GAF sources indicate a strategic exit from the composite decking and railing market

Fate of manufacturing facilities in Maine and Kansas unknown

By Shane O’Neill, Chief Technology Officer – Compositology LLC
08/26/2011–Wayne, NJ– GAF Materials Corporation, North America’s largest manufacturer of commercial and residential roofing, appears to be leaving the composite decking and railing market.  Sources for Compositology have confirmed that the shingle giant will exiting the composite decking business and will immediately cease production at both manufacturing facilities in Lenexa, KS and Biddeford ME and close them fully by end of this year.

This brings to end different decking companies, and a somewhat brief foray by GAF into decking and railing applications.

Elk Cross Timbers History

During the heyday of composite decking startups, ElkCorp ( an asphalt shingle and fire retardant fabric company) bought Advanced Composite Technologies in 2002.  Their product, PermaLumber, was a wood-polypropylene composite decking profile.  This product (and its subsequent reformulations) became Elk Cross Timbers. Manufacturing continued in Lenexa, KS, with research efforts now directed through ElkCorp’s facility in Ennis, TX.  In 2007, GAF purchased ElkCorp to gain more marketshare in the architectural shingle business.  Along with this purchase, GAF now owned the orphaned Cross Timbers product line, the R&D lab in Ennis, and the manufacturing plant in Lenexa.  This product was briefly marketed unchanged under GAF-ELK Cross Timbers.

Correct  Building Products

Founded in Biddeford, Maine in 1999, Correct Building Products (CBP) introduced the first PP-based WPC decking profile to the industry.  As the business grew, CBP brought new innovations and technologies to the composite building industry, such as a co-extruded capstock (CorrectDeck CX) years before it was in vogue, an anti-microbial additive to minimize mold and fungal growth, and introduced jobsite scrap recycling programs.   In 2007, CBP purchased Tendura Corporation, adding a porch style PP-based WPC to the product lineup (later rebadged CorrectPorch).   In 2009,  CBP was purchased by GAF in a 363 sale, and the former CEO Martin Grohman assuming the role of Director of Sustainability with GAF.

After Acquisitions

With both Elk and CBP product lines under the GAF family, the products were rebooted into the “DuraLife” series, containing elements of the former technologies (with CorrectDeck CX essentially unchanged) and the addition of a rice hull-polyethylne composite line (DuraLife Natural Grain) in 2010.

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1. Compositology Exclusive: Another composite decking manufacture closes shop | Compositology LLC says:

   September 28, 2011 at 07:52

   [...] Is GAF Duralife Dead?  Appears So… (compositology.com) 08/26/2011 [...]

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