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Royal Vs Azek PVC

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David-Remodeler

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Any experiences or opinions from folks who have used both would be helpful.

I've been using Azek pretty much exclusively the last few years, it seems like the premium option, I've had good luck with it and it doesn't seem to yellow over time. In the past I had used a little bit of Menards PVC which I thought was the Royal brand, and it was a lot lighter with voids in the middle and not as nice a grain as the Azek. I also had one complaint about plugs yellowing on a install I did W2. Recently, in a pinch, I grabbed a few boards from a lumber yard that turned out to be Royal brand, the grain wasn't quite as nice as the Azek but it wasn't bad and they seemed a lot more solid the Menards stuff. Between the lower price and the fact that they are in stock (Azek usually takes a few days for me) I'm tempted to try some more of them but I'm curious what the rest of you think. I've been doing almost all woodgrain, unfinished attached with coretex screws and plugs.
 
#2 · (Edited)
I've used both. I experienced absolutely no difference in milling, sanding or installation and no noticeable voids. I did a whole house full of windows this year using Royal with Azek smooth cortex plugs and went through a few dozen boards ripped and crosscut. I glued up 3/4 boards for the exterior sills with 5/4 for the legs, and made the trim for the inside bathroom window out of it.

My problem with Azek is when I need the smooth side good that none of the lumber yards around here can guarantee there won't be scratches. They say that care is taken with the material, but the guys drag the pieces across the pavement as they load it on the truck.

With Royal, I was able to hand pick pieces from Menards to ensure I got an undamaged smooth face. Yes, the wood grain is a bit different than Azek, but I don't think that's a deal breaker. Only the box stores around here sell Royal, but Menards has the widest selection and stock. I'm not aware of any difference in material quality amongst the product itself for sale at different stores. Royal has been around for a long time. Ultimately, cellular PVC is cellular PVC.

To add: All the previous may not help since the PVC was painted. I'm not sure about yellowing over extended periods of time and don't know why it would be different among cellular PVCs unless something else is added to Azek that I'm not aware of. However, after the job I had many decent sized scraps that I didn't want to throw away sitting outside in a high exposure area for at least a couple months with no noticeable yellowing. I also did a bunch of research before deciding against Azek, which I initially planned to use for this job, because I knew nothing about Royal. I came across quite a bit of information and saw not one complaint about yellowing.


 
Discussion starter · #4 ·
I thought Azek was supposed to have some titanium dioxide added to help resist yellowing, not sure about the Royal.

I don’t think I’d ever try an unpainted smooth pvc job again, especially with miters, there’s always some little spot and it stands out like sore thumb no matter how small it is
 
#8 ·
I prefer Azek over Royal but most of it is subjective. I like Azek grain better and it's stiffer IMO. We don't ever do any pvc that isn't painted so not sure about the hidden fasteners showing, etc. Fifteen years ago we used to use white screws or hidden fasteners but the cuts get dirty and you have to work like you're in a lab to keep it all clean so we just nail it and plan to paint it now.

Dave, this is what we use and it's stocked at Shaw PaintPro Trim | AZEK Exteriors. Last time we used was 18 months ago and was 2/3 price of white Azek (it is a very light blue to my eye).
 
#13 ·
I will generally paint it. Unless it's a single piece or repair.

I like the Kkeer product. It's considerably less money than Azek and available at the yard. Azek is at H. Depot and all the distribution houses all the same price. Azek does have a "paint ready" version. Never tried it.

I have not noticed any difference in working with Azek vs Kkeer. I only use the smooth.

Veranda has the wood grain.
 
#14 ·
I've never used either, but I am having a large and very expensive covered porch and deck installed with high sun exposure. I am hoping to install without finishing with paint, as both trim boards match exactly the existing trim on my house, which is painted real cedar board. I am looking at Azek and Royal Trim Pro, both available at my Lowe's. One thing that was not mentioned that I noticed, the Azek has what seems to be porous sides and you can see the fingerprint oils causing darkened sides. The Royal trim pro has what appears to be finished sealed sides which would not hold dirt like the Azek. If used as a fascia board at the deck edge/ railing side of the deck, I would expect that overtime the Azek's porous edge would start to really show dirt accumulation. I realized that most deck has a bullnose edge that covers that exposed side. But also, I could see it being used to dress up columns. I realize that there are paints that are specified for good adherence to these types of boards, but the Royal trim pro is so slick and smooth that I have my doubts about paint sticking very well, especially given the expansion/contraction of the PVC material in the hot, southern exposure side of the house. Any comments would be appreciated. Thank you!
 
Discussion starter · #15 ·
steveng.field47 said:
I've never used either, but I am having a large and very expensive covered porch and deck installed with high sun exposure. I am hoping to install without finishing with paint, as both trim boards match exactly the existing trim on my house, which is painted real cedar board. I am looking at Azek and Royal Trim Pro, both available at my Lowe's. One thing that was not mentioned that I noticed, the Azek has what seems to be porous sides and you can see the fingerprint oils causing darkened sides. The Royal trim pro has what appears to be finished sealed sides which would not hold dirt like the Azek. If used as a fascia board at the deck edge/ railing side of the deck, I would expect that overtime the Azek's porous edge would start to really show dirt accumulation. I realized that most deck has a bullnose edge that covers that exposed side. But also, I could see it being used to dress up columns. I realize that there are paints that are specified for good adherence to these types of boards, but the Royal trim pro is so slick and smooth that I have my doubts about paint sticking very well, especially given the expansion/contraction of the PVC material in the hot, southern exposure side of the house. Any comments would be appreciated. Thank you!
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If you are a contractor please write an introduction and tell us your trade and relevant experience. If, as I suspect, you are a DIYer you are in the wrong spot and should head over to DIYtalk.com or schedule a paid consultation with me at DIYwithhelp.com. Actually I'm probably not even supposed to put that last part. Admin if that's too much advertising let me know, I'll shut it down.
 
#16 ·
old thread, I'm trying to decide whether to use boral or azek trim for a small project and got here. I haven't found any difference functionally between azek and Royal, mostly use royal for sourcing reasons.

Between boral and azek I seem to use whichever one I didn't use and get annoyed by last time.. Came here to see if someone would push me one way or another. Price for me is pretty comparable.

I do like boral siding a lot, but oof the price.
 
#17 ·
Charlesaf3 said:
old thread, I'm trying to decide whether to use boral or azek trim for a small project and got here. I haven't found any difference functionally between azek and Royal, mostly use royal for sourcing reasons.

Between boral and azek I seem to use whichever one I didn't use and get annoyed by last time.. Came here to see if someone would push me one way or another. Price for me is pretty comparable.

I do like boral siding a lot, but oof the price.
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Pricing for Boral trim here is comparable to the Azek. If you have long runs of wide flat material, the Boral is a no brainer. Don't like Boral for window trims, as it doesn't take a pocket screw very well. Boral is also not available in profiles like the Azek.
 
#18 ·
In my few jobs using boral I hated it, much prefer azek. IMO it's the new Masonite siding and will not last, time will tell. It also beats the hell out of your tools and chows blades. I've been using pvc for the last 15 or so years and have had no call backs or complaints.

If your looking for repeat business go with fjp.:)
 
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