FEATURE Story By David Koenig
TREX has discontinued its revolutionary Elevations steel deck framing system.
Steel hits wall of treated wood trying to break into deck framing market ot 18 months ago, residential steel deck framing was being heralded as a serious threat to treated wood for deck framing. Backed by two giant composite deck manufacturers, the systems claimed to have myriad advantages over wood, including improved aesthetics and straighter, uniform pieces with no crowning, warping or twisting. Yet at the end of last year, market leader Trex abruptly discontinued its Elevations steel deck framing, leaving Fortress Building Products’ Evolution as the last system standing. Trex explained to dealers that the move was part of its normal annual culling of less profitable colors, sizes and products to make room for new products and colors and sizes. Yet the end of Elevations is a great deal more than the loss of a fifth shade of brown; it’s the elimination of an entire product category, one with great promise, a number of satisfied users, and a much larger number who never gave the pricier product a chance. Trex expanded into steel deck framing in 2011 with its acquisition of tiny niche player Iron Deck Corp., Denver, Co. The product was terrific; it seemingly just needed the vast distribution network and promotional might of a national powerhouse like Trex. Yet builders still needed to be persuaded to use it and, just as importantly, dealers and even Trex’s own sales force needed to sell it. “They hated it,” noted one dealer. “Sales would not learn about the product, and it was hard to get support for it.
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The Merchant Magazine n
April 2021
SLEEK Elevations was well liked by deck builders who used the product— there just weren’t enough of them. Building-Products.com
