex decking. Once the molds cool down and settle, they remove the materials. After the molds cool down and settle, these will be taken out of the mold to resemble actual wood.
How do Poly and Trex outdoor furniture compare
Poly and Trex outdoor furniture differ in terms of three major factors:
- The color and style options available
- The materials used
- The price range
Style and Color Options
The official Poly lumber and furniture website is colorful and has many product styles available. Trex has a variety of styles and colors to choose from.
The product range of Trex differs slightly in terms of size, color, and durability, which makes your choices a little limited. But it’s worth noting that Poly lumber has color and customization options that can often cost more.
It’s because every product is built to order. Every time the brand gets an order for a particular product, that’s the only time they start making it. Meanwhile, Trex’s products are all readymade and prepared for shipping.
If you want to opt for a unique or special color for Poly lumber, you can expect that the price will also significantly increase. The cost advantage also becomes lost a bit.
But then again, all home décor professionals know what design and aesthetics can mean. These are integral factors in developing an ideal living space. Sometimes, waiting longer and paying more is worth it.
Now, it doesn’t mean there are no such options in Trex. The brand has some pretty fantastic styling options too.
Materials
Poly furniture and Trex are fundamentally different brands as far as materials are concerned. Poly lumber exclusively uses plastics for manufacturing its wood-like products. Meanwhile, Trex uses actual wood pieces for its products and other composite materials.
The Trex brand takes the cake for its natural finish and look, and there’s no surprise. However, it isn’t a knock on the quality of Poly products.
Products from the Poly brand are high quality and look gorgeous simultaneously. But you can’t compare them with the wood bits used by the Trex brand, making it a very close competition based on your preference.
The matter of appearance matters the most as far as decking is concerned. It might not look all-natural if you’re using Poly lumber or PVC decking if it’s available. Since decking tends to be large and covers a vast area, the somewhat unnatural appearance can throw off the area’s entire décor. You can make everything look more natural with Trex.
Price
Poly furniture is a cheaper option than Trex. However, there is still more to it. With Poly lumber being simply plastic meant to resemble wood, you will get a more affordable price for every square foot, which is $10.
Meanwhile, Trex can cost you $15 for every square foot.
However, these figures are not definite. The price of Trex still depends on the particular distributor as well as your chosen product model or line. You can get some wiggle room with Trex.
In general, however, Poly furniture is still cheaper compared to Trex.
What types of products do poly and trex offer
The Poly brand produces all types of recycled goods, with the primary concept of giving a new purpose to recycled plastics. Its brand offers an extensive range of products. These are all designed to complement your home décor.
The Trex company mainly focuses on decking products in addition to other products. The brand’s product line does not lag behind Poly’s brand regarding quality. Trex offers high-quality decking products for patios to further improve your décor.
Trex doesn’t carry a lot of products. The brand is more niche and focused in its product line, particularly decking materials and other decking parts.
Is Trex or Poly furniture more affordable
Even though Poly Furniture and Trex use similar materials, it is clear that a particular brand is more affordable than the others. As I was comparing several of the two brands’ furniture categories, it became apparent that Poly furniture is consistently more expensive than Trex. It is possible because the Poly brand manufactures a more extensive product selection.
You might want to buy from Trex for eco-friendly and affordable furniture. But you might be better off with Poly if you focus more on the overall quality.
Is there a material better than Poly or Trex
There are better materials than Poly lumber or Trex. The most popular ones include wood, metal, synthetic wicker resin, composite, teak, cast aluminum, wrought iron, and steel. Each of these materials has its own set of pros and cons.
Before settling for a particular material, ensure you are familiar with all its strengths and weaknesses to ensure you’ll get the ideal choice for your outdoor furniture needs. Consider all the factors involved to ensure you’ll be making the most out of your investment.
Research Resources
- About the Author
- Latest Articles
John Thompson, Writer and Commentator
Soldier, writer, researcher, consultant, and bon vivant, John Thompson is the author of numerous columns, op-eds, reports, briefs, short stories and books as the “Felicity Files” and “Spirit Over Steel: A Chronology of the Second World War” (version III). Often found hunched over his computer, or in his garden, and now often found doing both. His diverse talent has led him to work in industries and projects such as energy, security and home construction and renovation. To see the entire team at Evolutdesign.com, visit Our Team page.
