Azek vs. Starboard

[Parkerman]

Does anyone know the difference between these two products? The look, feel and tool very similarly. After looking all over gods green earth for teak plywood that wouldnt run me 300 bucks a sheet including shipping I decided to go white. Azek is very available at my local lumber yards in 4x8 sheets in both 1/2" and 3/4" thicknesses. Wondering if they are the same products and if there are any pros or cons.

 

[Bryan 2530]

Azek is PVC.

I think it would work depending on the application, I think the Azek is a little lighter that starboard. Go for it.

 

[gw204]

Is it UV stable?

 

[Parkerman]

It is. It is meant for using on a home's exterior. I ended up going with it. I milled up two side panels that hold doors to access storage compartments on my walk around. They came out great but I am concerned that they will not hold up. The milled edges of the sheets are rough and raw and I think they may hold dirt. I am going to try to sand them up and get them really smooth and then wax them. I will let you know how they hold up.

 

[Meat Without Feet]

I've made things out of both materials. Starboard is solid thus much more dense. Use it if the item you are making requires strength or screw holding ability (providing the screws are attached properly). Starboard is not paintable.

Azek is neat stuff. It is a PVC product and you can get it in 4' x 18' lengths. It is white and can be painted with a solvent based paint. It takes a beautiful Imron finish like theres no tomorrow. You can also glue it together with pvc cement and pressure. The faces are smoother than starboard and the core is a dense pvc foam. Its also fillable and repairable with bondo. Its not as strong as Starboard but will hold up well in certain applications. Just as starboard you can also rout the edges (1/4 round, chamfer, etc.)

If you want to seal the edges of azek use pve cement. You may want to mask the face on both sides and edges so you don't get the pvc cement on those surfaces.

Kommacell (also pvc based) is neat stuff too with an almost glass finish and available in widths from 1/8" to 3/4" . its not as easy to get as Azek which is available at most lumber yards.

 

[Megabyte]

Great info Meat. :wink:

 

[Parkerman]

THanks Meat. I finished my project with it and will post pictures when ever I see my boat again- probably not for a while- I had set out not to paint my door panels but after routing and cutting everything I saw that the edges were not as shiney and finished as the face. I am concerned that the edges being raw may attract dirt. I will report back on this after a month of use.

Thanks again for the input.